Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-11-02
FRIDAY MORNING. NOV. 2, 1877.

FRIDAY MORNING. NOV. 2, 1877.
Next Tuesday the moral sense OF Au-
gusta county will be put on trial. For al
ter the lengthy and voluminous showing Oh
both sides of the debt question, the ques-
ton only remains, will the people OF Vlr-
ginia say next Tuesday that they are hon
est and intend to pay their debts. The
matter of adjustment is but side issue
something that may happen orlmay not. as
the creditor may choose. The real ques-
ton submitted to our people next Tues
dav. Invested of all illusory names, IS
whether they will be honest or not.ss That we
are able to pay is certain. The county that
adioins OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the same
soil, the same people, the same means OF
cultivation, and less commercial facilities,
in addition to it's State tax, which we also
pay, pays ffty-fve thousand dollars OF
county levy, while we only pay twelve
thousand. 1t not only pays the interest on
it's bonds, but is buying them IN with
sinking fund. In short, it pays five times
the rate of taxation that Augusta county
pays. Yet there is no unusual suffering
there. The people pay their taxes, live
comfortably, nobody is sold out. The de-
linuuent land tax in Rockbridge in 1875
was $3.50, while that in Augusta was $3.50.
The insolvent property and capitation tax
returned in 1875 from Rockbridge was
only SS43, while that of Augusta was
S1,666. This settles the matter as to our
ability to pay, and leaves open only the
other one, of intention to pay.
1t has all been arranged for us as to the
point at which the voters shall separate.
One set of candidates, who offer to repre-
sent Augusta. favor any legislation by
which the contract made under the fund
ing bill may be evaded, or so clogged and
impaired that the creditors of the State
will be forced to take less than is their
right, and less than has been promised
them. The other set who offer have de-
clared in terms that they will neither by
artifice nor force legislate towards an ad-
justment that is not acceptable ac-
ceptible in strait to which they may be
driven by legislation, but acceptable in the
sense it is used IN business, between any
debtor and creditor, to those whose money
we have spent for the benefit of Virginia.
They also promise. by every retrench-
rnent and by enforcing existing revenue
laws and creating new ones to make good
the deficit now existing in the State
treasury. The first ticket, headed by Mr..
SKAwR1GHT, makes its chief point to dd-
5stst the State debt, while the second, head
ed by Mr.. KoINER, makes its chief point
to pay the debt. That is the main thing
at issue. Let the people Of Augusta coun-
ty. who are determined that as far as she
lis concerned her voice shall be for honest
payment, make their choice between these
tickets on that line. The matter OF IN
creased taxation is, we believe, secondary;
seeing that the Moffett Register, with it's
$5O0,0OO year, and economy will, in all
likelihood, put it out of the question, but,
nevertheless, we would have the vote cast
for the debt-paying ticket. cast also in the
spirit of paying the debt honestly. We
wish Augusta to have moral weight id
the State of Virginia, as every county will,
IL the years to come, which, in this cam
paign Of demagogism and deceptive issues,
comes out with clear record of having
voted on the principle Involved. In after
years. when this great assault upon the
plighted faith and moral standing Of the
Old Commonwealth shall be talked over.
the names OF the counties that stood i'm
movable. will be marked with white
stone. The good that counties do lives af-
ter them.
The candidates platforms have presen-
ted a rather nebulous appearance. Charge
an Adjuster with Reputation and he
darts off into the thicket Of constitutional
legislation to evade the Ubiquitous funding
bill and covers himself SO completely with
the leaves of Judge STABLES opinion to
the effect that it can be done by law, and
with Mr.. MAssEY's calculation Of the bank
ruptcy of Virginia that you hardly know
where to find him, and charge Debt pay
er with being willing to raise the taxes and
he at once runs up the tree Of Retrencl-
ment, roosts on the Moffett punch
Aimb. then skips to the Criminal Expenses
limb and finally hugs the body of the
tree like a tree frog, so near the color OF
the bark that you can't tell whether he is
on or off-whether if Retrenchment failed
he would be a tax raiser or not. In fact
both sides are afraid to trust the PEG
pie of the county the Adjustsrs are afraid
the peope amt bad enough to repudiate,
and the Debt.payers are afraid they are not
good enough to be willing to be taxed.
And so it is that you hear thousand ru-
mors Of what each candidates. position is
But the voter can easily test the matter by
asking of his candidate will he vote for
the repeal of the Funding Bill If he says
he will, then he is the very best man to
stay at home. He will be oblivious to all
efforts at retrenchment and conGne his at
tention to Adjusting the debt. Such
man will come back bringing no sheaves
except his per diem. Ii he says he won't
vote for the repeal of the Funding Bill
then you may know he is forced to attend
to the Retrenchment question and forced
to make at least an effort to bring the ex-
penses within our resources. These are
the sort of men on the KOINER ticket, The
other men are sure to make water haul
our men are sure to have done at least
something.
I'VE have great confidence in the moral and
solid business sense of the people ofAugusta
and on that confidence we base our expec
tations for next Tuesday.
THE ELECTION Is NEXT TUES
DAY, NOV. 9th.
nLo d;,c<oro ,,c,,oI full of 1,c,, nn,,