Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-02-27


a Maniac, and the new postal regulation
rega 1ding merchandise packages.
Should this 1.-THE Hughes Bond] decision
stand, all the interest that has accrued and is
represented by outstanding coupons since 1871
under the first funding act and 1878 under
the McCulloch bill will be so many mort
cages upon the revenues of the State to absorb
the taxes before asylums, schools, or any i'll
stitution of government is provided for
I Should this decision stand the funding of out
standing interest into principal under the Nc
/ Culloeh bill goes on. Should this decision
stand, the taxes of the people must go from 40
to 80 cents on the $1OO of property.-iShenan-
doah Herald, (Rep)
Not one of which gloomy forebodings
will be realized. The State of Virginia
will 60 right along as she is going, with
her taxes at 40 cents no cents of it for
schools) on the 500; her schools in full
operation land her State charities provided
for just as usual. The economical in
dlvldual that buys coupons on the strength
of the Hughes-Bond decision with which
to pay his taxes, will have those coupons
on hand until he dies, funds them under
the Riddleberger bill, or proves their
genuineness in the State courts as the
Commonwealth of Virginia under that
bill directs and provides that he shall do
In the meantime the coupon purchaser
will have the satisfaction of knowing.
after this coupon furry dies out, that he
has the coupons in his pocket available for
shaving paper, While the broker who sold
them to him has his money in his pocket
available for new and profitable enter
prlses. No State agent, from deputy
county treasurer up to the State Auditor,
will receive coupon in payment of taxes
unless be does it at his individual risk,
nor can he be made to receive them in lieu
OF money by any power known on this
continent. There is no power in the
United States government to make State
pay her debts. In that matter she is,
whether honest or dishonest, sovereign to
the fullest extent of the word. When the
debt question was first made promi-
nent In the politics of Virginia it was a
new and unstudied one, and the writer of
this believed, with many other better IN.
formed men, that besides the other induce
ments for paying the debt there was one
which was nansWerable-that the State
could be made by the Federal government
to pay it, and that attempted s'elimina-
ton" was only postponing the day of
final settlement. And this view we urged
during the first part of the first campaign
Cd the debt. Before il was over, however.
we read long argument of Judge Black
Of Pennsylvania, in suit. the locality, we
think, New York, in which he showed
clearly that there was no machinery, no
avenues, no train of legal events by which
State could be made to pay if she had
determined not to pay. The National
Government itself il in the same category
there is no power to make it pay if it
does not choose to. No State can pass
law "impairing the obligation of con.
tracts" between its own citizens without
violating the Constitution of the United
States, but there is no power which can
prevent its successful legislation of it's
own debts out of existence After reading
Judge Blacks argument, we addressed
ourselves to exhorting the creditors of the
State to make the best terms they could.
under the McCulloch bill, and save them
selves to that extent. That was all
we could see that was left for them. and
as it proved, it was indeed all.
State government may 0e sued when thew
give permission; just as Congress created
the Court of Claims in which suits may be
brought against the government, and Vir
ginia quarter Of a century ago passed al
act permitting suits to be brought in the
Circuit Court of the city of Richmond
when the Auditor had disallowed &C
counts presented to him against the State.
But in both Of these courts judgments are
WORTH nothing unless Congress in the one
case, or the legislature in the other, pass
laws making an appropriation to pay the
amount recovered in the suit. But here
is the Mandanaus Well, sure enough, so
it is. We ought to recognize our old friend
by this time. In the days that we were
struggling to give the creditors of the
State the best settlement that they could
get, we held up this old ghost many a
time. We believed in him thoroughly
But as the creditors will find he is for use
for the State and not against it. The man. !
da1nus starts out On his errand, where a
State is concerned, hampered by this
clause of the Constitution:
1.-The Judicial power of the United States
shall not be construed to extend to any suit in
law, commenced or prosecuted against one of
the United States by citizens of another State,
or by citizens or subjects of any foreign
State"
IL is an offence against the commonest
of common sense to say that power is
forbidden exercise against State, and |
yet may be used against its officers. That
would extinguish sovereignty and give the |
Federal government power to naanda,aus |
State out of its very existence, imprison |
its Governor, its Auditor and Treasurer. |
its legislature, its very county treasurers. |
Nothing of the kind has been done nor
attempted in the history of the federation
OF the American States, and nothing of |
the sort will be done. 1t would be against |
both the reason and practice of govern |
ment. We are not prepared to say that |
il this was the year 1868. with Ulysses
iv,h 10 G-cff tor to o,,fo