Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-06-19

and tobacco were paying license-taXes
entirely disproportioned to their large
profits. Railroads, express and trans
portation companies, circuses, and the
atrical exhibitions, were also paying IN
adequate taxes. A bill was, therefore,
laying equitable taxes on
these and other subjects, which, after a
protracted debate, was finally passed
This bill. with the amendments subse-
ouentlv made to it, has increased the
revenue of the State to the extent OF
three or four hundred thousand dollars,
and, according to the Auditors report
of 1876, had then reduced the deficit
from one million to six hundred and ten
thousand dollars. AT the last session. of
the General Assembly 1.-THE pay of mem
bers of the two Houses was reduced
from $72O each to $40 per annum, and
the mileage was cut down One-half. This
effected reduction in the annual cost
of the Legislature of $4,000 The House
of Delegates also passed bill providing
for reduction of thirty-ive in the
number of members and Senators. This,
however, failed in the Senate. But the
Constitution imperatively requires that
such bill shall be passed at the next
session, and also that the sessions there
alGeT Sudll D6 DlCuuldl, lAStcdU VI ashAAU"i'
When this is done, the saving, as COM
pared with the present cost of the Legis-
lature, will be about 500, 600 per annum.
This will reduce the annual deficit to
about $500, 600. To diminish it still fur
ther, law was passed providing for a
fair assessment for taxation OF the prop
erty of railroad companies, which will
add largely to the revenue. Heretofore,
railroad companies have been allow
ed to place their own estimate on the
value of their property, and none of
them were assessed at more than So, $50
per mile. The present law provides
that the Board of Public Works shall
make the assessment, and the presump-
ton is that the valuation will be in
creased at least three or four fold.
A law was also passed, which levies a
tax on the consumption of ardent spir-
it's, which it is believed will add several
hundred thousand dollars to the reve
nue. now derived from that source. This
law imposes no additional tax On the
dealers in liquor, but simply. requires
that every dealer shall collect on eacl
drink of liquor that he may sell, to be
drunk where sold, and on each half pint
which he may sell, to be carried away
two and a half cents, which he is to &C
count for and pay into the Treasury
This tax is entirely voluntary. No MAI
need pay it unless he chooses to do so.-
If he prefers to drink, he elects to pay
the tax.
Other measures were adopted for tn,
purpose of adding to the revenue, whicl
need not notice in detail.
If the practical operation of these law
fulfils the expectation of their most jul
dicious friends, the deficit in the Treas
ury will be reduced to a mere trifie
which will soon be met by the stead,
increase in the value of taxable person
al property.
And here I desire especially to call
the attention of the people to one very
important fact which seems to have
been generally over looked. 1t is this
The deficit in the Treasury is by M
means due entirely to the public debt
II the expenditures of the government
had remained as they were at the tim
the Funding bill was passed, the presen
revenues of the State would have beer
nearly, if not entirely, sufficient to pa,
the current expenses and the interes
on the entire debt of thirty Millions
This can readily be proven. The annu
al cost of the government is, in roun,
numbers, one million of dollars Til
interest on thirty millions of dollars, a
six per cent, is one million eight hun
dred thousand dollars. The aggregate
of the two is S2,S00,000. The presen
revenue is stated by the Auditor in hi
report of 1876, page 4, to be 50, 0,000.
The deficiency then would be only 500,
600, which would be met by the savin!
effected by biennial sessions alone, leav
ing out of view the additional revenu
to be derived from the tax on the sale c
whisky and on railroads, &c.
How then does this deficiency arise
The Auditors report supplies the an
swer to this question. On page 3, h
informs us that in the year 1876 ther
was paid out of the Treasury for th
support of the Free schools sos, 024. "A
It will be seen that the Legislator
which pledged the revenues of tn
the public debt, after making that pledg
diverted S50S, O24 Al of those revenues
and applied it to another and very differ
ent object!
Nay more, the Legislature provide
for heavy county taxation-amountin
last year to $751;, 000-to be applied t
the cost of public schools. It vii
thus be seen that the entire tax, Stat
and county, levied last year to pay tn
cost of public schools, was one million
and twenty thousand dollars!
The men who are counting public ia
yor by clamoring against the paymen
OF the public debt say nothing Of thi
enormous expenditure, because they be
lieve free schools to be popular.
l have no fault to find with this expen
diture. I believe that it is the duty o
the State to educate the people. w
have made them all voters and partici
pators in the administration of the gov
eminent, and it is our duty to give then
such an amount of education as wi
enable them to discharge their publ
duties intelligently.
But do maintain that the Legisla
ture had no moral right to divert til
funds which had been pledged to tn
creditors of the State, and apply Their
to AN entirely different purpose. Goo
faith required that the pledge should b
respected, and when they undertook t
introduce the free school system GU
Legislators should have fairly and hon
estly met the responsibility, by explain
ing to the people the requirements c
the Constitution that free schools shout
be established, and asking them to bea
the tax necessary to sustain them. ]
they had done so, the people would hav
readily responded to the appeal, becaus
they were intelligent enough to know
that they would get fair equivalent 70
every dollar of tax in the free education
of their children.
1t will thus be seen that very larg
advance has been made towards the es
Enlistment of the State credit. In con
4. firmation of this statement, I need onl,
refer to the fact that "Consol bonds,
which were selling in 1873 as low a
$40, have now risen to $73, and this ha
BEEN accomplished without oppressin!
anybody.
Yet, strange to say, just now whei
we are beginning, as it were, to see day
light, on the eve of an election, som
people, who, when the clouds wer
darkest, remained entirely passive, hav
suddenly awakened to the conviction
that we are on the eve of bankruptc,
and ruin. They do not tell the peopl
that more than million of dollars
which they are obliged to pay, goes t.
defray the cost of educating their chill
dren, and thereby relieves them from
paying tuition fees to the school-master
out on the contrary seek to make tn