The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-04-03
TIE L.egisla. trre--

THE Legisla. trre--
q Ia dssurncd yesterday. The day was
s,eSatstul. The Sunshine was deiish'iu'.
Tbare was peculiar beauty IN Its i'sls NAV
the lovely rays that are suo'
through q watery vapcr. They "eis ~
sresn,nc as well as brightly illum'naeloF.'
Ipcon,e who do not study them are, never
theless, always cntbnscd py such 4lsn'.
Tho nnrrow.mindcd and querulous were
,ncl,nod TO the opinion that they CINE be-
cause the Legislature was going. We DEG
your nardon, good feilow-ciiizens you ave
mistaken.
Look unon tho lcgislator-we were aaout
"a soy the prisoner at the Tar; bsS We
WON'T. II you suppose that the legislator
yeas no, even more than you fseli cnthused
nv the sun and the temperature q yes'ef-
dav YOU arc in rs great on error rs II you
had oacined your fanlsiessly white hhch:
What suppose you were the reflections OF
Tho ,ao,islators Were they noS about the
ya,,ovs and the sweet waters AID the blltee
notes Of the singing birds at lame? II 'hey
were moi It must have beerl taat hGme tda
n, such things for the pa .tto5'ar legislator
who was thinking. Lc,'lsts'ast that nearly
nil. II no. all, OF the legislators had sas1
such things to lore and '.o'rcarn for. HS"'
.ae,cnd mon il that I here was not nan
here who could be rIore delighted >. the
.,epar.urc Of the Lcgi sl$-vrc than were tue
T. members themselves toa.aye behind them
the capital AID all its 7s,hahitantS. lte'y
anon il, that those departing hoped 3of Tie
early enjoyment oH pleasures AID c"nsoia-
r;ous uneessallcG by tsassc they lett behind
them.
And let us 90 further and let oSt little
of nature and OF trust, with regard 10 our
departed friends: The General Assembly
OF Virginia OF. 1872 was b1ay eicctea
.and which acted ulGer extraordinary en-
..camstanccs. The debates about tic pu"hc
debt OF Virginia cad committed many 10
extreme opinions, and the 1fanressibic
shirt OF parry lac carried some faGeFs ana
their followers INTO what wc Cal! folly ana
.absurtiitv, which were favoraole'to neither
Justice nor wisdom. The body beng
elected under such unfavorahie crcum-
stances. of course, dcliberatcG under the
same.
.a Therefore the people have the best reason
for graduation that It's proceedings, consio-
cred in a rIass, were not only not disadTaii-
s-tareous, but, on the contrary highly pro-
pitiatory OF the very best interests and Inc
true genius and spiritof Virginia. We have
as gifts from the Legislature o! !S7S-'I9 tue
debt-scttlcment Till. the Richmond ana Al
-1egllapy railway, and the liquor law, which
lastwa Indispensable to the carrying out OF
the Dian Of settlement with the bondEolders.
a;reat indeed is the gain to Virginia in the
passage OF these laws.
Therefore We may well afford 10 restrain
any feeling Of personal anlrathy, ana
me: &C all rcscn,mcnts that may nave been
aroused by Objectionable opinions ana par
lamcniary tactics into the general satisiac-
ton Mt The results OF the deliberations OF
ibe session. Certainly there were many
reasons for fearing that such gratifying
action could not be accomplished, ana
the surprise and disappontmcnis haIc al!
been OF an agreeable nature. So let US re-
gard the departing Legislature with kind
ness and with satisfactioE-should we not
say gratitude? We have certainly more OF
good than evil from it.
The Legislature gees home to q constitu-
cncy which, at the beginning Of the session.
was aeitated and distressed at the apprehen-
sion OF terrible consequences that might
follow the deliberations OF the winter.
Those apprchcnsions having passed by, and
instead Of injuries unprecedented. there being
a great deal of good promised by the deeds
OF the representative body. the meeting OF
constituent and representative must be most
agreeable. The applause of the constituent
is deserved by the representative, and the
satisfaction OF the constituent enables him
to give that applause most heartily. For
during the space OF nearly twenty years the
meeting OF constituents and representatives
in the Virginia spring has never been so
agreeable, so peaceful, and 50 happy as it is
the present spring.
The placing OF The public debt in the
process Of settlement secures world OF
good to the people and begins the ree'tab-
1lSutlicut vi vi uci nlii independence III II
ginia. 1t will be found that as we progress
in this iue the obstacles before US will di-
mnish and the future grow brighter and
more hopeful. Persons indeed may say that
some other way of settlement would have
been better. Surely substantial and wise
and patriotic people ure not TO lie led to I'M
dcrate the good that follows bcnefcent
policy by the shallow delusion that some.
thing better might have been achieved by
another plan. What could be done by u
community which might be easily drawn
from one propo siton to another, and rcadi-
~ diverted from one measure that promised
success to another that pleased for mo-
ment by the garb in which it was dressed,
or by the consequence and force that SEEM
cd to be gathered about it !? How could
that community determine upon anything :?
And where necessity required decision and
promptuess ruin might be brought by indie
cision and ticklencSs.
1t is upon this point that politicians dis
contcnted with what has been done should
determine as patriots TO give their influence
and counsel TO the promotion of the success
OF what has been determined upon. Had
their schemes succeeded they would have
expected as much from others. This is
what, indeed, patriotism requires OF all.
Less would be both faithlessness to public
duty and treachery to private honor and
obligation. Let us all hope that row