The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-29
fRor the Dispaicb.l4
Inflammation Wanted.


Ca, Won. Nessrs. Editors, state when me
people Of the State OF virginia ever oehe'e"
the following doctrine:
4" There is no better settled principle OF
common law than that 'tbe King can 90 no
wrono., and IL, therefore, not amenaDie 10
the criminal law neither is be amrnaoie 10
tho civil law. The embodiment OF the SOW
erelynty OF bis state, his position is ABOVE
the law" ,o,
Marx YOU, it may be the common Iaw'
but tbe.ouestion Is. Did the people OF VIZ
GINA ever believe It good law!
Our idea is that disbelief in any such
doctrine was the cause OF Virginia (when
colony OF Great Brittany throwing on her
allegiance 10 George the Third.
Sunposinc that "the King can DO no
wrong.v can YOU inform us II any English
king has, in the last hundred years, ever
tried 10 settle with his creditors for less tban
on basis of one hundred cents In the dol
lar. and the interest his Government pro-
missed TO nav such creditorsY DO you not
think tina, II the present sovereign OF Great
britain were even to bint in an address TO
her LORDS and Commons that I" forci-
HE rfAdiu,tment Of the public debt should
be made" that it would Stake her throne
with the power almost OF an earthquake! Is
il or is il not true that IN Great Bfnah
there are five times as many lin proportion
to population) very poor peoplf-paupers,
II YOU choOse-as there are IN virginia. Ana
vet we have never heard the hrst word
from the present sovereign OF Great BRIAN
that her subjects were TOO poor TO pay ueOls
winch were created long before the present
generation, of her subjects were born. The
neople of Virginia now living, time after
vol pffpn
sen,aiiyes, have recognized and stated WHIT
the debt of Virginia was; so that il emit be
aid truly that they have not promised 10
pay it.
II the opinions OF some people are 10
nreyaiI. don't il lock strange That the pre-
sent generation OF EDel sh subjects have
not considering the poverty Of MANY OF her
subjects, especially in !reland) clamored for
ga forcibIe reaOiustment OF TIE puhllc
debt"y With all the troubles OF the people
NJ the "Emerald I.le," and amid all the
uoyertv OF many Of her people, we have
never We, heard Of one single man OF that
noble Sace. pettioning their sovereign Tor
any sort Of ga roaOiustment OF the pubic
debt" and which debt. to great extent,
neither they nor their sovereign bad any
hand i'm creating. A full biooded States
RIGHTS man, even il he held to the doctrine
{" that The King can do no WONG
must admit that in our sovereign
State the representatives arc elected
by the people, and that their acts are not
the acts of lhemse!ye-, but acts OF the peo.
Die. III this be true, and the people, by
| the acts of their representatives, time aiter
| time have acsnOw lodged tue amount OF Inc
debt due by the State land which some pro-
| TESS TO believe has entire sovereign power
| over the mattei), don't you see that 10 I'M
dertake 10 dispute such an act OF the SOW
ereign would be laying down the doctrine
4" that the King could do no wrong!
Our sovereign State can accept any com.
promise which her creditors may offer, ana
| the great pity is that the McCulloch settie
ment was not contaminated; but sae can
forcibly 60 back on her own promises, most
solemnly made. without upsetting Inc doc.
trine "that a sovereign can do no wrong
Onthe latter theory her acts must be right,
and by such acts she must stand OF Iai''
| M undertake TO overthrow her own acts
would be evidence beyond dispute that sne
| could do wrong, and that, too. about such
| small thing as the Paying OF borrowed mo-
ney. We never owned a Virginia bond,
| and never bad an interest in one (and never
expect TO speculate in One), so we are MOI
| but we do desire our cOuDtrvDen to guard
arainst any sort Of "fOrc'ble rtad!usi-
| ment.'' Arguments may sometimes ap-
pear that way when such Is not IN
| tended. II we are not mistaken, no
sovereign of Great Britain Qrom which
country we cot what IS called "tbe COM
mon law ~ ever had any written Constiiu-
to bind him Tor herr. Can Virginia as q
sovereign say the same! Now, surprising we
want to stand by the common.law docti'ne'
how is il possible for US TO do so unless we
| first sbo W that we are but following In tue
| footprints of the great sovereign oil Grea'
| Britain. from whose country we got our
| common law ANY man who is acquainted
| with the histOly OF the United States knows
that Virginia was empbatically an EDgllsh
settlement, and. cOns6 quently, we are more
the descendants OF the English than anl
other State in the Union. THIS being so
why should any portion OF the sovereign
| people of Virginia, under written consul
tuition, wish TO do thing which no soVe
reign OF Great Britain, With no written con
stitution TO biud him. would have dared u
propose ia the last hundred or more years
The truth is, there is public sen,imen
speaking out for tight, honesty, and trtlti
which no sovereign OF Great Bruaiu eve,
would dare 10 propose TO violate, uutiI vi
subjects had become so debased BY igno: anc
and vice az not TO know the difference be
tween right and wrong. The people OF Nlr
ginia may be poor, but not 90 poor ana &c
based, we trust, as TO be willing, IN IN
face OF their own written constitution ant
acts passed by them, ever to undertake l.
make forcibie settlement for money Dol
rowed. and which no man can say they iii
| not get the full benefit Of. We hope yet 10
some further compromise Of the debt, bu
to accomplish that object we must trus
, more 10 the liberalty, or what some Nigh
regard the justice, OF our creditors than [
our mower tn force them into any sort
settlement different from what the State ha
heretofore made. There Is marked dihel
ence between compromising debt with
creditor and attempting 10 force him to tax
, Just what It may be our pleasure to pay.