Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-12
Other Remedies.

The Commonwealth Of Virginia has
not exhausted her remedies. She still
has power to protect herself from the
attacks Of such judges as BOND, and
to compel her own citizens to pay their
taxes according to law. There are
three remedies which have not yet been
tried.
/. The first remedy proposed to be
adopted next winter is q law making
the taxes fall due four times a year, in
stead Of once a year as now. Inc
taxes are not TO be increased at oil, but
the taxpayer is to be allowed the
privilege Of paying them in install
ments. This measure would really be
. measure Of relief to nine-tenths Of
the taxpayers, so much more easily
can they pay twenty dollars in install
ments Of five dollars each quarter than
they can pay twenty dollars at once.
Blu, the best result of such q measure
would be that so few persons could
nav taxes in coupons that if all who
could were to do so the State would not
be in the least degree embarrassed
thereby.
2. Another untried measure of relief
is to provide for branding and repudi-
atipg all OF the bonds funded under or
ders of any Federal court. The elev-
cnth amendment to the Federal Consti-
tuition forbids any such suits to be en-
tertained by Judge BOND or any other
Federal Judge. If he chooses to violate
that amendment and create q debt for
sovereign State, all the State need do is
to brand all such bonds and re-
pudiate them. Desperate diseases
require desperate remedies. Self-de-
fence is the first law Of nature. The
State has a natural right to protect her
self from these unconstitutional attacks
upon her sovereignty. She must show
that the Federal courts cannot CO.
cree her by resorting to unconstitu-
tional methods. She must brand Judge
BoND's bonds as his own and turn
them over TO him for payment. He
has no right TO issue bonds for her,
nor TO order her to issue them. The pre-
text that his DEGREES are entered against
the States officers and not against the
State herself is absolutely preposte-
rous in these cases, wherein the State
debt is actually increased by order of
Judge BOND, and debt charged to her
by virtue Of a mandamus. 1t will
never do to allow such outrages to go
unredressed. The State must refuse to
pay all such bonds.
3. Another untried measure is here
suggested. 1t is that statute be
passed adding a new feature to the law
which provides that all unpaid taxes
shall be lien upon the real estate of
taxpayers. In a word, the new law
must hold the same sort Of lien over
the heads Of the persons who refuse to
pay their taxes according to law. That
is to say, Judge BOND must not be
permitted TO give tax-receipts in the
name Of the Commonwealth of Yir-
ginis, as he has lately been doing.
Not only must the bonds is
sued under his orders be brand
cd, but the tax-receipts which
he commands his clerks to give must
be branded as bogus, and the tax
payers who refuse to obey the law Of
Virginia and who call upon Judge
BOND 10 assist them in annulling the
law Of the State which requires all
taxes to be paid in money must be
made to feel the displeasure of the
Commonwealth. If man pays cou-
pons worth only SO per cent. of their
face value, the other a. per cent. must
be made lien upon his real estate.
Let it be provided that all bonds funded
under Judge BONDS orders shall be re-
pudiated, and oil taxes paid in coupons
shall constitute lien upon the tax
payers real estate until he makes good
TO the Commonwealth the difference be-
tween the face value and the market
able value Of the coupons paid by him
into the Treasury Of the State or to the
clerk Of Judge BONDS court.
Is Virginia powerless? We say she
is not. II is not within Judge BoND's
power to prevent her from thus putting
all her taxpayers upon an equality so
faras concerns the value Of the money
or other thing paid to the Common
wealth in satisfaction Of taxes. 1t is
not to be supposed for q moment that
the Legislature will allow our wealthy
citizens'to pay their taxes in coupons
worth only SO per cent. Of their face
value whilst al poor men are CON-
PEELED to pay their taxes in lawful