The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-01-20
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a. NOVEL PROCESS OF TAXING LIQuoR-TTiE
WHIsKEY 5PUNcH--OUR BOUNDARY LTNEs--.-
VIRGINIA NOT DEPRIVED OF MUCH TERRI
! ToHY 9BYsTHE eAwARD--PRRsoSAL-GN EW
RAILROAD NEAsURE,sETG.s ~ :
Ex.a Governor Smith says hesis determined
to push his whiskey bill on to victory; tbut
the Finance Committee are making slow
progress withsit, and opposition rises from
many quarters q! Meanwhile ssaE novel
project has BEEN advanced by Sena-
tor Mofett OF Rockingham BY (which
It is proposed to, derive large amount OF
money from the eonsumptio Of liquor,5 and
yet, as he hopes, have presented no great
difficulties In the. collection OF Tint revenue.
The Senator has had made, with the assist
ance of Mr. Otis Deane, q mechanical genius
OF tlris city, model OF an " indicator one
OF which he proposes to place In every bar
room or.other place where liquor Is sold BY
the drink. & The apparatus is to be placed In
locked box, the key Of which Is to be IN
charge Of the Commissioner of the Revenue.
For every drink he sells the bar-keeper
must touch d knob once. A bell dixie the
conductors punch!beID win ring, aud
on dial fmade after the plan OF the register
on lgas-meter) will the drinks be recorded,
time after time, and day after day, till they
run up to any given numbers 10000. It
Is proposed to levy a tax OF one cent on
each drink sold, as shown by the register,
and heavy penalty is to be imposed upon
any bar-keeper who fails to touche the
knob, in, the pres ence OF his customers,
once for every drink disposed Of. '.Ss..,cs ~
A considerable number OF Senators and
delegates have already committed them-
al, ho pn,sf o3 kha nd
declare that it will prove a cheap, ,expe-
ditious, safe, and reasonable way OF taxing
| LIQUOR. They are dead in, earnest, ). No
| Joke. At the same time they are aware that
the plan will meet with some ridicule.. 1t
is we'll known that some members are
already looking up the bell-punch poetry
with the intention Of altering and amend
ing it to be used In their speeches. .
THE BOUNDARY LINE. =. ''.t'
Mr.. Neely. Of Accomac, who has all along
given the subject much thoughtful consid-
Grafton. after reading the award of the arbi-
traitors and consulting the map provided by
them, is of opinion that the award 1s-not
very unfavorable' to Virginia. He believes
that we will lose little or no oyster-produ-
cling territory, and that the settlement will
be productive OF the very best results, and
stop the war between the oystermen..
It does not materially alter the boundaries
as they at present exist, but it does not give
us by any means as much as was claimed for
Virginia. 80, .<:.s., i: },s>- + ..s
The plan for the settlement of the presi-
dental question is generally approved by
members OF the Legislature and highfunc-
tionaries of the State government. Gov
ernor Kemper said: "Looking to all the
plans of settlement which are possible to
be adopted, 60 most heartily for the Joint
report" Hon. r. A. Coghill, member OF
the National Democratic Committee. 81
heartily endorse the report Of the joint com:
4 mittee." Hon. r. NJ. T. Hunter: " I had
rather take the proposed settlement than
trust to Grant and his soldiers" Hon. A.
FL. H. Stuart: "I am very favorably inn
pressed with the plan" These are some oi
the expressions that were made use OF yes.
terday: :. Ex-Governor Smith had not read
the report, and Ex-Governor Letcher did
not like it. .t...1fta-. a:.. ns. tr i.a
| HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THY WALKS i -
The Committee on Public Grounds anG
Buildings, to whom was referred the sub.
iect OF paving the walks in the Capitol
| grounds, reported yesterday morning thai
owing to the impoverished condition, Of the
Treasury they deem it inexpedient to have
the work done. The report was agreed to
- SOME PROSPECT OF RAILROAD WAR. =,
A. bill was introduced in the Senate yes
terday by General johnson to incorporate {
number of citizens to build q railroad from
Richmond to Washington. ri = ~ 49,
1T was said by many members that tht
bill will: be diligently pushed forward, ant
4 also that twill meet with very yigorou!
opposition.
:. THE LOST FOUND. =
Messrs. Powell, Franklin, and Loven.
stein, the subcommittee OF the House Com
mittee on Roads, assisted by basement Off
! GERS, were able yesterday to reconcile the
discrepancy in the account of the Danyille
Railroad Company as kept by: the coz
pany and the State, and which amounted to
! about; $4,000. This amount was paid BY
the company in bonds Of the State, under
military order, and q memorandum of Col
onel DeWitt,s setting it all right was found,
as were the bonds themselves. The com.
mittee will report all the facts to-day.
g..,j.r- s;.3 GUBERNAToRIAL- a-,n
The Governor has restored to citizenship
| r. D. Burruss, OF Goochland, who was con.
victed Of forgery in 1876 and pardoned in
1876. i. ,.,s.. .aa. i - "a :j5sie..5:s..
The Governor yesterday appointed T. L.
| Payne, OF Manchester, q notary public fol
that place; and Charles Greene: inspector
of flour for fculpeper.a
DUELLISGD DIsABILITIEs- The ROYAL Quo
| W WARRGNTo-INTEREsTINa POINTS BEFORE
THE SUPREME CoURT.-In September last
William L. Royal procured from the Gov.
ernor an appointment as notary public fol
the county OF Henrico. The appointment
was obtained !. for the single purpose. .o1
getting the question tested whether or not
he was under; any disabilities to hold Office
by reason Of the provision of the Constitu.
tion disqualifying persons who had been
engaged in q. duel. "A writ OF quo acd77a1sto
was sued out against him in December last
in the name OF George W. Thomas, attor.
ney for the Commonwealth in Henrico
county, in the Circuit Court for the county
of 5Henrico: When the cause was heard
before Judge Wexford he pronounced q
Judgment Of custer. Mr.. Royal carried
the case, by writ, OF error, to the Court Of
! Appeals, where it was under argumen!
yesterday and the day before. 1T was leIab-
| orately argued. by Mr. Royal for himself
and the Attorney General for!the State.
+ Mr. Royals points were: First, that to
liof the commission Of any specified act is to
punish him for that act. Many cases were
cited in which this had been held. That
the spirit OF our laws did not allow any man
to be punished until he had been regularly
convicted by q Jury. Therefore it must be
presumed that the trainers ;of the Constitu.