The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-20

| tive party in 1877 urged upon the
| Legislature I" the importance OF using
all iust and honorable means Of bringing
about an adjustment Of the OBLIGATIONS OF
| the Commonwealth We elected Cover
! nor and Legislature on that platform. The
Legislature convened, and. carrying out to
| the letter the mandate OF the Convention,
the McCulloch bill was passed. ReadlHst-
ment had triumphed. The, rate OF interest
had been practically reduced to per cent !;
| that is to say,it was fixed at per, cent. Tor
ten years, 4 per cent. for twenty years, aud
IS per cent. Tor ten years. Those who had
been asitating for eight years had carried
their point. And now we are told that this
WON'T do! but that we must rebpen the
question and make it 8 per cent. for all
| time and this after the contract is signed,
8, ,000,0 900 to $4,000, 900 now tAugust 19thl
actually funded, and more than $4,000, COO
more exclusive Of what has been done in
EngIand) are ready to be funded. It is be-
IieTed that over two thirds OF the debt
will be funded before the meeting OF
| the Legislature. The bond OF S66.66 has
been reduced 70 1888 for the next ten years
BY this second act OF legislative surgery,
and the cry goes UP from Mozirt Hall
| Cut deeperI The goose that laid the golden
eggs was killed 10 that way. In under-
taking to trim the thing too fine we may
break the point of.
Under the new act we pay sos. 900 OF in
terest per annum as against 81 100000 due
under the funding bin OF 1871. ...
The whole difference between the Mozart
agitators and the Legislature is whether it
ought 10 have been per cent. for ten years
or 8 per cent. for all the time the bonds
have to run. Are we really trying TO avoid
paying what we can pay? This certainly
! looks like it; for In ten years we can pay /
per cent. as efsliy-morc easiy-than we
can pav per cent. now. The increase in oiir
population IN ten years, and the new values
which will have accumulated in that time,
will make Us able to pay per cent. in 1888.
if We choose to do il.
| The whole difference, we say, between
the Mozart faction aud the friends OF the
McCuIloch bill has reference TO 1889, and
does not arise for ten years. The leaders
OF that faction, observe. are in favor OF pay
ing per cent. now, just as we are. THIS
being so, is it not astonishing that their
organs and speakers are constantly puo-
fishing columns os figures to prove that we
cannot meet the provisions OF the McCul-
Ioch bill-that there will not be enough
revenue to carry on the Government, pro-
vide for the schools. and pay per cent. on
there will be; but il not, we should End
the same difficulty in carrying on the Gov.
ernuent, providing for the schools, and
paving 8 per cent. on the debt under
the Mozart scheme. We do not see the
object OF trying to prove that 8 per cent.
cannot be paid, when all parties agree that
! we are going to do it.
THE DANGER OF AGITATION 70 THE SCHOOLS.
But it is time that we were passing to the
second point we proposed to establish IN
this paper, letting all this be as it may
Is it good for the schools that this agitation
! be continued: Admitting that the bill Is
not all that we would have, il you repeal it,
what are you going to do then? One hall
Of the debt Will probably be funded before
the 1st Of next January. n you could not
get rid Of the old funding act. can you get
rid OF thisi can you get rid OF both? You
are doubly tied now: and the present act
differs from the former in that it is already
an executed contract With syndicate. You
canuot stop the funding. as was done before.
It i, we believe, impossible 10 get rid Of tue
act through the courts. The United States
courts will undoubtedly bring all their pow
er to bear to force compliance with the
terms OF the agreement so .soleBnly entered
into second time. What, therefore, can aei-
tation-or repeal cn the face OF the Session
Acts-accompish? IL we could repeal the
act OF last winter, we should merely be
thrown back on the old funding act; and
what has been the condition OF the schools
under that? What do you make bT going
back to that? Under that we have been
paving some Sl.200,000 Of interest the IT,
70 terest on the peelers going unpald); under
the present act Ye shall pay only 1888 ,ooL
on the entire debt OF the State. For sever
wears the old funding act deded the effort;
or the ReadiuSters to get rid OF it
Shal! we devote the next seven years tc
warning on the new? Is the play worth
the candle, even If the goal is ct last reach
Ieds Where will the schools be IN the NEAR
time We tell you, felow-cltlZens, there
= teiN be no schools corth the name! NC
ueople can stand this continued unrest
kept up half the lifetime OF generation
And the whole difficulty now, even as con
fessed BY the agita.ors, is about the pay
ment OF some three hundred thousand dol
lars per annum in the way OF interest ter
years hence, to which we shall advert more
particularly farther on.
THREATENED WITH CONVENTION.
When we urge, as suggested above. tha
the opponents CT the McCuloch bill canno
leap the barriers OF the courts, we are
threatened with 4 convention. 1t will take
two wears for that body to meet and dis
uerse; and when they have done the!l
work, what results will probably have beer
realized? Reputation, perhaps. unqualt
fed; aud organic changes In the school la"
which will practically amount to the de
. struction OF our public. c.school system.
| We do not know what changes mlsn
be introduced by such body; but TIT
: friends OF our school system would have
special reason to tremble. 1t seems tc
2 be generally admitted among those Wnt
have examined, and in authoritative quar-
: tiers beyond Virginia, and even in Eu
r rope, that the Virginia school system i
e constructed upos. the best principles, arc
e is organized throughout according to the
| most approved and tried methods Of public
education. And It has certainly been sue
| cessful. In fact, the results accom- piisheC
in Virginia in so brief a time are sim ply
wonderful. What the system is capable o
is illustrated in our cities, where it has beer
: thoroughly carried out. No one who ba
visited our Richmond schools has failed Il
be struck with admiration at the splendid
results attained. And so again 1t has beer
, notably in the Valley counties, where th'
system has been more efficiently supported
than elsewhere.
There will undoubtedly be an attempt tt
reconstruct our school system il eonssitu
tiopaI convention assemblies. We have 4!
ready referred to one scheme OF re0rsaniza
ton attempted last winter. 1n body con
yened to change our organic Ia" there WI
be many schemes proposed, and what ~oult
. | +, tba outcor,a no man can pyOohesy. Ar