Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-04-05

is lust su,h az one as all who are acquainted
with the fundamental principles OF constitu'
.ionsl law. and the history OF our public debt
legislation, might have expected. 1t DOT oDl5
reaf6rms the decision 10 Antoni Vs. Wright,
and presents 10 clear light the Jolly ADD 10
cons.i,utlonaity of the late attempts under the
name of "forcible read ustueot' and "cntcrced
equity" to get rid of the rec*lvabllity feature
of The coupons ADD accomplish partial re-
pudiatiou Of the public debt, but it goes for
Their and meets aad dcmolishes the last and
most potent argument of the dominant party
10 the last legislature. That party Claimed
that the fuoding &C: Of 1871 was unconstitu'
tioaal becauss if it WAS permitted to cootl1ue
operative, the constitutional obligation to SCI
aside certain fund in cash to support and
maintain The pubic free school system could
not be complied wilb AMI they said that
that preston had 90. been fully met aud de-
cded 10 the Aotcoi case. They therefore
framed tie Barbour bill for the purpose of
raising that question directly snd clrcumstaD'
TALLY. IL is 10 logger 10 their power TO al
vance that argumeot. The Court of Appeal;
has met it fully aud fairly aud again at
frme1 The sanclity and iovioIabilly Of con
tracts, holding that the coupons must be re
ceig d cvea 10 paym mt OF the ioes imposed
for violation of the crminlI laws of the Com
moowealtb, aud which are ST apart to be sp
piled exclusively to the maioteoaoce OF the
public schools. This decision should surprise
90 one. 1t is nothing more aor less than the
statement that whcu the people of Vlrslnls,
through their representatives, IN the General
Assembly, Oh the 3Oih day OF March, 1871,
solemuly enacted that tine coupons should be
received by the tax Collectors of the State 10
payment of all taxes, debts, dues aud demands
due the STATE they meaDt all debts so due.
and GOT merely su,h portion or particular
KIDD az subsq1ent legislatures might Thick
fit 10 prescribe. 1t will not do 10 say that
they ought not to have passed such law; 1t is
flit accomph. aud the wisest course COW to
pursue is to meet the is>u1 presented while 1t
is yet time, and DOT spend successive Winters
in the vain effort to get rid OF its obligations,
Will. sleeple.s interest accumuates so rapidly
as to make the day when compliance is impos'
sibe, add repu 1a!ion necessity, one
of tn, near future. Nov We may eZpcc; to
bear it stated lha. the public schools
arc doomed. aud that the children OF the
State must grow up 10 lgooraoce, and without
the benefit and b'essiog Of even an ordinary
education. Is this true? Not at all! We
are simply brought face to face with the nec,s-
city of either providing ior the better enforce
ment Of the present revenue laws, or for tax
for public free school purposes alone. The first
of these alternatives with the reductions made
By the economical measures passed last winter.
united with the swing that will be effected
when the biennial session law becomes opera
tive, will relieve the difficulty. The revenue
of the State is about two millions seven hua.
dred thousand dollars and the annually matur.
log coupons about one million onc hundred
thousand, receivable for taxes. Ifproperaws arc
passed, therefore, the sixteen hundred thousand
dollars that must be paid 10 cash will be sufici
enG Tor ScnOO o0Q all OtucE puEpoScS. IL Udy
be that during this year the public schools will
not receive all of the money due them aud tenn
porary embarrassment will be the the result, but
that ought to last only until the next meeting
of the General Assembly. When that body
meets in the Capitol on the 5th day of Deem
Der next. the people of the State should de
mand that it enact and put into operation such
legislation as will relieve the Commonwealth Of
the stigma DOW upon it, and enable it to com
ply with its just obligations and at the same
time maio,aio, in all its vigcr the Tree school
system Of the country. This can be done with.
ont increasing the burdens of the people to any
appreoisble extent, and the people will ratiy
and confirm the action when they reflect that
the constitutional obligation to educate the poor
children Of the land, and to repay the money
borrowed by our forefathers upon the faith and
honor of the Commou wealth, made it necessary.
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