The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-02-03

II e.
PLEA FOR A ooyyRxuENf BuiLDISG--coUH-
TY.Coupr rrxus--k TRAU-wREcKER IN
DICrED-sug0EsrIo 10 The LEGIsLA-
TURE. ~
| fCorrespo,dcuce of the Richmond Dispatcb.I
FEBRUARY l., 1884.
II IL rumored that bin Is In course of
preparation, to be offered N congress, APP
lpropriatlng not less than S!%ooc 70 each
town In the United states ,liat numbers
used IN the erection Of public building
for post-ofiIce and other Government pur-
poses. The citizens here are disposed to
take advantage of the situation, and claim
| that they have some special reasons why
the appropriation should oe ieit mere. Very
soon after the late unpleasantness tnis town
and county paid to the redersi Govern
ment on account OF dlrect iand tax
about $4,000 (money was then very,
tax was paid in some other counties In the
State the law was repealed or became in
operative. Furthermore, we are told by
the late United States internai-reyenue tax
collector here, that there was paid here In
| this town, numbering between 1000 ana
5000 inhabitants, in the short time OF two
years and four months, The sum OF $780,
3l9.IS tax on tobacco. the toWn has now
eleven tobacco factories in it. The county
contains about thirty thousand inhabitants.
This town is the county-seat, and the post.
Office here is the distributing Office for
twenty-eight country post-ofiices, besides
the double daily mails east and west on the
Norfolk and Western railroad.
The County Court has been in session all
A. n trio Of nj
felony, misdemeanor, &c. sam. Day (col-
ored) was tried yesterday on indictment
for housc-breaking. The jury found him
guilty. and awarded him short stay at the
penitentiary of two years. The indict-
ments against General Loriug Martin and
Jordan Martin for the murder OF James Il.
Hughes were postponed until next Mon
day. Mr.. j. II. Thurman, State senator, is
Of counsel for the defendants, and is ex-
pected here tomorrow, in anticipation OF
the trials on Monday next. The grand
jury at the present term returned true
bill against one Henry Tape (colored for
wrecking railroad train on the Norfolk
and Western railroad at CIay's Crossing, in
this county. Tape it is said, has been
very persistent in his efforts to accomplish
his diabolical purpose before he succeeded.
So many efforts had been made that the en-
gineers on the road had become restless and
uneasy for fear OF disaster. Various means
were resOrted to TO catch the guilty party,
but without success. Finally detective
was employed. who proved too shrewd for
Tape. and he was "gobbled up."
Pardon me for making a suggestion to
our Legislature. Why not go to work and
adopt the civil procedure code OF New
York and several other States. and do away
with bills in chancery in suits in equity
and declarations in actions of debt, and
also do away with rule-books In clerks
offices All are useless machinery, labo-
rious and costly. II needs only some bold,
sensible member OF the Legislature to make
the break to accomplish it. We call on
" Lord Bacon" in the Senate to come forth
aud show himself in this behalf. Being
young, learned, sensible, &C.. he may do
great good for himself and others by work
ing great change in our laws. Let us
have no "new code" nor compilations
until the change is wrought. Litigation
in Virginia is too slow, cumbersome, and
costly. Let us try to get out OF the cold
ruts." The State alone would save thou
'ands OF dollars to dispense with the sense
ess rule-books in the clerks offices; but |
he mode OF bringing suits must be |
changed to do away with the rule-books.
STFRRETT