Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-03-15
Speech orAudltor IoI,u f. rass,c

IL EE
john j.. Massle, oEq., Auditor Of Public Ac
counts OF tho State, arrived 10 this city from
Richmond on hi, way 10 Fairfax Court House
Saturday afternoon, and spoke at Sarcpta Hall
Saturday nIsnt. TO f.ir audience. On tho
State debt, about which there has been SO little
SAID OF late.
On the platform wero seated hlessrs. ID. Il.
Windsor Lewis Mckenzie, i. Il. Wiotsor,
Sanuc! Colomao, il Il Payne, ID. w. Whit.
ing and j. j.. Massle, sol OF Auditor Massi,.
Mr.. ID. IL. Windsor called The meeting TO
order. and ltttotcc ID tho speaker. Fir. Mass;c.
"ho Is a very pleasant. M Looking gentleman,
"roSo Tor about two hhuts. end was listened 10
with rroiound attention. After cxores sng his
yralhcai IN at meeting - many Of the ct,z,ns
# AlexIDdls 10 said thtt ho WIS not tbe,o
for Tho purpose Of makoe 4 speech. fer lhat
tine 10 oLo sciso had Iasscd, and IL aAothcr
had not yet me, buf was tl C,o il aGyanoo for
the purro1, OF tlIklDg business 10 business N r,
Ia mad hoped when ho LAID off the armor at the
.ast cIovss- Tia, SIC debt qucs;i IN had bee o
forever taxed ru5 81 polltIca bu. his boim y
Ial been dsappoint d. aLd the iulj.ct had
A.!a been irrigated to fha people, 10 the OK
n>'nn Of othr Important matters. NJ man
III! me 10 q cjir(C. conclusion IN regard TO
IL" absorbing t0p.c Tho State Gobt-Witfout
k.o"inG something Of The past history Ct the
STATE. tIrGiai7, he SAID. Ra- il q PROSPEROUS
t,ndl0n np 30 III" passage Of tina ordnance Of
-1"'aion, winch declared The State FREQ from
aug ahlIlty, and made il tho battle field of the
ntcnGiag Iarc IS. At the close Of TIC war tho
S,!tc had been deprived! Of ono third cf her
,.lr'o;y. hEd orc halt Of tho proI cfy Of the
remaining ;wo thirds had ben DESTROYED: sill
iaC coos, queues OF tho war. 70 that when the
.1ItIorg TrCurLGi tthoso that did rciufn} from
the i.Id OF battle. they found their hum!s de-
r,ry2a Gao third Ct the S!ate gone and the
,tArr w. thrtts ID the hands Of tho military;
lar the to5ds tf!ut had been issued 10 her pros
pfly had cln,tnuod TO march en- u5t IS regu.
.rly rs the soldier. wno believed re was fighting
i1r pTIa3lples that were right aud Just Could
,ng sane man a6y ths. this wsa the same State
hat 1t wal prIjrlo the war? Notwithstanding
!ropcry hat decreased one hall, the bonds had
deceased 80 per cert. lie boIIrVed that lodi
yIna's md Stats ought to pay t, the last
iarlhlns, but win all this demgogicil clap trap
nbou' honor he had TO sympathy. Tic bond
holders AMI tho taxpayers were equally resnon
rihic Tor the war and rs consequences, and it
vas not right that CGE Cas- should DO DOM
rcI.cd to bear all the l>-ReS. The debt should he
t:VIicd just as The State had, been and then scale
y
ION OF values; thc scaled bond would then bring
more than the salnc bond would before tho war.
IL the STATE vas not tho Same State it Was prior
10 the var there was no legal Obligation resting
Ir0n It To pay The debt, net one dollar OF which
could be collected. He did not propose TO pu
the sailing CT the debt on the ground Of prop
cTty, but FquarcIy % tho ErOuad OF Cquity,
simply saying to the bondho!der, you have the
AVS against yyu but place TO our account what
Is due u.s. En- uo arc willing to settle with you
hOnoIably. The rorthcrn bondholders ought
aot TO expect TO receive 81 600 when they Ind
HantoDy destroyed $500 Sorth OF properly, cut
Il which the one thousand dollars was 10 be
Ha!l English hotdholdcs were entitled 10 20
more lhGn cur cwC citiz,Is and they must OK
poet TO share tho same fate. Promise after
lroDls" had been made, and guarantees given
that the State was able to pay the debt without
m Increase Ct tnxahop, Tut every year had
'oGud them eoinc behind q million Of dollars;
very step they Lad tekcn was backward. lie
,waIt upon the diversion of tho school iuad 10
other purposes II On that fer which it was ntcnd.
81, and said what had been taken from it could
saver be replaced. Tho debt must be scaled or
taxes Increased, ard tho people could not pay q
higher rate OF taxation. Virginia was the ouI2
STATE 10 the UGlon that had been entirely dis
IaCmtCGCd 10y the war and vas cnitlsd 10
tavoIs. Georgia had scaled her debt from $50.
900 ODD. to $40 OOOOOO; Elarlda from SIS
100000 to 81 10000 Arkansas from s3S,-
10000 20 $i,75OCG0; Alabama from SIC, 900,
Geo to $1,000 coo; North Carolina from SIS
coo 10 -. 700 600; South Carolina from
$1,000 600 TO 81 OO0. 900; Texas from $l4,.
100000 to IS 600, 900; TcDncssco With deb,
Of S2N coo 900 refused 10 pay 50 per Ct; L0u.i-
ana WIKI debt OF $50 600. 600, paid 50 cts. CO
tic dollar, with aD interest OF 23, ard 4 rcr c.
fora s.rj,s o! years. Now Why was Virgioia
called III on to suffer for tho in;q1iAs OF all
other pColIc. lie remembered that when he
vas IN tho legislature no WAS called upon to
cote Tor bill uulhorz Dg Alexandria to settle
With her boDGholdcrs at 50 cents on tho dollar,
hut he was not gCinE TO say that all the people
IN Alexandria wee LiShonOrablc, because he
did 10: ,kirk &C. LOT did any other sensible
nan, BjnGhoIdtfs aud bankers and brokers
were 40 wCr7n than other mon. but he was not
"II!nc hat Firsluia should be the slave of any
1T OF men. Tie dwell upon the certificate fca-
lure Of &c McCuilcch bill, and sold TINT the
tcb, ihtt,5 had said urGn tho stump that that
,alc VS. only asserted RS q last resort, but
nat th'y sever 'nterdcd 10 place the certificates
upon tic market. Ills prcdcc ssor, Of whom
lie lcsityd 10 speak most cOurtcousIy. Lad 10
otter 10 Dr. Curry stated that he did not ia,
ichi to 80 ic he certificates, but before The
e.c;ou h9d taken plrce. entertaining 20 doub!
!'t tai 'hc rtlG!t would be favorable 10 the
Hnl'Is, md lhst he would be retained 10 otiioo,
al c1h;ractci 10 advance, and without sha-
10" Of authority, fer Sl35 coo. of tho certit
,ai's, a1d a bil tt $500 for the plates &C., had
"acn I1s2lt"d for raymCDt. When he went
1io 0il;1 &c was aypfoachod md asked ii no
"as 1o' sGlDg 70 iSsus tho certificates. aud he
''.tlcb ttat lie was not. What. nevar2'
Wei s.ld |, hardly ever lie hero cxhib
90 wool hhccl Ct the certificates, which had
'len i,.ocd ia advancc of the c!ec,ion, stating
nat ii vas curiosity. Ito then alluded to
W. die canVa s. and characterized it as one OF
W. tU0st rcuaIkab that iiad ever occurred in
''a history OF the State. as an evidence Ct
u, Irp'aon made by the debt payers to
tt'F' The State. ho said that Gen. Logan,
,IsiIaa OF The State Conservative Committee,
""u i'id lea that they had employed stcn0-
'AltcFs to UllOyS him iSIoslirl crnnnd and