The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-08-21


August I, 1877.
L. +. Udrrie. Esq:
Dear Strive, the undersigned, citizens
Of Amelia county, irrespective OF party.
Respectfully ask you to declare yourself the
Deopie's candidate to represent this county
in the next Legislature OF Virginia.
[Signcd by ffty-seven voters.]
10 the Voters Of amelia County:
In response to numerous applications
made to me, represented by the above let
ter Selected because it is the slortcS'),
signed by men OF all classes and both races,
from all sections OF the county, announce
myself n candidate to represent the people
of Amelia in the next House of Delegates,
son the call OF the people. irrespective OF
Marty organization" As | am and have
been 4 member OF the National ConScrva-
tiyc-Dcmocratic party, it is proper that l
should state distinctly the reasons when
constran nc to act now without regard 10
the action of that party. | VIII 40 so Is
conciScly rs can:
The first and controlling reason is that
am convinced the call Oh me Is made by
majority Of the farmers and laborcr5 OF the
co,inty-two classes the most deeply inter-
cstcd in the local government: of the State
whose interests arc and have been suffering
under oppressive taxation and unWlsc lc-
rislation. TO one Of these classes | belong,
and my Sympathics and Interests unite me
indissolubly with both. On the pros
pelitv OF the two all the industrial In
tcrcstS OF the State arc dependent, as
also the peace and good order OF this
community. For the protection and adj
yanccmcnt of these great fundamental in
m ut her
states. tim oppressed and in great jeopardy,
| hecane, Il member OF the CONSERVATIVES
Democratic party. They who represent
those interests in this county now call on
me 70 act for and with them. | cannot re-
iect their demands.
These voters and their interests present
peculiar and impcriouS claims on the ser
vices OF any native OF Virginia. Agricul-
turr, the primary interest in the State, pros
trated by the late war, was held down and
oppressed for several years by military rule.
1t and the interests connected with and spe-
ciaIIy dependent on it were released from
this misrue by the enforced adoption OF 4
Constitution burdcning it and all interests
in the State with the support OF Il costly
system of government possibly adapted TO
Il dense aud wealthy population but utterly
unsmtcd TO the sparse and Impoverished
population OF Virginia.
: or this government the Conservative
partv has had the control for seven wears.
Its Constitution ordered the creation OF
body OF county judges, to be elected Ivy the
Legislature. That body ut once narrowed
the choice by confirming it exclusively to mcm-
bcrS OF the Conservative party; 1t narrowed
the choice still further by restricting the Sc
lection TO men who had Il license to practice
law, and it made the chance OF selecting
good Judges still more improbable by Civ
inc them small districts and small pay.
These are. in my view. among the most M
portant officers in the State. They have
other and higher duties than dccldin" cases
at bar. They have the appointment OF some
i,nportaGt county officers. they I'LL Va
cancieS. they examine and certify 10
accounts oi officers and others against
the county. 1t j. their duty to 81
prrvi>c officers in the county and re-
Gl!irc them to show cause why they should
not he removed for neglect or malica>ancc.
and to order the police and preserve the
peace Of the county. am not certain that
an able lawyer would be best qualified to
discharge these duties, however well quail
fled to decide eases where pleadlngS were
had: but ! am confident that Il man who
no practice, is not likely 10 discharge elf
cientIv duties 50 varied and important and
from this last class of men the past action
OF the Legislature has compelled large
number Of the selections to be made. |
know there are good and able Judges
in the counties, but [ know also that the
finances OF many counties are in rs much
disorder us those OF the State: that county
expenditures and taxation arc high and
constantly fluctuating; that there are con-
slant complaints of lawleSS accounts certl-
fled, OF inefficient and corrupt officers Kept
in place: and have rarely, il | have ever,
heard OF an officer summoned by Il county
iudpe TO show cause why he should not be
removed. This mode of election is. in my
view, vicious and miSchcyouS, and should
be corrected This Constitution cut up the
counties into minute subdivisions, each
OF which is burdcncd with the support
of numerous officials; it increased the
number of general county officers, all
to be supported by fees or salaries.
The practice OF those managing county
affairs, following the example OF the Legs
laturc, has been TO fill these offices with men
who live by office, who. like the members
of the Legislature and the county judges,
belong TO some OF the professions. are not
united in feeling or interest with the a@r-
cultmists, and who are united by other and
different ties than those which unite the
landholdcr and lahorcr. The counties are
filled with o1tce-huntCrS and ofhcc-holdcrS,
banded together by partisan tics, who
WELD the power nominally possessed by
the taxpayers to their exclusion and in their
despite. If any wish to test these facts let
them look TO the men who are candidates
for Office, who sit in the Legislature, on the
bench in the counties, and who attend and
manage public meetings, local and State.
Under this system the great primary ill
tcrest in the State, and the labor dependent
on it, and all the interests in the rural dis
tricts, have not revived; on the contrary,
they have languished, taxation has been
heavier, expenditures enlarged, the State
debt has been increased, and is increasing
at an appalling rate. The legislation OF the
State has, in my view, been most injurious
to the landholders and to the interests most
directly connected with and dependent
upon them. A brief review OF some acts
will present the reasons which compel me,
with great reluctance, to announce this
opinion.
The interest OF the State in various rail-
roads has been sold for sums ridiculously
small, and these. small amounts have not
been realized. BY these sales the public
highways of the State have been put under
the control Of foreign corporations. which
make eXactions and determinations most in
furious to the farmers and planters OF Nir-
ginia. Loss of property and OF the right to
regulate tolls. with increased burdens on
producers, has resulted from this legiSla-
ton. The Legislature undertook to adjust