The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-02-06


tux on property was wholly 1iayai'lng.
Reach out In whatever direction You please
for new revenue you find fornidabl e opPo-
sition; and the effort to pay the debt by
The result is $4,000, 600 OF interest arrear-
ages. In Mr. MoFFETT' S opinion that policy
Is ruipous, and ought not to be longer con-
tinued. And yet those who are at work for
a fair and honorable settlement OF the debt
are advertised by minority OF the Legisla-
turc and of the people as regulators. he
hoped oil that would be stopped by the gen.
tlernen OF the other side; blythe Chamber
OF Commerce, and by his friends, the
preachers-ior there had been already TOO
much OF it. The further argument OF Mr..
MoFFErT was, in brief, that the debt can't
be let alone, and will not stand still; that
the reporC OF tue Finance Committee may
not state every item OF our resources
with perfect exactness, but is in the
main correct; that, on the other hand,
there arc numerous incidental expenses
OF government which cannot be estimatcd,
and for which no allowance was maze
in the report; that when party taxes
contract under sovereign he knows that
the contract is subordinate to the lnherent
right Of the sovereign to preserve herse1
land this point he pressed and fortified by
authorities); that the Antoni case does not
decide the points raised here, for the Wnoie
basis OF the argument there is that the LIE
sislature will go forward and increase TIE
taxation, and here we tell them it is imprac-
ticablc: the Supreme Court has nothing to
do with the matter OF taxation; they cannot
meddle with that-it Is for the Legislature
alone to regulate, and there the Legislature
| is indisputably sovereign. He stood up iof
his Hquor-tax, and hoped to make 1t even
more productive than now.
Dir. MoFFETT wished the State to get pos
session of her revenues. He would then
vote to equalize the position OF the credit
ors-put the consols and peeiers on the
same footing, and reduce all expenses to
the lowest possible rate consistent with
| good government.
The chair at 3 O'Clock was vacated until
u P. NJ.
Night Session.
Mr.. STARKE, OF Brunswick, in the chair.
| The consideration OF the tax bill was re-
sumed.
Mr.. FIcKI.EN said that he was plain
farmer from Buckingham, and felt great
diffidence in speaking upon this subject
i
not, however, undcrtaketo discuss the his
tory or the Justice OF the debt, but only de-
sired to explain why he should give his
vote for the bill. He had heard Governor
Holidays inaugural address, and endorsed
every word of it. He expressed surprise
that Mr.. HENRY, an old married man with
grown-up children, should have COM
mepccd his address to the House on this
grave subject with quotation from love-
Doem-Lallah Rookh. [Laughtcr.] Had that
come from his lively young bachelor friend
from Orange or the sedate one from AM
herst, it would not have been so startling.
He commented upon Mr.. HENRY's state
ment that fifty dollars State tax is not a
heavy burden upon the man who owns ten
thousand dollars OF property, and Mr.. F1cK-
LEN admitted that that might be true ii the
property were unencumbered and produc-
tive; but that, be contended, was not the
case usually. On the contrary, the farms
were generally mortgagcd, paying ten per
cent interest, and the farmers in debt to
their commission merchants. Mr. FlCKLEN
asserted that the people Of Richmond, who
were so unanimous rs dcbt-paycrs, by pay
ing their taxes in coupons escaped one third
OF the burden imposed upon the country
people Instead Of being taxed lighter than
| .
FICKLES claimed that nowhere on Gods
green carth-Federal, State, and other taxes
considered-wer people more heavily taxed
than Virginians.
Mr.. FICKLEN further argued that our
promises to our creditors were made in
good faith. but that the impoycriSlmcnt OF
the State makes it morally impossible to re-
deem them; that the Commonwealth has a
right to live, and that the voices OF lamcn-
tation coming upfrom the houses and homes
Of the people arc not meaningless. lie sup
ported the bill for four chief reasons where
in it was in harmony with the declaration
OF the Conservative Convention OF August
last: First, because it declares that the
present limit OF taxation is the utmost the
people can bear; second, because it pro-
YidcS that the expenses OF the State govern
ment shall be brought down to S750,000 by
combining the expenditures for this pur-
pose to twenty-five cents OF the fifty cents
levied [Mr. HENRY claimed that was
not the limit, according to the bill;
third, because it says that the Constitution
must be observed in reference to providing
for the free schools; fourth, because after
guaranteeing bare life to the State-aftcr
bringing the expenses down to the lowest
possible amount--the balance is for the
DeNcHl VI Oul CIcultOls W siEtl L, anu SuaiS
alike Now, whether this remainder paid
six, or four, or three per cent, the people
OF Virginia will he entitled to say, il we
have not done what we would, we have
done what we could.
The House applaudcd Mr.. FIcKLEN at
tue conclusion OF his remarks. They were
quite spicy and had in them many poetical
quotations, considerable humor, and not
Il few sharp references to 1.-the money
changers"
Mr.. DANCE next got the floor (Mr. Flick
LENS hour having eXpiredD, but gave way
to Mr.. WALLACE, who moved TO adjourn.
The motion to adjourn was voted down.
Mr.. BARBOUR stated that lr. DANCE
would an:wer the legal arguments Of the
gentlemen who had preceded him, but was
not prepared tonight. ...
Mr.. DANCE stated that he had not brought
his books and papers with him.
Mr. HENRY suggested that Mr.. FIcKLEN's
! time be extended. 1t was done.
Mr. FICKLEN thanked the gentleman from
Richmond, but declined to accept, because
he could not do so without violating the
Constitution by inlicting upon the House
"cruel and unusual punishment" Laugh
teri