The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-02-26

virtually upset the fundamental condition
upon which the coupon killers were predi
Gated
The statement of the debt as presente,
in the Riddleberger bill or the preamble
to it, has never yet been successfully as
sailed. 1t contains no elementof repndtion
The legislation looking to the enforcement
OF the Riddleberger settlement and the pro
lection of the treasury from the fatal in
roads OF the coupon "cut-worm, y know
as the Coupon Killers, y was assailed ,anc
appealed to the highest courts in the lane
and there pronounced valid and not il
conflict with the clause of the constitu
ton forbldding a State to violate a con
tract. All of the enactments doye-taile(
and made complete whole fortified b,
the sanction Of the highest judicial AL
thority as to their conformity to fundamen
tai national law. and the conclusions Of
our own Supreme Court. Not until the
Legislature Of 1884 was elected and con
vened was there any apprehension thai
this settlement would be interfered with
1t had been accepted by the Republicans
who united with the Readjusters in its
enactment. 1t was professedly accepted
| by the Democrats, but no sooner did they
gain power by declaring their abidance by
it, than they proceeded to unsettle it
whether from ignorance or design is fol
the public to judge. Whatever the motive
the people are convinced now that they
| made huge blunder in 1888 in entrust
ing the enforcement of the reimbursement
legislation to the party which had op
posed it at every step, instead of empower
ing the party which had formulated 1T tC
carry it into effect.
We propose to stand by the RiddIebergel
act and its attendant legislation, whatever
others may do We co-operated with She
Readjusters IN 1881 and 1888 for the pur.
pose of bringing about u final settlement
of the debt question, for it was plair
then that the Bourbons would never be
able to effect that object They would de
clare for paying the debt as it YVES pre-
sented in the acts Of 1871 and 1875, but whel
it came to the crucial test of providing th'
the ways and means to do so, they utterly
failed. Their policy was the most flagran
| reputation. In the face Of their vocifera
| lions about the honor Of the State and the
| sanctity of contracts, the debt wa;
constantly.increasing by defaulted inter
est and adding to its volume at such y rat,
as to make reputation the only possible
outcome from sheer inability to pay. W.
propose to stand by that legislation which
| has successfully passed the scrutiny OF The
| Courts,a well upon the merits Of the cast
as in justification Of our cooperation will
| the Readjusters upon this debt question
II there are any who propose to abandon
this policy and unite with the Bourbon'
in defence of their reputation Legislation
| let them do so. We mean not only Il
support the Riddleberger settlement, bu
to support those who support it. and to co
operate with those who will give the bes
assurance that they mean to be faithful Il
| that legislation. That assurance is no
found in the reckless and extravagant de
nunciations of the recent decision of TIT
United States Circuit Court at Norfolk, il
the case of Parsons VS.. Marye, &c. What
ever may be the technical niceities attend
ing the hearing and argument Of the case
4 the result of the opinion is in conformit,
with the constitution and the decisions o.
the Supreme Court, where Justification j.
found for the Riddleberger adjustment
The singular harmony of the Wing and
DlsDatch in this chorus is not clear to us
for it is manifest that the Dispatch is max
ing clamor against the Judges to draw
attention away from the fatal legislation
of its own party The Wing is driven Il
no such subterfuge. The legislation i
has supported has indicated itself and il
has been indicated by the Courts. 1t stood
unassailable, until legislative quackery
destroyed the remedy of the creditor and
opened The whole question of the debt
again, with tar-reaching effect 1t is &
dangerous thing to assai the Judiciary
either Of the State or Nation, for it is the
bulwark of our rights of property and per
son, and the fortress of our liberties. TIL,
courts may err and do err, but error
of judgment may be corrected. But tt
educate the public mind to distrust til,
courts. to question the purity of the mo
tives which control in their decisions is tt
sow the seeds of anarchy and insiduousl,
undermine the pillars of our institutions