The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-06-15

piration, and rating bis personal claims al
ends above those of the cause and party, r
fused to yield to the judgment of the Rea.
juster legislative caucus, demanded renomin
ton and reelection without the condition
imposed upon all other candidates, and, finall
revolted from every party obligation, defe
your constituted representatives, and sougf
to breed dissension and discord in high eme
gency where harmony of purpose and unit
of action were indispensable to the complet
fruition of your hardwOn victory. In this
was successful only to an ignOminous extent
carrying away from us and over to the Boul
bon Flinders lat least, for II practical intents
four men in the Senate whom you had electe
as Readjusters. These Senators, who betray
ed you in your drest need, and who cO-ope
rated with your enemies to defeat importan
measures for tie promotion and permahenc
of your cause and policy are left to you TO
Judgment. You, their constituents, known b,
what professions, protestatiOns, and promise
OF fealty to your cause and party they obtain
ed your confidence and your votes, and it il
tor you to adjudge the enormty of their breacl
of faith and to intiict the penalty
/ by this detection, thus fomented, mustered
and directed, your rightful majority in the
Senate was lost, and by the delays and oh
1 structions which it aided it's Bourbon allies tc
offer, much of the regular session was wasted
An extra session of the Legislature was thus
made necessary to the framing and passage O.
the Appropriation bill, the Assessment bill
the Congressional Reapportionment bll-al
these measures forming part of the constitu
tional duty of the Legislature, and of para
mount concern to all the people Thus Geser-
ton helped to its feet the enemy you had beat
en- thus legislation was hndered, and thus
was enconipassed the defeat of important
| measures which lsrge majority of the Legis-
lature believe would have redounded largely
to the material interests and political welfare
Of the State. .. .
Despite the partial battling of its remedial
and reformatory policy, the Readjuster party
is to be congratulated upon the fidelity and
success with which its platform of principles
and its pledges to the people have been re-
deemed 1t has, by the passage of the Riddle
berger Dill and auxiliary measures settled the
public debt upon, principles of right, equity
and law no longer disputed, and thereby made
the rate of taxation the same as before the
war, without detrlment to any interest or any
branch of government. 1t has removed the
odlous poll tax restriction upon suffrage and
appealed to the people to sustain that repeal
at the polls in November next. After rescu-
ing the public school system-always in peril
while Bourbonism was in power--the Read
Justers haye added fifteen per cent. to it's al
loWance, besides restoring to the schools four
hundred thousand dollars Ito be used in install
ments of one hundred Thousand dollars annu-
ally OF the constitutional appropriation which
our political enemies had diverted, besides the
twenty-five thousand dollars of quarterly pay
ment until the whole is liquidated and we
haYe done much more i'll behalf Of the schools
than was either promised or deemed practical
bic. We have reorganized the charitable insti-
tutions OF the State; have paid all lover one
hundred thousand dollars Of their foatia G in
debtedness upon which the banks have been
drawing interest of two per cent. in excess of
that paid by themselves as depositaries Of State
funds. Moreover, and for the first time since
reconstruction, we have given these charitable
institutions all that was asked for or necessary
to support the lunatic, the deaf, dumb and
blind, to accommodate the unfortunates here.
tofore in jails, because of the inadequate pro-
visions for the asylums; we have given the
colored people normal school for the educa-
tion of their own teachers, and our appropria-
ton bill, covering every detail of necessary
expenditure, is quite one hundred thousand
dollars less than the average annual expenses
OF Government under Bourbon-Funder rule,
inclusive of the discharge of the floating obi
cations before noted.
In recognizing these institutions, we deliv-
cred them in some cases from selfish and re-
morseless partizan control which consigned
lunatics to the cells of felons when they should
rightfully share the States appropriation for
her unfortunate children. Thus were our
specific promises to you in the canvass faith
fully executed. 1t is not often the good for
tune of a political organization to confront the
great tribunal of the people with record so
fairly earned Incidental duties of the Legis-
lature were the election OF United States
Senator to fill the vacancy occurring March
4th, 1888; and of Court of Appeals, whose
term will begin on the LIST of January, 1888.
These duties were performed with credit to
the State and to the satisfaction of our party.
AS the Legislature considered other impor-
tant measures, Treason and Desertion, hither-
to menacing only, became bold enough for as
sertlon. Treason never wants for ingenious
phrases to mitigate the condemnation it in
vites. So, in this case, the Treason that de-
feated these measures, seeks forgiveness of the
people by the plea that the bills to re-organize
the Judicial and Congressional districts and to
provide for Commissioner of Land Sales,
were Revolutionary"
When Fundersm would save money for ap-
pearance sake, it struck at the very root of an
independent judiciary by reducing salaries.
Their Court Committee reported, and put on
record in the Senate journal, that they had
the constitutional right to change circuits. On
THIS last proposition there seems to be no diff
ference of opinion. The Readjusters simply
proposed to make twelve instead of eighteen
Judicial circuits; to make one circuit FORM
stance, OF two, that had been formed in 1875,
OF counties that had always before constituted
one circuit, and in which there is not business
to engage competent and industrious Judge
two months in the year This change would
have reduced the actual expenses Of Circuit
Courts quite $4,000 per annum, besides the
relief 1t would have given to witnesses and
jurors compelled to attend on ndolent courts
and judges. ri.
The Land Sales bills was designed to effect
saving in the fees and costs attending settle
ment OF estates. The dead leave widows and
orphans as the wards of the State. The State
assumes by her laws to take care of such inter
ests. Under the present dilatory and expen-
slYe, II not fraudulent system, we see widows
and children subsisting on pittances melted out
by commissioners, when the only duty of such
commissioners is to sell, settle and pay over,
leaving the widow and child in the same sit
uation as if the living father had divided his
property. Not one estate in twenty is settled
in twenty years. Bills in chancery are fled,
interlocutory DEGREES are entered ad infn5tunp;
at every death, marriage or change of resi-
dence, suggestions are made, petitions filed,
the suit is perpetuated, costs continued COM
mlssioners in chancery make out another ac-
count at seyenty-tive cents an hour, and
dollar page, attorneys get another fee and
thus the dead mans estate is made to feed the
ldlers ofthe courthouse, while his children are
made the wards of the courts officers. Those
who question the wisdom and patriotism of
this measure are requested to compare the
number OF final DEGREES in their respective
counties, and to note in their several clerks
offices how many estates have been settled
within period of ten or twenty years.
Again, how many court commissioners give
bond before collections and how many pur-
chasers either surrender property or pay
second time The Commissioners bill pro-
vided that one man, bonded like untoa coun-
ty treasurer, should attend to all such bushes
and gave assurances to every industrious
working man that what his labor had produ-
ced and his economy stored away would be
distributed by his State under her laws, or his
will, to those who should be the recipients OF
his Accommodations, large or small, and to every
person interested in the proceeds of sales that
second suit should not be necessary to realize
from the trusted agent of the court. '1
Other States, more careful of the rights and
interests of the helpless. have their "Orphans'
Courts" especially provided with jurisdiction
confined to the proper administration OF es-
tates The Commissioners bill was designed
to effect some reforms in this behalf without
mourning additional cost to the estate. We
leave this question for the consideration OF
who know that a court with its unrestralned
clique will make their wills and dispense their
estates.
The re-districting of the State was an i'm
perative duty of the Legislature.