The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-19

dismissed bis article after MAXIM the point
we are now about 10 make bat VIC deemed
i, best TO clear the way before us. Our last
poiut Is this: when writer's upon interna.
tlonal law say that q sovereign State cannot
be sued nor compelled TO pay its debts,
they alludc TO The government OF the coun-
try and not 10 It's people as voters. Eu.
ropean writer's upon international law
never had such concept Ia their brains as
the tocwiue contended for BY the Wing
That :hc coters Of country or State are
che proper persons TO contract national
or State debts, or to ratisy contracts
crcattEg national or State debts. or to DE
blamed n the debts we're not paid accord
ing to agreement. In word, neither Mr.
PRIV nor any other european statesman or
putlicist ever taught any such dcctrtoes as
those with which the way is endeSvorinis
to bolster up the R,DDLFsERaER bin. IL we
are right, the debt Of Virginia WIS all con-
tracted by the very sovereign State 70
which the Wig refers. We have called
the three severa, departments OF the
state government the iawfu', constitu-
,ionaI agents Of Virginia. We might have
said that those three departments con-
stifute the identical sovereign Virginia
which our contemporary claims may now
repudiate her own acts. For be 1t remem'
bered that as according TO the law Of Eng
land "ihe King never dies" so IN the very
nature OF things the State government Is
always the visible representative OF the
sovereignty OF Virginia. Tue Reputation
OF a debt by the executive, the legislative,
and the judicial departments OF the State
government OF Virginia in the year 1880 Is
therefore the reputation by this "sov-
ereign" OF debt contracted by the same
" sovereign" There are not two SOW
ereigns in the case. Those several depart
meuts represented the sovereignty OF the
Commonwealth when the debt was con-
tracted, they represent 1t now. and they will
represent 1t when the debt Is repudated. IL
repudiated 1t ever shall be. 1t is impossible
to draw line between the sovereignty OF
Virginia and the sovereignty OF her State
government. II Virginia is sovereign
State, her State government Is sovereign.
DOEsrIcxs says that when he was tight he
met man IN the road and walked "be-
tween him." Only In some such way as
that mentioned by DoEsTIcKs can our friend
drawa line "betpeen Virqinia."
or course we agree with BLACKsroNE's
dictum that tone Legislature cannot bind
another But we do not admit that Lee
gisIature cannot make d valid contract. The
Congress of the United States binds the ma
ton TO pay its bonds; and so strong Is the
faith OF the people that this is binding
obligation that they pay more than par Tor
bonds that bear only per cent. interest.
BLACKSTONE never taught that the Legisla-
ture could not make contract binding
upon the nation; nor that contract made
by The Legislature and adiudged binding by
the courts did not bind the nation IN
morals. All that he meant to say was that
no Legislature can make an act irrepeal-
able by simply declaring it to be so. But
let Ms say once more that the Virginia
Legislature is not in the position OF the
British Parliament or the United States
Congress. II is, on the contrary, the Legis-
lature of State which cannot even coin
If, however, it were the Leglsla.
ture OF sovereign State, 1t would be bound
In morals to respect its contracts.
Our article is already too long, and we
must stop.