Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-03-24

BILE, for it is the basis Of our. whole sc
cial fabric. But it IS of necessity that
State should be
FREE AND INDEPENDENT,
and such she cannot be if she be held I
lrrepealable contracts-indefeasible bar
gains. In the case Of State l hop
there never will be remedy to enforc
a contract against her.
But our bill, we are further told b.
the Governor, is force bill, and tha
! no such measure eyer prevailed in Vir-
ginia. Why, the very first Of the "sa'
cred contracts" that of 1871, coercet
the creditors by providing that none o
them should receive any interest, !
they did not fund under it The Mc
Cullech Bill has the Allen Amendment
and its proposer declares that McCul
loch himself told him to have it inserted
as a means 10 forciole REIMBURSEMENT
The man whose seat occupy General
Bradley T. Johnson said the Allen
Amendment was forcible re-adjustment
and would conslgn the State to infamy
And so Senator Phlegar declared, in
effect, when he denounced it as meas
ure to borrow money every six months
at 33s per cent. interest This is the
TESTIMONY OF FUNDERs,
and you cannot impeach your own wit
nesses There was the force measure of
1871, before Governor Holiday came to
the throne, and he himself has approv-
ed Of two other force bills. We are not
afraid of the decision Of the Court OF
Appeals, or of any court, as 10 our bill.
We have simply asked to be allowed to
90 10 the courts. and the Governor has
denied US the privilege refused our re-
quest every time. In this bill we have
put what the United States Supreme
Court unanimously held to be constitu-
tional in the case of Tennesse rs. Sneed,
but he declines absolutely to allow us
to 90 TO the courts with it. We suppli-
cate our third-rate lawyer in the Exec
utivc chair to permit uS to seek judi
eial opinion, and he refuses we ask
him to submit it to the people, and he
still refuses. He says no to all we pros
pose.
HE UsURPS
the functions of the courts, and he as
sumes to be the only real representa-
tive of the people. He says that our
bill will tarnlsh the honor Of Virginia.
and compromise the fair fame Of the
Commonwealth. And yet all we peti-
ton for is that he will allow the people
10 pass upon the amount Of our debt.
and the courts to determine the law OF
the matter. He persistently interposes
and repels US
One other point. The Senator from
Lynchburg some days ago said that the
war closed by Presidential proclamation
in 1866. Not so. Congress, reyoking
or ignoring the proclamation OF Presi-
dent Johnson, fixed the close Of the war
for most purposes on the 26th day OF
January, 1870, or at the earliest date.
for some other purposes, on the 9th day
of July, 1869. Congress reversed the
paper peace Of the President and sent
down military Governors to rule oyer
us and reconstruct us. We were re-
admitted to the Union, and
THE WAR CLOSED,
for US. OH Goth of January, 1870. There.
fore, in eliminating war interest, we
are entitled to consider 1t as all that
interest accruing from 1861 to 1870.
Governor Holiday objects also to
the temporary loan feature, whereby, he
says, we would reduce the revenue one
half. 1t Is not to 60 into effect until
1882 and, il then, it is to be apport
toned to every taxpayer to the amoun-
ofhis taxes, and there can be no shay
ing, no speculating by curb-stone
brokers, no partlality to the rich. But
iflt 60 into effect, no doubt the tax-bill
of 1882 will be arranged so as to prevent
any elimination Of the revenue through
this loan-which, in any event, is for
the benefit Of all the people as well as
Of the State. And yet he who objects
to this temporary loan approved the
Allen Amendment, which proposes TO
issue tax certificates to be sold to
spectators at Is cents in the dOllar-a
temporary loan every SIX months at 3d.
per cent. interest! One is an advan-
tage to the taxpayers the other Oo-
nanza for sharpers! If he believe what
he says about this feature Of our bill,
then is his arrogance in twice yetoing
tue settlement
DEMAND ED By THE PEOPLE
and our necessities oqualled by bis
abounding stupidity.
He says that we treat our creditors
worse than other nations treat their ene-
mics, and in proof of this he cites the
fact that our bill taxes the bonds lie
can approve bill, which goes IN the
face OF the express provisions OF the
Constitution, 10 exemp. bonds fer
McCulloch, but he cannot sustain the
Constitution by approving the bill
which imposes the taxation demanded
by our fundamental law Such man
may lecture forever on constitutional
and conscientious scruples, but being ca
pable OF such an
oBLIoUITY OF VISION
as to the constltutl0nallty OF the TAX
alton and exemption of bonds as he has
illustrated IN his course toward the
Brokers' Bill aud the Re-adjustment
Bill, he can gam no respectful attention
from any one who has read the Con.
stitution he has sworn TO support. All
our products are taxed, and zone arc
exempt and why should the capital OF
the bondholder, invested in bonds,
BE PRIVILEGED!
Before and during the war three
fourths of our State debt was held in
Virsinia. 1t has changed hands since.