Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-11
suxDAy.....-..JAsUARY Ii, 1885
A Question Answered.

A Question Answered.
We regret 10 see that our contempt
rary Of the Pulaski People is opposed
to ~ BLAIR bill. As we are conf
dent that the Democrats Of Virginia will
put into their platform Of this year re-
solution declaring in favor Of that bill,
and will nominate for Governor q can
didste who will advocate it upon
the hastings, we would be pleased
70 have in this good work the
valuable cooperation from this time
forth Of our Pulaski contemporary. We
are sincerely DESTROYS Of saying nothing
to originate or continue . controversy
that might lead any Democrat to COM
init himself irrevocsbly against the be-
neficert measure under consideration.
Trusting that no word that we shall use
may have that effect, we answer the
following question which has been put
to Us by the People:
ssThe Dispatch, we believe, is ear
Mostly and honestly in favor Of an abo-
lition Of the internal revenue. Now, we
ask II In all candor IL il would not be
infinitely better for the people of the
South generally. and for the people Of
Virginia particularly, to abolish the in
ternal revenue and their own school funds
than to continue the internal revenue
and accept school bounty from the
National Government +"
No State, southern or northern, could
collect taxes, rs the General Govern
ment does, from the manufacturers of
whiskey. If one State were to lay
tax upon that article, the whiskey-man-
ufacturcrs would move their plant into
another State. The tax in question
must either be collected as now, or not
at all.
IL the People means to claim that it
would be better to double the school
tax on real estate, and leave whiskey
altogether untaxcd, We reply that the
landowners would most decidedly OBJ
jecs. We are anxious to get rid Of the
entire internal-revenue bureau; but we
are not prepared to advocate school
tax Of 30 cents on every one hundred
dollars worth of real Estate in Virginia
as q measure preferable to even the
abominable internal taxes. We are
confident that the landowners of Vir-
GINA will never consent to bear an ad-
ditional tax Of more than five hundred
thousand dollars year for school pur-
poses alone in order to get rid Of the
tax on whiskey.
All the money that Congress is asked
to appropriate in aid of the public-school
systems Of the several States is already
in the Treasury. The BLAIR bill can
be carried into effect without continu-
ing the internal taxes.
As to the conscientious scruples Of
men who set up their opinions in oppo-
sition to those Of such profound consti-
tutional lawyers as GARLAND, Brown,
CoLQuITr, LAMAR, CURRY, VANCE,
RANSOM, WADE HAMPTON, JONES,
EpMuNDs, de-, &C., we have not much
to say. Such scrupulousness partakes
too much Of vanity. Nevertheless, il a
man has such scruples, that is the end
OF argument. Every man must obey
his conscience. The voters can elect
men whose conscicnces compel them to |
60 the other way.
Besides, the question Of constitution
atty ought to be considered as having |
been settled by the facts. We refer
once more to some Of these facts, and
repeat, what we have before said, that
the northwestern and western States
have grown rich on the school funds
which Congress has given to those
States in the form Of public lands
that millions upon millions Of dollars
have thus been thrown into their Golfers;
that their admirable public schools,
supported by funds obtained from the
National Treasury, have attracted hun
dyeds Of thousands Of settlers, and have |
thus been one Of the instruments which |
have caused those States to excel the
southern States in population and |
wealth; and that every State in the
Unions including Virginia, has accepted |
aid from the Federal Government in the |
work Of educating thoroughly the chill
dren Of every such State.
Finally, the Democratic National |
Committee last year sent circular
throughout Virginia pledging the Dem
ocratic party to the support of the
BLAIR bill. We advocated that bill |
before the presidential election, and we |
propose to keep faith with the people.