Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-10-30
Views of Hon. John Letcher.


The appropriation for defraying crimi
nal charges, 'including expenses of ju:.
nesI witnesses, and guarding jails," has
increased to an alarming amount. ane
fsternly demands reduction. The Legis
lature at its last session appropriated fol
these purposes the enormous sum OF
$155, 900, and for the year ending Sept
30th 1876, the sum of 100000. Before
| the territory embraced in what is called
West Virginia was taken off and organ.
lied as separate State THAT is to say
for the fiscal year ending Sept. 80, $780,
I the whole amount required for this pur-
T pose was only $50, 900! AT that time
we had one-third more territory and a
braced in the State of Virginia now,
and under our present management
double as much as is required to be an
nually appropriated as was required in
1860. Can this state of things be justi-
fed by people who are constantly COM
planning Of their poverty and inability
to pay their just debts? Can it be pos
sible that the people will permit their
delegates and senators to allow this state
of things to remain as it is? Whatever
is required for these purposes ought to
be borne by the several counties, cities
and towns of the State in which the
4 criminal charges originate. If such a
tchange were made in the law we would
soon find large reduction in the crimi-
nal charges; the administration of jus
tice would be more cheaply secured, as
the people at home would be more di-
rectly interested in the reduction ofthese
charges and the great ends of Justice
/ would be as efectually secured. +rr
These are matters about which there
should not be difference of opinion,
especially since the gubernatorial con-
vention has labored to rivet upon the
public mind the necessity of rigid econ
lomy, searching and thorough retrench-
ment, and radical reform. Here are
| questions that demand immediate atten-
ton and consideration, more especially
if we expect to have an immediate read
iustment of our Indebtedness. ,,i ,.,-f-
| In the future we are to have biennial
sessions of the Legislature, and those
who are the best informed on the subject
assure us that this measure will save at
least $780, 900 in the way of expenditure
per annum-a most important saving to
the people. .'H s.'ll- % -
The friends of "Moffett's Whiskey
| OhOh DAAl, w AO IL, as we
| were told by them at the time it was
tunder consideration, assured the coun-
try that it was designed to raise means
to secure the payment of our State debt
and its interest, and they insist upon it
| that it will accomplish this purpose. If
| it shall do this, and if it shall operate as
expected by its friends, good result
will be secured for the State the title to
the bill declaring that it is designed "for
the support of the government, and to
| pay the interest on the Public. Debt.n-
One of its most devoted friends says:
ut is estimated land this estimate is
based on the actual results of a weeks
working of the law in Richmond) that
this law will produce from aUhiskey at
least $500, 600 of revenue to the State ev-
cry year-more than enough to cover
any future deficiency that may arise un-
der our present tax law. In other words:
| let this law stand, and it and our present
rate of taxation will bring revenue
enough to the State to carry on the State
government, carry on the public free
school system, and pay Uinterest regu-
| larly on the Public Debt"
| Another saving that can be effected
will be secured by hiring out the convicts
in the Penitentiary to work upon the
positions in which they will not be
brought into competition with the.hon.
est labor of the country. In this way
$4,000 at least can be saved to the State.
Now let us see how the account will
stand. The deficiency for the last fiscal
year, according to the Auditors Report.
Tax raised under Moisif's wnsKey '''''''
Law 800.
In the hire of convicts a saw
l. ing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10000
Under biennial sess. ,law,...... 100000 ..,
demanding criminal charges
| to counties, cities and -...,.
| l55,OOO S715,OOO
.....,.Iif s.a ~. .... sl65, ,3OS II
This statement clearly shows that the
deficit of S610, ,691.S9 is fully wiped out,
and that no increase of taxation will be
required to enable the State to meet its
| obligations and ''to preserve inviolate
the public faith and credit" This re-
suit is ascertained from facts accepted as
true even by yrepudiationists themselves.
Taking the facts as they present them,
and we are in a far better situation than
our opponents have been willing to con-
cede. We not only wipe out the deficit,
but we show surplus in its stead of
! $165 .308. ..Au.. .,.l..
After paying high and just tribute
to the merits of Judge VIM. McLaugh-
lin, who has so ably and faithfully and
impartially discharged the duties of his
office. and saying that he will cast his
influence and vote in favor of his re-
election as judge of this circuit, he con-
cludes his address as follows: t.u.a.. -
! Finally: am neither a "bloated bond
holder,n nor lank bondholder, nor any
other sort of a holder of State bonds, and
never have been, and at my time of life
never expect to be. But permit me,
nevertheless, to say to you in closing
this address -''trTst -,
Christian principle and Christian edu-
cation teaches us that honest obligations,
fairly assumed, are to be respected and
honestly met and no man so educated
and so raised can in justice to himself
and to the community in which he lives
seek to evade or escape its binding force.
THE SKIRT GRAB-ITs ORIGIN EN-
vELOPED IN SULPHURoUs CLOUDS
There was the land grab and the salary
grab, but the most universal grab since
the day the children of Israel grabbed
Quails in the wilderness is the one made
nowadays by every mans wife or sweet
heart as she drops her left shoulder,
gracefully swings the upper half of her
body around toward the rear, grabs a
handful of skirts, straightens up, and
moves off with face full of holy and
calm content, and an aureole Of serene
satisfaction illustrating her countenance.
The idea was probably cribbed from the
devil, by observing him pick up his tail,
tuck it over his left arm, and saunter off
on a promenade among the hypocrites
and Pharisees, the lower guide and rig
idly righteous" ''''
/ A woman out in Polk county, New
York, becoming converted to the doc
4 trines of DR.. Mary Walker, took advan-
tage of her husbands absence to array
herself in his clothes. She put on the
coat first, and, ignoring the buttons,
pinned it up from chin down. Then
She put on the vest, back front, and toll
somely buttoned it up behind. That
was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon
At about half-past six her husband found
her seated on the side of the bed in a dis
ordered room, weeping, her hair down,