The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-12

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| he neonIe Mt oH. ! This little fraud only put
on us. II we were right, as we thought,
obont s5 O0o. 600 more than we promised to
nav. Who cot the benefit OF this slight
change from the old to the new bill know
NOT. At least. as I claimed, the matter
should have been submitted to the people,
as we promised, and maybe the real facts
would have come out. i declare 10
nv Resadiuster friends that the deDt
question was not settled on tue OASIS
we promised them. There Is difference
OF about $685. 900 against US. why tnis
was done has never been explained 10 me.
II was one OF the arrangements OF the 18th
OF November. Its ostensible patron-Rid-
dleberger-did not even make it caucus
measure. 1t had already been cut and
dried. II was supposed under the caucus
tyranny il would pass without objection.
| objected, however. 1t was then taken TO
the caucus that night, as | UNDER
stood, TO be discussed. l rose to
protest against this new bill, but
had hardly made starting in the discussion
when the;gave OF the chairman informed
me that my time was up, which he said was
five minutes. / had not heard OF this rule.
II was the only instance L ever heard OF
in this caucus. Thus by deliberate gag
discussion OF the only great question that
created the party was ended in five minutes.
The bill was then passed, but with my pro-
test against ii, and deliberate cheat and
fraud upon the people who sent our party
TO the Legislature was then and there de-
liberately perpetrated.
There was so much OF this business done
in the same line, and with the same abiect
submission to what l might call the Star
Chamber edicts OF November. 18th that |
can't take time to explain. But it was all
done in the same submissive spirit TO the
Onc-man power.
There certainly was
MONEY SOMEWHERE
in the measure for the Richmond and Dan
vile railroad paying its debt to the State.
This was debt due to the State from this
road amounting to about $425,000 Dor
rowed money not yet due by about four
years. This debt was bearing per cent.
interest. Senator Walker, OF Chesterfield.
proposed to allow this road to pay ut once
this debt in consols-tcn forties and peel
crs at par. At the time OF this proposition
the average value OF these securities was
not over forty cents in the dollar. The
meaning Of it WAS that this road could on
bill 20 into the market with less than
$4,000, and buy enough of the old State
bonds TO pay off the debt due the State OF
$4,000, and thus save and make the nice
little sum OF 22jj,000 50 soon rs the bill
was passed. | opposed the Bill. So did
General NewbeTTy. The measure would
have succeeded had it not been for the
/" Big Four" Our measure was for the
nt1 CO 10. -, Il
years before its maturity, to pay ii in mo-
neg, rs it was amply able to do, and let rs
tdhe up the 6OndS-ihus the money would
have purchased about 81 900 900 OF our in
debtedness-thus saving TO the State be-
tween $780, 900 and 5000 The Walker
scheme was advocated by Senator Riddle.
berger, the deputy father OF rcadiustment
This early move taught some Of Us what
rcadiu.tment really meant. | have in my
possession the Walker bill No. SO to prove
this statement. Our opposition to this
bill was one OF our acts OF "treasOn." We
committed several acts OF this sort. But
the
MAIN ONES
for which we ale arraigned before the pub
lie in the " ltcadiustcr address," and the
people called upon to "adjudge the cnor-
NIFTY OF our breach Of faith and to inllict
the penalty" are the tenure-of-Ofiice bill,
the judiciary bill, the bill to redistrict the
congressional districts, and the general
Observation-Disclosures bill.
The tcnure-of-ollice bill never reached
the Senate. II was passed in the lEoIiSe
only. This thing was cool, deliberate as
sertion by the House committee CHAIR
man, j. {. TAYLOR that a decision OF
Of 10.
dith and Harrison, XXXiii. Grattan, p.
119) is not law. The House adopted this
extraordinary report, but they were afraid
to bring il into the Senate. It ia only ne
cessary Tor any one TO read this report and
sections 5, II, - OF Article VI. OF the Con-
>titution to he perfectly satisfied that deci-
sion Is the law-the constitutional law-Ci
this state. But if not the right intcrpreta-
ton Of the Constitution, where is the right
given in the Constitution for the Lcgisla-
tlire to sit i'll judgment rs court Of ap-
peals to the lawful Court OF Appeals and
reverse this decision! The Bill OF Rights
and the Constitution forbid this asSump-
ton OF legislative power. The very founda-
ton OF our liberty depends upon the indie.
pendcnce OF the judiciary. The purpose
and intent Of this audacious measure was
by one bold revolutionary blow to
CRUSH THE COURTS,
and make them mere political sub0rdinates
OF Malone. Acting upon this idea, judges
were elected to fill vacancies that do not
exist in order TO get rid OF Judges OBJ
n0XiOus to the new party and it. master.
There were many cases OF the sort in the
State where constitutional Judges were
turned out TO give place to subSeryh.nt Ma
q
Burks's place, to take effect the Isl OF Janu-
airy next. BTks's term does not cypire
till 1884 by the Constitution and according
to the decision of the Court OF Appeals in
the Weldon and other cases.
The next measure we are denounced p
traitors for defeating was to
REDISTRICT THE JUDICIAL CIRCUITS,
This scheme was to reduce the existing
circuits to twelve in number. and the coun-
ties so taken in the new circuits by gerry
mander that two OF the existing Judges
should, as lar as possible, be included in
each OF the new circuits. This was done
in order to legislate both out. As the Con-
stitution required the Judge of each circuit
to reside in the same. the propoundcrs OF
the measure arguing that ii they could so
NIX It, that neither could hold the court in
the new circuit as two judges resided in
it: This was the infamous scheme to lc-
gislate out Of office by indirection and ger
rymander what they did not dare to at
tempt directly by total abolition OF the
Constitution.
THE PATRON GALLEY OF TIE BILL
admitted to me that such was the object, |
and that when we got rid OF the Fundcr
Judges we could redistrict again. Forour
opposition and defeat OF tins bill the sad !
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