The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-11-26
rhat Bill.

We said not long ago that the Readiust-
er.micht pass a RIppLEBEEGER bill, but not
me RlppIEBERoER bill. The friends oil the
Kind Of rcgaiusiment proposed in that bill
owe us a debt Of gratitude for having
pointed out It's defects so plainly that even
q wayiarine man, though fool, need not
fail 70 see that as it came from the hands OF
the Legislature it was a mere abortion.
The WIG owns mp as follows:
.There is no more trouble TO any con-
ccrncd in putting the certificates AT twenty
five cents in the dollar than at fifty cents;
and II Il be necessary or advisable TO issue
the certificates &C the lower rate 70 ebectu-
ally drive the coupou-scalpcrs and their
coupons from the field OF speculation I'D
our revenues, it should be done and VIII
be DONE
But why didn't your Readiuster Legis-
laturc have sense enough to know that the
hin as passed would prove 10 be failuref
why didn't they authorize the certificates
10 he issued at lower pricesy Because, OF
course. they had never understood how the
law would operate. They may, and viii
no doubt try TO, meet all the objections
which have heretofore been made to their
absurd bill; but when they get it passed
again other objections may be found.
The Wig, pursuing the same line OF
thought and conccding that the RIDDLE
BERGER bin needs amendment, goes on as
follows:
d" The Dispatch. however, assuming an
Ignorance. Il i. has It not, pTctends that
the tax-ccrtifcatcs will reduce the revenue
OF the state, and this in the face Of the re-
peatcd protestation OF all Ecadiusters that
they neither intend 20 increase ror dccTeoSe
taxes. and in face. also. Of the wcll-adyer-
Used intention 10 increase the rate OF taxa
ton on an property 10 which the certit-
ca.cs shall apply (f these ever issue so
that the ccfuai tdxcS shat remain Inc same
as aOtr."
We have always claimed that the opera
ton OF the ILL rs Il was passed by the last
Legislature would he 70 reduce the reyc-
nues Of the Commonwealth, and every man
having three grains Of sense can see for
himself that it must necessarily have that
effect. The Dispatch neither ieigns iSno-
rance nor eiycs any evidence Of it. The
Dispatch has exposed the character Of the
RIDnLEBERGER bill as it passed the last
General Assembly. II w2s not for us
TO accept thc "rcrcatcd Irotestations"
Of RCaljUsicr editors or orators. We took
the bin as It was endorsed by the Legisa-
turc. IL we had taken the wigs bib, or
PAUIIs bill. or CaNUROS's bill, or any other
individual politicians lii, we should at
once have been told that the Kcadiustcrso OF
The Legislature were not responsible for
the omgiyings q TON, DICK, and HAIR
Fy. Whose "wol-adycrtisod intention
does the Wig allUdc 10? Nobody's
EXCEPT General MAHoNE's would be en-
titled TO the least consideration; and
we are not aware that he has expressed
any "wcll-advised intention to increase
the rate Of taxation on all property TO
which the certificates shall apply" &C.,
&e. No, sir. The bill was an abortion.
II must he amonded. But, as we have said.
we could not, in discussing 1t, look beyond
the bill rs il stood when endorsed by the
last Legislature. Why was not the rate OF
taxation raised in the original bill? Why
should there have been a delay Of two
years in making the bill practical oneE
Because its authors were unequal to the
task they had undertaken to perform.
And by the way the Wing has told us
that "the people" have endorsed the RID
DLEBERGER bill. II they have, surely ii
must have been the bill passed last year,
and not an imaginary bill existing only in
the mind Of a Readiuster orator or editor.
There might be hundred OF the latter
kind.
Ii we were a member OF the Legislature
we should try to have the new illimproyed
in every possible particular; but we should
not offer any factious opposition to its pas
sage in any shape that IT may take in the
hands Of the Readiusters Of that body. 1t
is for them to redeem their own pledges.
We do not believe that they desire to get
the debt question out OF our State politics.
II they shall show by their acts that
we have done them injustice, we
shall be glad to repair the wrong. But
il is useless for any Readiuster to eX-
pect to settle the debt by passing the RID
DLEBERGER bill Of last session, or to try to
make the public believe that the defects
pointed out by its enemies were known to
its friends when they passed it. Did they
last year pass bin full Of defects for the |
mere pleasure of correcting its defects this
year? We should not like to charge even |
Rtadiusters with such unwlSdom, not to |
use barsher term, as that sort OF conduct |
would indicate.
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