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

of section IL not quOUeu III ."O 80,
Mabone's bill made the Sixth district aDcu'
40 miles wide and 100 miles long ane
Tenth district 81 miles wide ana lvo Illcs
long. Thsis cOmpactness =" win venRe,
al th;a-to an arrange the districts ~ TO
"ioct aiobt ont of ten members i'm the inter
oct NJ William Malone and Arthur ana
Stalwartlsm TO Congress this fall Ana we
defeated all this. And for this the " ad-
drossv charges honorable gentlemen win
!" ignomjno,Is detection with "treason,
the baIeiul concomitant Of every good
cause and every righteous REFORM"
| But the
GENERAL, COMMISSIONERS. SALES BILL
7 am very certain that no scheme ever con-
cocted in the brain OF political dema-
popue was ever fraught with as much dew
| ilment as this measure. For ingenuity IN
contriyance, andfo the boldness and daring
| exhibited in the attempt to fasten IL as q law
upon free people, il has no equal IN an
! Gent or modern political history. do not
wish to misstatc anything in relation 10 II,
but have not space to quote II UerOdtH',
rs it ought to be, and let the people know
what this Malone party really intended 10
do with them and their freedom by this
single measure.
There was bill. OF which Mr.. Lady was
the patron, known ~ Bill No. 259. TINS
| bill provided for general commissioner OF
all sales that could be dccrecd by court.
No one else could sell any land decrced TO
be sold: no one could collect and disbursc
the proceeds OF sale. it mattered not what
the sale was, provided it was directed by q
court. II further provided Mdt the court
could not, nor could the consent Of the par
ties interested even by consent OF record,
assent to n sale or settlement OF their pri-
yate affairs. This general commissioner
was to be the absolute master OF every
mans business that unfortunately should
get into court. This officer, heretofore
unknown to law in any country now or
! heretofore recognized as 4 civilized peo-
plea man to be invested with power
| illimitable in it, results for political effect
was TO be appointed and removable ut VIII
and alone by the Governor Of the state,
one in each county and city OF the state.
! The court was, in fact, TO have no control
over him. For malefcasance, 1t Is true, the
| Judge might venture to remove him, but
! his clerk was bound by the act to
notify the Governor Of the removal,
and the Governor could put him back.
| in order that a rccalctrant Judge might
understand that the great Executive
was not to be fooled with. But this was
not enough. This infamous bin was re-
ported iav0raby by the Committee OF
Courts OF Justice OF the House. Its patron
and friends were astoniShcd when it came
up in its order on the calendar for con-
sideratiOn to find in its place another bill
Shaped very much as Bill No. 259), foisted
there by somebody, and, it was said, some
bOdu not member of that august 6ody
This bill was called "lIouse Bill No. .
Reported from Committee OF Courts OF
Justice" This bill got the name OF the
Spurious Bill" 1t contained all the bad
features OF "Bill No. 259,' but little
more. 1t provided chat the general COM
missioner should select
A NEWSPAPER IL EACH COUNTY
wherein all notices Of sale, orders Of court,
orders OF publication, and everything else
that could possibly require notice, should
be published, and that any other way Of
giving notice and the proceeding thereon
was 10 be null and rOid. The costs OF such
publication were to be paid by the unfor-
tunatc litigants and other persons whose
estates should fall within the grasp OF this
officer, according to any contract he
might make with the editor OF this
paper. 1t was further declared that any
other form Of notice, sale, or deed, or other
mode OF executing decree OF the court,
if even 50 directed by the court, should be
null and cOid, and that the consent OF par
ties could give it no validity whatever.
This law was intended to establish in each
county and city OF the State n partisan
newspaper to support the personal interests
Of William Malone. and the people were
TO be forced to support and maintain it.
This was TO be the practical machine by
which the courts OF this State and the civil
rights OF the people were to be Subordi-
mated to the will OF the thing called bOssism.
There were some men III the House that
DISCOVERED THE FRAUD,
and denounced it, and this hill was quickly
stricken from the calendar and the matter
was hushed up. Now, who did this thing
know not. but ! do know that there are
Malone men, and some now candidates for
Office on the Malone ticket, who do know.
and maybe the men themselves, guilty OF
this disgraccful act, and should be held to
account. These two bills are now in my
possession and should be published 20 the
| have not space to quote what the cad
dress" says in commentator OF these gen
cral commissioners bills. 1t Is sufficient
to say they are claimed to be everything
the people could wish. But the clear mean-
ing and Interpretation OF them rs set forth
in the "address" is simply this, that this
commissioner was not only to be a general
commissioner OF sales, but to be the ex-
ecutor or administrator Of every dead mans
estate within his county; that no man
could die and leave an executor in his will
OF his own appointment; that the heirs OF an
intc>tate should not have anything to do
with the settlement OF their own estate-it
was all 10 bc done by this general commits
SiOncr, elected and empowered alone by
the Governor OF the State-yiZ., William
Mahone-for political purposes. / ask tie
people to read these bills and the "ad-
Dress" and | think they will agree with
NE in my understanding OF them.
The Bill No. 80 came up in the House
the other "spurious bill" being stricken
from the caIcndar-and was passed as a
matter OF course. 1t came to the Senate;
NcWberry proposed TO me to adopt it with
the amendment that, instead OF the Gov
ornOr appointing these commissioners.
the people OF the respected counties and
cities should be allowed to elect these i'm
pOrtant officers, or rather administrators.
OF estates. The bill, with this important
amendment, passed the Senate, went back
to the House, and there it died, As we eX-
pected and intended it should. Wcwished
10 show to the people that the source Of
this Office, and not the Office, was the ruling
consideration. It's purpose was not the
good Of the people, but to add q ire
mendous lever to the central power-Ma-.
hone. For this we are again arraigned rs
" traitors a" before the people in the sad
bro.-