The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-05-03
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The Debt Question.

The Debt Question.
The attempt to make the Democrats OF
Virginia responsible for the persistency OF
WILLIAM l.. royal, Esq, IN prosecuting
The suits OF his clients who " State bonds
and who are anxious to realize upon the
Is doomed TO lgnominious failure.
There Is not q Democratic paper In Nr-
Rinia but has declared over and over again
that II has done with the debt question.
There is not, we believe, O Democratic con-
rrcssman, Democratic State senator. or
Democratic member of the last House OF
Delegates, who has not said the same thing.
All are agreed that there Is now connected
with the public debt Of Virginia no
ouestion which the courts are not com
petent 70 dispose OF. The court OF lastresort
has already pronounced the RTDDLEBERGER
hin constitutional. This was equivalent
TO prououncing IL a final settlement OF the
debt question, since that bill itself enacts
that no interest shall be paid except as that
bill provides. And as no coupons can now
be received for taxes, and no interest can
be paid except upon the RIDDLEBEEGER
bonds. it would seem TO be inevitable that
the holders OF tue MCCULLOCH bonds and
OF the bonds Issued under the funding bill
OF 1871 must sooner or later fund them
under the R-IDDLEBEEGER bill.
An application for a rehearing OF the
case Of Antoni rs. GfeenhOao has been
made. IL is true; and there arc rumors
from Washington that the application may
possibly be successful. We are not much
inclined TO credit these rumors; but OF
course they may be true. A rebearing,
however, does not mean n reversal. The
Supreme Court OF the United States Is
swinging back at this time, in deciding the
cases Of 1883, TO the point from which it
began in 1861 to swing towards centraliza-
ton and consolidation. Its decisions Of
this year are remarkable for that feature.
There was one rendered last Monday, and
mentioned i'm the Dispatch OF Tuesday,
which, though not on a kindred subject,
evidently tends in the same direction as the
decisions IN the Louisiana and Virginia
cases.
The case we allude to was the case OF
the Parkersburg and Ohio-River Trans
portation Company, appellants, against the
city Of Parkersburg, w. Va, and others.
The city OF Parkcrsburg built q wharf and
established certain rates Of wharfage which
the Parkersburg and Ohio Transportation
Company complained Of us being eXtOr-
tionate and as being merely a pretcXt for
levying a duty Of tonnage-which last is
forbidden by the Federal Constitution.
This consideration was pressed; but with
out avail. The Court decided against the
appellants on MANY points. The point TO
which we call attention is thus stated:
"Fifth. that a suit will not lie in the Cir
cult Court OF the United States for relief
against eXorbitant Wharfage as a case arts
ing under the Constitution or laws Of the
United States, even though it be alleged
tina the wharfage was intended As 4 duty
tonnage"
There is this resemblance between that
case and the case presented in the applica-
tion Of Mr.. EvARTs and others for Il rehear-
ing in the Virginia case-nameIy, that these
lawyers contend that the Virginia law re-
qulring the genuinencSs Of coupons TO be
proved in court wa "intendcd" TO compel
bondholders TO fund under the RIDDLE
BERGER bill, and was "intendcd" to destroy
the value Of the %consols, pealers, and Nc
CULLOcH bonds, though purporting TO he
for another purpose. The Court will not,
however, allow a mere allegation OF sus-
pected ''intentiOn" to give jurisdiction in
cases wherein the court would otherwise
not have Jurisdiction.
But let all this be as it may, the Malone
ties well know that there Is now no qucs-
ton between them and tie Democrats as to
the public debt. The voters were not de-
ceiyed in 1880 by the absurd pretence that
4" readiustment" was involved i'm the pre-
sidential election. They will not be de-
ceiyed this year. The tricks of the Ma
honeites are all stale. FalsehCods will not
avail TO induce the people to vote for Re
publicans running in the guise OF Read
busters. The candidates for the Legislature
will expose all such false pretences. The
negroes know 4 Republican candidate when
they see one. II is not TO be presumed or
assumed that the white voters are less in-
telligent.