Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-01-25
which latter S246. 55O.02 wa

temporary loans, leaving $2,S77, 1896 Al.
The years 1890 1 take from the re-
port of the treasurer. who is readjus-
ter, and General Malone will not call 1t
in question. Then the revenue, for the
year ended September 80, 1880, being,
on readjuster authority, $2,877 1885, l,
what is going to bring it down at sin
gle fall to Gen. Mahone's figures of ST.
100 ZOO, a decrease of more than seven
hundred thousand dollars. There will
be no decline in the capitation tax, none
in the license tax, for there is nothing
to produce such decline and none is
suggested; none in the income tax; SO
if there shall be shy decrease it is bound
to be in the tax on property.
Gen. Malone says The new assess-
ments will show a. decline of 20 per cent
in the value of real estate. [ don't be-
lieve this will be the case, but, as the
assessments have not all been published,
I can't tell; but conceding it to be so,
the real estate in 1879 was assessed at
$24S, 455, 1888 SS, twenty per cent. upon
which is $49, 691 1867, and at fifty cents
on the hundred dollars worth, the re-
duction would be $24S, 1858, which,
taken from the actual revenue of 1880,
would make the receipts for 1880 81 the
sum of So, 62S, 4O.48, instead of So, 10O,-
600, as claimed so confidently by Gen.
Malone.
The statements of the interview are as
faulty and wrong in regard to the ex.
penses of the government and the
| amount necessary to pay interest on the
| McCullOch bill as they are in relation
| to the revenue. The McCulloch bill, 1t
| is represented, fixes the dept at S33 22S,
!, .at, kx.tc for
ten years was to be paid. The interest,
therefore. would be only 1896, $50 10
But Gen. Malone says it would be 81,
81 1914, 1874; for 1881 the sum of 81 ,O93, 1854;
for 1882 the sum of $1,OOs,O 12, and for
each succeeding year to 1890 the sum of
1895 1850, making an average for the ten
years of 81, 057 500.
| Most people will be unable to under
stand this arithmetic. He puts the ex-
penses Of the State government and the
schools under the most frugal adminis-
| tration at 81 400, 200, to which he claims
| the readjusters had reduced them
When the readjusters did this it is hard
to guess, as the assertion is made posi-
lively in the address that ''tunderism
had controlled the government without
interruption to the LIST of January, 1880 "
But conceding Gen. MahOne's figures
as to the annual calls upon the people
for all purposes, though by no means
correct, and this result is reached An
nual outlay for the expenses of the gov
ernment and support of schools, 81, 400, :
900; ageinterest for ten years on the
McCulloch bill, 81 ,057, 500; total annual
charge to 1890, So, 457, 500.
Now compare this with the statement
above given from official sources of an
| nual receipts, and any body can see that
the revenue, at existing rates, without
any increase of taxation, would have
been ample for ill purposes if the Nc
Culloch bill had been allowed to go into
full effect-if the readjusters had not
succeeded in accomplishing its defeat
But Gen. Mshone's figures are by no
means correct when be says that 81 AGO.
600 is the lowest point to which the
State and school expenses could be re-
dnced. And here again, to confute him,
have official statements taken from
the report Of the auditor of public &C.
counts. This gives the actual expenses
of the government for the years ended
September 80, 1878, at 1877, 073 81. On
der the operation of a previous amend
ment to the constitution since that time
the number of the members of the Gen
eral Assembly has been reduced and
their pay diminished. and its sessions
made biennial, all of which will make q