The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-04-10
iFor The DIspatch.l
,.s 1vnrsuCcn E.0vg.


str,l;nc eyemplifcation of the results
~ bastv and ill-considcrcd legislation is
y Afforded by the tobacco bill lately put forth
by the Legislature, approved by the Gov
ernor. and declared to be notC the law OF
the land. But what q law! The bill con-
tains many good features that must COM
mend themselves alike TO the farmers and
to the trade, but is SO incOngruous and IN
consistent as to destroy its usefulness by
lack of vitality to put it agoins. Set upon
its legs, then supply the motive power, and
it may work pretty well; but these essen
tails are wanting; and, il you will pardon the
seeming paradox, as it stands it must .JaG;
BY it the axe is applied to the root, and all
previous legislation on the subject OF TO-
bacco is swept away-cyery statute ana en-
actment remaining in force up to the lSt OF
January. 1877, is repealed, utterly abro-
gated, and the bill declares that the sale OF
all tobacco and that warehouse charges shall
be hereafter subject to the provisions OF
! this act. Startling as it may he, the TACT
stands prominently forth that there is not
| left in the State of Virginia one single to-
| bacco inspector, nor, by consequence, pup
| lie warehouse in the broad limits of the
! Commonwealth. In all the fifty sections OF
| the bin the term inspector does not once
occur. The Office is abrogatcd, and conse-
o,rnt|y the institution of public ware
house is abolished-at least temporarily, II
no: altogether. What have we instead
! The act makes provision, but, unfortunately,
only Tor the distant future; for the first
germ that is to impart existence ana
Give vitality to it is found in section 4,
which requires the Governor, in january,
1878, to appoint two samplers, whose term
OF office shall commence on the 1st day OF
October next succeeding. Il long time to
wait. In the meanwhile what is to be done
T. is ruin to stand still and dangerous to 20
forward, for this new law bristles con-
spcuouSly with fines, forfeiturcs, and as
scss,nents for violation and non-observancc
Of its provisions, and offers tempting re-
wards to informers for betrayal OF its ln-
fractions. For instance, a commission mer-
chant is required, under a penalty or $50
for each offence, to store all tobacco con-
signed to him in a public warehouse IN
less instructed in writing, at the time OF
shipment, to the contrary. We have no
! public warehouses. What, then. shall be
| done with the hundreds Of hogsheads daily
arriving without instructions? The con-
slgnecs find themselves greatly einbarrass-
| ed Admit, though, that the houses for
merly styled public may still be so called;
put the tobacco in them, and what then?
The act expressly declares that it shall be
unlawful to offer such tobacco for sale by
sample unless the sample is drawn and GER
tilted by sampler appointed by the Gov
crnor and confirmed by the Senate. I'm
questionably no such officer as yet exists,
Dor by the provisions OF the bill can until
next October twelve months.
There are other peculiarlties and embar-
easements attending this grand piece OF
legislation, but enough have been pointed
out, and we pause for solution OF them,
though we can il! afford to 'bideour time"
SHOCKOE SLIP.