Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-07-06
The Resolutions Of only fifty
two men.

Editor Vindiaator:
As farmer, for one, deny that the porous
resolutions passed by "the meeting" OF hfty-
two men, which they claim to bethe views OF
the farmers of Augusta were SO. There was too
much conglomeration with whiskey, and hing
ry Office seekers to besPeak the opinion of Au-
gusta farmers; and think 1t incumbent upon
the farmers to hold mass meeting, (say in
July, J and express the clear views OF two thou
sand voters representing the agriculture OF the
county. mixture IF fty-two men representing
various avocations, can't pass for the faimers
of the old county. One swallow don't make
Summer The vague and stupid manner in
W hi, the resolutions speak signify there is
something masty-but for the reputation OF
root NJ. D., we couldn't exactly say woat they
don't mean "be resolutions IN the nrsG place
contradict themselves.
If We are cheered by the eturn Of proepeli-
", we ought not to groAn under tie public
debt; and il NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. is necessarily,
| concomitalt wi b humah laws, we ought bo'
| - complain against fate The preamble woulC
| make an appendix to Adam Smiths political
| economy, aud win Is up by calling the meeting
| the w CT of the farmers of Augusta Too thiL,
| the press in the State did not take up the call
| but give Fl ting censure upon the sham O.
| the office see iers and fossil but one of thu
| 20 ost incongruous mistakes we find il the
third resolution, which says that nc man rep
resentng, the railroad interest SO far as they
have a say, shall be governor OF Virginia. 1t
| might be supposed they would oppose the cleo
| ton of any man Tho would be controlled by the
| railroads of the State But to say that an in
| tetest SO great so useful and so necessary
Shouts not receive its share of represent alton,
is the height O: folly. Every interest in thu
| State has right to demand fair share of in
terest in The administration OF the laws of the
| State, and it is wrong to dem it TO shy Let
us have governor who will represent sill
classes and interests alike.
| The seventh resolution denounces the fund
ins bill and favors any 'rt-idjus'ment" of the
State debt, and goes en- to pledge the State in
good faith to pay &C., &c. Wonder il the far
mers AMI voters Of the resolutions know that
| bondholders hold these bonds in the nature of
a legal contract, protected by the Supreme
Court; or if the consent of them is at all nee
essary to re-adjust thirty millions, and if the
State does not stand up to her las promise to
pay the amount agrt ed TO by the funding bill,
| where is the good faith to cone from? 1t is
nonsense to say the bondhoders will overlook
the broken promises of the past and give up
| their legal bonds for what they nigh call hyp
ocritcal promises. The funding bill put the
harness on the State and she has no other way
| but to get down and give steady pull. Peo-
| Pile seem to forget the bondholders paid this
money and Virginia go. the money and spent
| every dollar of it. She has her internal i'm
provements, and has beer advantaged IN untold
| measure by them. We legally owe two-thirds
of the whole debt. The Court of last resort has
decided in the case of Higginbottom VS.. Com
monwealth that he Two States are bound for
| the Whole of the debt contracted before the
formation of West Virginia now this is clearly
settled, Virginia can and must pay her portion.
But to do this she must practice economy; she
must SHOVE out of office the demagogues and
bigoted fossils W no should be taught that they
| serve the public best when taey serve it the
least, and put il tax payers and representative
men. The adoption of biennial sessions and
the reduction of the legislature, will add one
hundred thousand dollars towards the ebt
which itself will pay the interest on nearly one
and three-fourths millions.
What the State wants is economy. For ten
| years previous to 1860 the tax on an average
was 20 cents on the hundred dollars and to
run the government on average cost a half
milliun, while since the war the average rate of
| taxation has been "a cents en- one hundred dol
| lars and it costs to Iun the government with
900 less square miles of territory and less
population by neatly half million, over one
| mi lion of dollars Why is it that two-thirds
| of State should cost double the expense of ope-
ration of the whole? Sir, simple calculation
will show that if the expenses Of managing the
| affairs of the State were reduced in proportion
TO the area and population, the saving would
pay full interest of the debt and add to tine
sinking fund without any additional taxation
| Why can the Cover nment be carried on as
cheaply now with two-thirds of the State. as it
was done with the whole in 1860? That's the
question the resolutions ought 10 have an
! swered Let them do it yet, they court the
| fight If the proper legislation were passed the
James River Canal would pay FIVE millions Of
the debt in a reasonable time; the Erie has paid
for itself and presented New York with ~
millions and frozen up one-third of the time too.
Virginia can pay her debt and must do it ;
reputation is idle Talk it would bring shame
and ruin to the State; it tends to disgrace the
morals of communities and causes the obliga-
| tons of honest debts to be ignored and epGsin
| revolution and distrust in everybody and every
| thing, the result has been calamitous to every
| State that has tried il II the people will he
| quiet and patient, and rigd:y practice econo-
| my the debt will be easier paid The honor
and glory of Virginia can't allow liquidation,
| her realm richest in earths fame conld no, sur
| vive it. Let US call men to office who practice
| frugality at home
Farmers have right to demand end take their
share of representation in the legisature let
US go to work determined TO pay and Ire debt
| will feel Ii: hter it will save the State from
| ignominy; it will teach high lesson and bring
| prosperity back to the State and happiness to
State great in years that have passed will in the
future again shine in the constellation of States
| az a bright and beautiful pillar in some mag
ni6cent temple of human liberty. To repudia-
ton let it ever be said Sic Semper Iyrannis.
m AT II