The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-14
The Figures in the Address.

i IS .
,r,o .soz.rters are making o desperate Ell"
tort 10 break the force al the nguffes COY,
.otned In. the address OF the state Sentra =
committee OF the Conservative party. Il bu'
!, va,n. The preteutious document which
rho asitators have published to the world
exposes their weak points. Let ever! Con-
scrya,ive speaker preserve the document
which they have thus put forth. ana hoio
p4uL. Massey, MALONE & Co. responsive
for st. 1t is not necessary to expose all OF
i,s unfonnded statements and mistaken estl-
mates. Let a few examples suffice:
/. This Mozart address, in order to make
o,t that there is to be deficiency In the
treasury, asserts that the public schools are
entitled to one-fifth and more OF the mel
revenue OF the Commonwealth. To settle
this point. 1t is only necessary to quote from
the Code OF Virginia, p. sos:
"The funds applicable annually to the
> establishment, support, and maintenance OF
public free schools in this State shall coE-
sist Of
~, State funds -embraclng the annual
interest on the literary fund. capitation
tax OF not exceeding one dollar per annlm
on every male citizen who has attained the
are OF twenfy-one years, and such tax GA
property, not less than .one mill nor more
than five mills on the dollar, as the General
Assembly shall from time to time order TO DC
levied" s.s&'
The reader will see that the large reVe-
nue. received from taxes on licenses, &C., is
no: touched by the public schools. The
fund, SO far as the State is concerned, Is
made np as stated in the above law. so
much for that bugbear. The figures OF the
address stand unimpeachable-aS many OF
them as relate to the school fund.
,. The Mozart address declares that the
Auditor OF Public Accounts sets forth IN
detail in reply to a Senate resolution that
the ordinary and extraordinary expenses
O; the State Government for The year 1888
will amount to Sl,O61, 447.S2. What will
the reader think OF the Mozarters when
he is told that the above amount includes
s42, 4O5 30 paid for the support OF convlcts
hired TO the James River and kanawha
Canal Company, and also Sl6l,000 paid back
to The banks (which can be no part either
OF the ordinary or extraordinary expenses
of the Government for any future year? IL
this last sum is to be included in the eX-
penses Of the Government, it must also be
included in its receipts. Thus the receipts
of the Government as set down in the ad-
dress Of the State Central Committee would
be increased by S164,000 and the disburse-
mcnts increased by the same amount. And
thus their figures would stand unimpeacha-
Bile as to the expenses of the Government
But we give here for the benefit OF speakers
in the country who may not have them the
Auditors entire estimate. 1t speaks for
itself. II shows that the Auditor estimates
the total ordinary expenses Of the State
Government for the year ending October J..
1879, at S76S,6sS 81, and that he also gives
the extraordinary expenses, which include
no item that need be in the appropriation
bill next year. A further deduction should
be made of the expenses OF the extra ses-
sion Of the Legislature last spring. The
Auditor must have overlooked that item.
ESTIMATE OF PROBABLE CHARGES UPON THE
TREASURY DURING TIE FISCAL YEAR COM
MENCISG OCTOBER !, 1878, AND ENDING SEP
TENDER 80, 1879.
TThe actual charges given to July l. 1879,
and for The remaining three months the estimate Is
made
Agricultural Commissioner: clerk,
.e,e.,.,. Z. , ,ar,I,s Office rant r.el