The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-05-06
The Oppression Of Labor.

that tiefc Is found that solid virtue, that true
| nobility Of sol that darcs to DO right in the
face OF adversely. and meet the obligations of
manhood under al the complications and
temptations Of human existence. They have
not been schooled III the polished receptions.
and ostentations triceries that tlistingu sil the
more pretentious Of ctr species, and hence they
are too frequently made to bear mpositons,
through the Vaccinations of those whom they
have trusted in public POSITIONS without really
comprehending the method by which such
ends are consllinnlated, or suspecting the mo-
tiges that instigate them.
The history of the legislation of Virginia for
the past eight years has been record Of l!st
burdens fastened upon the laboring and poorer
classes, and no legislature OF the State has
more foreibly exemplifiei this than the one
Whose existence ceased the first of April last
We have but to call attention to two bills, one
OF which passed into law, and the other, after
haYing been endorsed by the popular branch,
was defeated in the Senate, to bring this charge
prominently to view. The one is the Road Law,
and the other Fukeson's bill to impair the
credit of the State. The tirst provides that here
after the Public Roads OF the counties shall!
be kept in repair an improved by the labor Of
the male population betwee:; the ages Of Is
and so. Property pays nothing. It matters
not how poor q man may be, how large fam
lily he may have dependent upon him, he is
dragged from his daily labor, whenever the
Road Oyerseer calls for him, and made to work
or hire a hand in his place, to put the roads in
order for the rich mans wagon and carriage to
pass over free Of charge. This simple state
ment Of the operation of the law develops its
| uni ust and outrageous character. Ii is an OPP
preston of the non-propery holder, whose daily
efforts, nine cases out Of ten, are demanded for
the scanty support Of his family, that the prop
erty holder may be accommoda Jed. If there is
one feature of State economy that requires its
maintenance by tax Oh property, it is the road
system, for it is the owners OF lands who are
benefited in q larger degree than any other
class, and indeed almost exclusively.
The Public Debt question has been managed
or rather mismanaged, With the same end in
view-the Cpl resson Of labor and the relief of
property. The whole tendency and spirit OF
the predominant sentiment in the last legisla-
| ture was 10 eyade the honest obligations CT
| the Commonwealth, and thereby impair her
credit, invite the indignant reproach of every
honest man, drive away capital, paralyze in
dustry, and retard progress. In accomplishing
these ends, the labo ing element OF ths State is
the main sufferer. Had a"wse and manly pol
icy been adopted Immediately after the close Of
hostilities-an earnest effort made to build up
and establish state credit and state character,
to-day the development of the material rcsour-
ces OF the State would have been ten fold grea-
ter than it is and opportunities for the remit
nerative employment OF labor in like proper
ton. I2stead Of this, there has been a set plr-
pose Oh the part Of the Conservative party to
substantially repudiate public Obligations
Every assessment of real estate that has been
made, has been prompted by cowardly and
corrupt purpose to have it's value reduced, at
the same time the per cent Of taxation has not
been increased-tllus lessening the revenues OF
the State, destroying her available fund fer
meeting the interest on the public debt, and by
this default, increasing the capital Obligation
This plain indication Of bad fa;th has attracted
the scornful attention Of capitalists every
''i'H~% AteNS
word and reproach in every commercial and
business centre iii the new and old world. AS
consequence cur mineral wealth, ctr water
power, our timber, remain dead and unremu-
nerative, and labor, idle and suffering
1t is net agreeable to write this way, but the
truth demands it. We would scern the thought
OF arraying capital against Labor, or arsasing
the prejudices OF the poor against the rich. 1t
is not for this purpose that we have taken up
this subject, but to direct attention to the mis-
cradle class legislation that has distinguished
the conservative party OF Virginia by which the
poorer classes are oppressed and those Deepen
dent upon them deprived OF adequate means
for comfortable existence, in order that the
property Owners Of the commonwealth may
escape their just proportion Of the burdens Of
government. Laws should be made for the
protection of persons as well as property-the
first always first and the last as secondary in
the scale of Importance The basis principle Of
all sound political economy is that property
should support governmental is an object
and paramount incident of all good laws that
safeguards should be thrown around it, and it
should not therefore escape its fair and eluita-
bic responsibility.
1t may be safely assumed that any legislation
that does not have direct tendency to foster
labor is defective. We may with equal propri-
ETY. assert that any legislation that discrimi-
mates against labor is radically pernicious and
must consumnate harm to the very interest
it is designed to benefit. The legislation of
Virginia, while designed to relieve the property
interest and place unjust burdens upon the la
Dor interest, has not only been successful in de-
pressing and Encouraging labor, but has depre-
ciated the value Of the interest intended to be
promoted, and thrown q severe paralysis O, CT
every branch of industry aud investment. We
witnessed Immediately after The war, hundreds
OF strangers coming into Virginia with view
to purchasing real estate and making their homes
here. They were calculating upon the tradi-
tional character OF the State. They did not
dream that the historic old ssMother of States
and Statesmen" would ever lower her standard
Of public honor maintained throughout the vi
cisstudes of a century in peace and war. They
were shocked, as soon as the reputation of the
public debt was mooted, and two-thirds of those
who did purchase, have sold out at sacrifice
and left for more Inviting fields. The result of
this has been the depreciation Of lands the in
jury Of labor and the compromise OF the char
r.