The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-20

10 exnloin. By the third section OF .nc
or;o;noj charter of the Richmond ara pan,
vile Railroad Company 1t was provlueu
that " II at any time thereafter tue rates on
sro;oh, and TRANSFORMATION shall enable the
nros;Jont and directors, after the payment
~ ali necessary expenses, &C., TO divide
moro than X per cent. on their capital STOCK
Invested then the Legislature may regu-
late and reduce the tolls and transporta-
t;on so az tn enable the company 10 dlVide
* nor cent and no more" But their capi-
90, stock % inrestedv was only S2,OUV, the
remaining portion being script DIVIDEND.
And os they were known to nave maze
mon tbe whole, including this watereu
stock. n dividend which was =" more IMAM
* ner cent. upon the capital stock invest
edu and were known to be seeking TO
evadc This provision Of their charter, re-
solution OF inquiry into that matter was
introduced into the House. ms
ALARMED THE COMPANY,
who wanted not only TO retain this power
- evorbitant crates OF freight and trans
nortation " particularly asagainst Virginia,
and therefore wanted their watering legal
;zed. but they wanted permission Tor stu
further watering; and having previously
attained that i'm what is called the Terminal
Railroad and Warehouse act, in which they
had purchased controlling interest," TO
maintain which control it was necessary 10
make further subscription, which they had
not the money TO pay for, they proposed, as
thew have since done by q hocus-pocuS ar
rancement, to exchange one stock for the
other. 1t was absolutely necessary that
tins arrangement should be made. And as
certain members OF the Legislature knew,
and opposed their game, they found 1t
necessary to strengthen the hand OF Gene
raj Malone. who was
BETRAYING THE READJUsTERs
by abjuring the fourth article Of their plat
form of 1881, which distinctly pledged
them to the control and reform OF the rail-
roads OF the State in the interest OF the
people, and who therefore needed some
plausible concession to hide his betrayal OF
his friends and his bargain with their enc
mics. Without that concession the bill
could not have passed; and therefore it was
held back until the other bill had passed
without the concession, as it did on the
10Th OF April The necessity OF this legis-
Iation to the railroad was conclusiyely
proved by Mr.. Riddleberger's speech OF
the 23d OF April, at the end Of the session,
when, in that day OF panic and flight from
the Capitol, he urged that this bill should
be taken up out of order-as it was and
passed. "aS good faith, at least, on The
pGrt Of his party required the passage Of
the bM." That is to say, some sort OF
BARGAIN
had been made, whose terms could not,
would not. or might not be complied with
unless General MahOne's followers should
keep their faith.
The manner in which this faith was kept
bv the Malone people was characteristic
Of their disregard OF law. There Is, l
learn from 4 senator, rule that when
a House bill has passed the Senate notice
thereof shall be given to the House by the
clerk in regular course, or by member
on motion, and the bill shall then lie
two DAYS before going to the Governor:
any more speedy way OF passing law
must be accomplished by suspension Of
the rule. But IN this case the rule was not
suspended-it was diSrcgarded; and the
bill lay untouched oil the Clerks desk I'M
ill the Legislature was pronounced adj
journed sine die. The fact was that copy
Of the bill had been enrolled and was
on TUE GOVERNORS DESK
awaiting the action Of the Senate, and as
soon As that was taken messenger was
sent up 10 him. and this enrolled bill was
signed without having been compared
with the one that passed. This | have
from the assistant clerk Of the Senate
and this is matter for the chairman OF the
Committee on Enrolled Bills to explain, il
he can.
Whether this affects the validity OF the
act. | am not lawyer enough TO decide.
But the passage OF the act authorizing the
company "to discharge their Indebtedness
i'm bonds funded under the new debt bill
presents Il stronger case. and was marked
bv fragrant disregard of organic law.
That act was money bill, and therefore
required under the Constitution al ailiima-
tive vote OF two thirds OF the whole num-
Der OF each house. When the bill, which
first passed IN the Senate, went to the
House, that question was raised, and the
opposition OF some members 10
GIVING AWAY THE PEOPLES MONEY
to any corporation, especially one that
claimed TO have great wealth, having been
overcome ~ the spccious introduction OF
the amendment taxing the road rs nearly
all others are taxed, the bill was passed
by the constitutional vote. But when it
went back to the Senate that amendment
was stricken out. When reported back to
the House in that shape the constitutional
question was again raised and upon point
OF order which was warmly and deliberately
discussed General Mahone's Speaker ruled
against it. The bill was passed without
the constitutional vote, and was approved
by the Governor, though he must have
L Of ha al. nd han no
fore vetoed a bill on the ground OF uncOn-
stitutionaity. II takes no lawyert to say that
this act cannot stand judicial scrutiny; and
| only wonder that some Of the people who
are clearing" the stock Of the road have
not obtained writ Of injunction to test the
case.
1t is beside my purpose to inquire what
specifically were
THE TERMS OF THIS CONTRACT
with the Richmond and Danvile railroad
thus bunglingly and recklessly executed
on the part Of General Malone. All who
know him know that the terms involved
subsidy and aid to his plans in some shape
and to be rendered by the road from its
offices and its Golfers. And those plans
contemplate three things: the advance
ment OF General Malone, and, as conducive
to that, the absorption of the Democratic
Readiuster into the Republican party of
Virginia, and by that means the surrender
Of the States electoral vote to Mr.. Arthur
or to whomsoever else General Malone
may choose to trade it of. These are the
three things to which, Willingly or I'M
Willingly, the Danvilc road committed it,
self in the bargain to which Mr.. Riddle
berger's speech referred.
How came that about?
CLYDE, THE HEAD OF THE SYNDICATE,
is, hear, a Republican, and such change