Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1876-12-19
COMMUNICATED.
The Goyermor's alessags

The effort of Gov Kemper. in his
Ist message to the Legislature, to IN
.ucc that body and the people of the
tate To acquicsre in the fraudulent
tJtlement of the public debt attempt
i To De forced on them by the Fund
iug Bill. is the weakest act OF his al
uInistratlOn. Public Indignation
gaiust this infamous measure viii not
iUlCR at the bidding of Gov Kemper,
II any other tuuUCr, or al! of them
0nbiued, 80 Tong AZ there is "A yestagc
# that Ubiquitous ACT upon the statute
cook.
In the face of the following figures,
AIKEN from the lst and 2ud Auditor
-eport, what effect can Coy. Kcmpcrr
lowing picture of the happy and
,rusperOus condition Of the State have
pom the public mind, other than that
70, like Walker in his message, re-
'Omnendiug the passage of the Fund
uE Bill, is practicing to disCeiVe -
Whole interest due to
late, Sept. 80, 1875, 1910 S34. So
Amount of Coupons out
landing at same date, 9l5, 4l0. 90
Amount tilched from
lie School fund by
ue Funders in the Bond
ment and paid on the
public debt since 1870,
md due the P lie
school fund, 1900 600
Total, S., 426, pa 80
From these reports it thus appears
hat under the restricted operations Ol
a IN knnnintr Rill tho ,,pl.t la Jaht H.
increased since 1870 to the enormous
,um of IS, 428 ,24l.35. Now take oil
he brakes aud acknowledge the set.
cement under the Funding Bill as b
rinality, and the mcrest tyro in figure
AN easily calculate the exact number
# years it will require to bankrupt
he State, either by the accumulation
u the debt, or by the increase of the
burden of taxation necessary to pay
ne above back interest and amount
luethe School fund, and also to pay
he current demands of the Govern
nent and the eXactiOns Of the Fund
ng Bill.
The diversion of the free school
money as shown above, made in open
violation OF the ConstiIutiOn, has
,pened the eyes of Gov. Kemper, ana
ne now suggests that greater safe
guards be thrown around this sacred
fund.
Two years ago, when Mr. Fulker-
son, delegate from Washington, seeing
tie Willingness of the Funder- tn di-
yert the school fund and apply it to
their own uses, offered an amendment
TO the tax bill, requiring the capi,a-
lion tax, and One-tifth of the state
lax, to he paid in idigiti mOReY Of the
LD6od States, kept separate from all
other money, sent To the Auditor in
separate packages, and deposited by
him to the credit Of the School fund.
Gov. Kemper Joined the flanders in
the amendmenJ 0s being
illegal and revolutionary, because The
Court of Appeals had decIdcd the
Funding Bill constitutional aud bind
ing all succeeding legislatures, and the
Governor went so far rs TO say openly
10 members that if the amendments
passed he would veto the tax bill To-
get rid of it. The amendments pass
% but were defeated IN the Senate,
The Funders being in the majority IN
tbat body.
Now, let us see how the Governor
Glands in 1876, since the discovery Of
the diversion Of $4,000 900 i'm round
numbers of the School money Ia the
pocket Of the bondholders On page
10 OF his last message he says.
I'm dieposing OF this subject by
/ submit tlat il Will be
20 determine these questions:
~ IL II not ia conflict with the design,
both Of the constitution and the fund
ing act, TO collect any portion OF the
school fund i'm tax-receivsble coupons?
Inasmuch as the coupons are valueless
when once paid into the treasury as
part of the revenue; aud ipasmuch as
they had neither actual nor prospec-
tive existence at the date of the con
could it have been the design
n that instrument TO permit the col
IeVtiUn of the suhOUl-taX IN these or IN