The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-08-29
rs. He said that he claimed to be the orig

alone in 1871. and it made him proud to see
his s'children'' pointing to Harris and Paul.
so enthusiastically espousing the cause.
Paul had served faithfully and knew what
he was about, but Harris was a new convert
and he feared that if care wasn't taken his
zeal would carry him beyond re adjustment
into flat-footed reputation. The speaker had
been a re-adjuster for long time without
knowing that Harris sided with him, and
even the newspaper men, who are general
ly pretty wide awake, had never discovered
that he was on that platform. So long as
the.ssue had not been made, Judge Harris
was mute, but when the battle was won he
came IN with the foremost. What he the
speaker called re-adjuster was one who
threw himself into the breech and burnt the
bridge behind him. The Judge had quoted
from his speech at considerable length, and
now he would just like to know whether
Or not that speech was even delivered in Con-
gress. Would the gentleman please answer?
Cries of ''answer ~
Harris explained that he had not delivered
the speech TO the House, but that in accord
ance with custom it was printed in the Re
cord of June 10th.
Massey-It seems then that you sent out
two speeches to your constituents, but no
one in Congress knew anything of it. The
Judge does not like rotation and says that
New England has acquired its power by
loo inc bnrc ,fc in off q
explain why Virginia has not reaped the
benefit OF the legislation, notwithstanding
the fact that he has served for three success
sive terms. 1t was very much like Ran
doiph's beverage. When at a house one
evening, Randolph was served with some
kind OF a connection, and after he had wor
ried it down, without being able to tell what
it was, the servant asked if he would have
another cup of ''tea.'' ''If that is tea, give
me coffee,'' replied Randolph, anything for
a change.
The speaker then went into a lengthy dis
cussion of the State debt, the familiar facts
with reference to the basis upon which the
funding bill was founded, and the unjust
lotting one-third of the debtto one-third OF
the territory was nothing more than right
and justice, and could not be regarded as a
concession on the part of the bondholder.
With the results of the funding bill weigh
ing us down it is idle to talk of paying the
debt. He respected the man who favored
paying the debt, and was willing to double
the taxes to do it, but when man talks
about paying and yet refuses to raise the
taxes, as all the platforms and preambles to
bills have done, it is disgusting.
He was opposed to paying the debt as it
stands, because he did not believe it to be just,
and if the State had hundred million dol
lars, he would still be unwilling to pay all
of the bonds. The bondholder has not just
claim for the full amount oil his bond. The
war swept away $3.50, 900, and at its close
the fields were laid waste, homes ruined and
desolation spread like a pail over the land.
Those who held the bonds were equally re-
sponsible with those who owned the land,
and it is unjust and unfair to assume that
the whole weight of the burden should have
fallen upon one class. The bonds were not
more sacred than the land, and when by
reason of the war the lands were decreased
in value, why should not the bondholders
have been subjected to a proportional reduc-
ton of their assets? Had the war termin-
ated otherwise the bondholders would haye
come in for their full share of the honors
and benefits, and why should they not also
be made to bear their proportion of the loss?
For four years you suffered and gave up
home and everything that was dear to you,
and during that time your property was re-
duced to an almost nominal value. whilst
that of your neighbor, who happened to
have invested in bonds instead of land, was
constantly accommodating, and at the close of
the struggle, when you were left we'll nigh
penniess: he comes forward and claims, not
only the full value of his property, but in
terest on the interest which had accumulat-
ed during the period of war. 1t was not
Just, it was not right, and the speaker said
he would never consent to such PROPOSE
ton. A settlement should be made, SO as to
reduce the bonds in proportion as other
property had been reduced.
He did not believe the people were able
to bear a reater rate of taxation, AID there
fore the debt must be adjusted and taken
from the arena of politics. Attention must
be turned to developing the resources of the
country, and that could only be done when
there were fewer bonds and more money, so
that capital would be forced into the legiti
mate channels CT trade. He agreed very
much, but not altogether, with what the
other gentlemen had said with regard to
greenback, but care must be taken so as not to
unduly initiate the currency. There should
be uniform currency. The bonds should
be paid offin greenbacks and the internal
revenue tax wiped out.
Again referring to State affairs, Mr.. Mas
sey said that when just before the close CT
his term of office, Gov. Kemper had declared
that the State would pay per cent. on her
bonds, he knew that there had been mis-
applcationsof the funds. He (the speaker
introduced a series of resolutions in the leg
islature requiring the Auditor to make a
statement of the whole amount of revenue
received and the amount paid to the various
funds, as they were respectively entitled.
When that statement, after long delay, ap-
peared, it showed that in order to pay this
boosted interest the School fund had been
robbed of s409 900; 5000, 1000 had been bor-
rowed from the banks; $4,000 from the
Miller fund, so that at the end of the year
the Treasury was in arrears some $4,000.
When he saw that the schools were being
plundered he offered bill providing that
| the school tax should be paid in money. 1t
| passed both Houses. but was vetoed.
His course in the legislature of Virginia
was known to many. He had !abored tire
lessly and ceaselessly to expose frauds and
unearth rascalities, and one of the fruits of
that labor was to bring to light the robbery
Of Bradley L. johnson, who had collected
1886, 0G0 of the States money and turned
over $Sl, 900, ana suit had been instituted
| AGAINST Johnson 81 Co with fair nrosnact