Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-09-05

cui,s NV rerrymandcr that two OIL tue
existing judges should, as lar a.: a. p pov
sible, be included in each Oh VI, ne"
circuits. This was done in order 10
ley;slste both out, as the Constitution
reou;red the Judge Of each circuit to re,
side IN the same, the propounders o,
The measure arguing that if they conid
60 ,ix Il that neither could hold the
court in the new circuit, as two judges
res;ded in il. This was the infamous
ecbeme TO lcgislate out Of Office by inui,
rection and gerrymander what they ana
not dare to attempt directly by tota'
abolition Of the Constitution.
. THE PATRON GALLEY OF THE BILL
admitted TO me that such was the oo-
;ect. and that when we got rid oil Tue
Funder judges we could redistrlct again
For our opposition and defeat oil TINS
bill the address" denounceS Us d
- traitors" -,
We defeated another cherished mea-
sure Of the master
| REDISTRICTfNG THE CON'hho9i"-'
AL DISTRICTS.
His main anxiety for this was to pre-
vent Mr.. Massey from canvassing the
State as a candidate at large, and ex-
posing the whole Of this infamous legls-
lation. as he knew he could and would
do. 1.-THE address" makes great
outcry on this matter; that it was our
dutv TO attend to this business that 1t
was our duty to our constituents to so
gerrymander the State that the Repub-
iicans could capture eight out OF the
ten districts. s'The address " really
has the cool assumption to pretend to
quote the 10Th and 18th sections of
| Article V. of the Constitution Il had
thought they had dispensed with the
Constitution but let us see their quo
tation of the 18th section 1.-The State
shall be divided into districts CORE
spending in number with the represent
atives to which it may be entitled, b"
&c. This is the quotation in the
address, But | will add little
more from that section, as follows ::
(Which shall be formed respectively of
contiguous counties, cities, and towns /;
be compact and include as nearly as
may be an equal number of population"
This latter part of this section was not
quoted in the "address." 1t would
not exactly suit the proposed bill for
the gerrymander. Let me instance as
to population first BY their proposed
bill the Sixth district would have 49,
907, and the Fourth only l2l ,636 popu-
lation, difference of only &C, 271. Now
as to " compactness " as required by
that part of section IL not quoted in
the "address -: Mahone's bill made
the Sixth district about thirty miles
wide and 1870 miles long; the Tenth
district thirty-fve miles wide and 1870
miles long. This is compactness "
with a vengeance. No one can doubt
the purpose of all this-to so arrange
the districts as to elect eight out Of ten
members in the interest Of William
Malone and Arthur and Stalwartism to
Congress this fall And we defeated
all this. And for this the " address "
charges honorable gentlemen with igno-
minious detection, with treason,
the baleful concomitant of every good
cause and every righteous REFORM"
But the
GENERAL OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
BILL.
| am very certain that no scheme
ever concoted in the brain of a
political demagogue was ever fraught
with as much deyilment as this
measure. For ingenuity in cOntrivance,
and for holiness and daring exhibited
in the attempt to fasten it as law
upon a free people, it has no equal in
ancient or modern political history. |
do not wish to misstate anything in re-
lation to it, but have not space to
quote it rerJQtim, as it ought to be,
and let the people know what this Ma
hone party really intended to do with
them and their freedom by this single
measure.
There was a bill, of which Mr.. Lady
was the patron. known as Bill No. $50.
This bill provided for a general COM
missioner, of all sales that could be de-
creed by a court. No one else could
sell any land decreed to be sold; no
one could collect and disburse the pro-
ceeds of sale, it mattered not what the
sale was, provided it was directed by a
court. 1t further provided that the
| court could not, nor cOuld tie consent
/ of the parties interested even by con-
sent Of record, assent to sale or set
Element Of their private affairs. This
general commissioner was to be the abso-
lutte master Of every mans business that
unfortunately should get into court. This
/ officer, heretofore unknown to law in
any country now or heretofore recog-
nized as civilized people--a man to
be invested with a power illimitable in
its results for political eflect-was to
be appointed and removable at will and
alone by the Governor Of the State, one
in each county and city Of the State.
The court was, in fact. to have no con-
troll over him. For malefeasance, it is
true, the Judge might venture to remove
him, but his clerk was bound by the
act to notify the Governor of the reno
val, and the Governor could put him
back, in order that recalcitrant Judge
might understand that the great Execu-
tive was not to be fooled with. But
this was not enough. This infamous
bill was reported favorably by the Com
mite of Courts Of Justice of the House.
Its patron and friends were aStOnished
when it came up in its order On the cal
endar for consideration to find in its
place another bill shaped very much
as Bill No. $3.50, foisted there by some
body, and, it was said, somebody not
member Of that august body.
This bill was called " House Bill No.
2-Reported from Committee Of Courts
of Justice" This bill got the name of
the L" Spurious Bill" 1t contained all
the bad features of 4" Bill No. 253,"
but little more. 1t provided that the
general commissioner should select
A NEWSPAPER IN EACH COUNTY
wherein all notices Of sale. orders of