Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-05-13


n fks Editor cffAs Dispafck::
Poor old Virginia !! She was Ma
hone-ridden for Ave OF six years, and
after this terrible incubus was thrown
Of she Is now ridden by the Republican
Federal Judiciary. This is good deal
like swapping the devil for witch.
The majority Of the Supreme Court
including that brilliant specimen Of hui
manity, Mr.. Stanley Matthews--holds
that while the eleventh amendment to
the Constitution forbids the suing OF
State, except with her own consent, yet
that suing the financial officers Of the
State Is not suing the State itself. In
other words, the majority holds that
the Supreme Court can take charge Of
the entire finances Of the State, deter
mine in what currency her taxes shall
be paid, manage them as in its wisdom
it thinks proper, bankrupt the State, and
stop the wheels Of the State govern
mcnt, and yet that is not suing the
State! Was such quibbling ever in
dulged in by judicial tribunal in this
or any other country?
Whatever opinion the Supreme Court
may entertain Of the management Of the
financial affairs Of Virginia, and they
cannot well entertain worse opinion Of
this management than | do, and how
ever much they might have been justi-
fed in expressing in the strongest terms
their opinion on this subject, yet hold
that so long as the eleventh amendment
stands unrepealed the State is entitled
to the protection it affords, and that if
the recent decision Of the court is good
law there is no longer any use for State
governments under the Constitution OF
the United States. II this decision is
to stand as the fixed and permanent
policy of the Federal Government then,
in my opinion, the sooner the State
governments are abolished the better
for the people.
| need not 90 into the history Of this
debt question in Virginia. Every man
Of ordinary intelligence in the State is
perfectly familiar with it. 1t is known
to all men how the taxpayers struggled
to have the debt question settled upon
fair and honorable basis. The strug-
gle was kept up for years until we
were overwhelmed by the Readjusters
under the lead Of that cunning and I'M
scrupulous man, William Malone. He
never could have accomplished his pur-
pose, however, but for the aid he re-
ceived from President Arthur, who
transferred to him the entire patronage
OF the State. The Riddleberger bill
was the joint production Of Arthur and
Malone. Malone could not have put
| it through without Arthur's aid, nor
could Arthur have put it through
without Mahone's aid. They both
had an important object in view
in their joint undertaking. That
object was to destroy the Dem
ocratic ascendency in the State, to
put it under the control Of Malone, with
the understanding that he was to hand
it over to Arthur. Malone having lost
his grip upon the State a new turn OF
the wheel became necessary. 1t has
become important to the interest Of the
Republican party that Malone should
be placed in the saddle again. The
best way of accomplishing this object
was to revive the debt issues in Vir-
ginia, and this could in no way be more
effectually brought about than by the
late decision of the Supreme Court in
the coupon cases. These decisions are
equivalent to saying to General Malone:
. The way is open for you again. Place
yourself at the head of the regulators,
and cut up root and branch the Demo-
cratic ascendency in the old Common
wealth."
/ do not desire to do the Justices of
the Supreme Court any injustice. But
when it is remembered that the afore-
said Stanley Matthews was appointed
to his exalted position at the instance
Of Jay Gould, and that most of his as
sociates were selected not in conse-
quence Of any special qualifications they
possessed, but because Of their party
services, must confess that have but
little faith in their decision Of any ques-
ton in which their party feeling is in
volved. What entities Mr.. Stanley
Matthews's opinion in the coupon cases
to less respect than might otherwise be
given to it is the fact that some two
years ago he held that a case similar in
all essential respects to those recently
decided uds a Stit against the State,
and therefore not maintdinable.
The experience of Virginia on this
debt question has certainly been a hard
one. Her best people were forced to
abandon their efforts to settle the debt
upon fair and honorable terms by
combination between President Arthur
and Senator Malone, and compelled by
the popular majority against them to
commit themselves to the sanction and
approval Of the Riddleberger bill, and
now a partisan Republican Supreme
Court comes along and by majority
of one declares that all the anti-ceu-
pom legislation is null, void, and of no
| effect.
And what arc we, the people, going
to do about it? For one, say let us
plant ourselves more firmly than ever
before upon the Riddleberger bill, and
that, offend whom it may, we will never
pay a copper more Of the public debt
than that bill sanctions. | say this,
notwithstanding my decided opposition
to this bill originally. If the creditors
are not willing to settle upon this basis,
then let the taxpayers decide whether
they will pay less or whether they will
pay anything. Such is the temper Of
the public mind on this subject at this
writing that there are scores of good
men all over the country who are ready
to declare that if the Riddleberger bill
is repudiated by the bondholders they
are ready to repudiate the entire debt.
Yours respectfully, SENEx.