The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-12
Status of the Debt Question.


between the State of Virginia and various
coupon.holders and taxpayers. One of
these is an injunction by the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company against s.
Brown Allen, Auditor, &C., to restrain a
levy and collection of taxes due the State,
the company having made tender of cou-
pons in payment Of its taxes, which ten
der was refused by the Auditor.
Another case arises upon tender of
coupons to collector, a sale by the col
lectOr of the Taxpayers property, and an
action Of trespass against the collector
upon the ground of Illegal sale and levy.
These and the other cases in the Su-
preme Court of the United States will
bring before that tribunal very important
and interesting questions which the bond
holders and their counsel claim have never
been passed upon by it. .....
1t is said that the bondholders in the six
cases are represented not only by MI. Roy
all, but by w. NJ. Evarts, Ex-Governor
Chamberlain, Judge Swain. and other emf
nent counsel.
In addition to these cases is the very ve-
cent case of Edwin Parsons against the (
Auditor, and the collectors of the cities of
Richmond, Norfolk. and Lynchburg,
which has Just been taken to the Supreme
Court.
The two first cases were bills filed by
George and Edwin Parsons in the United
States Circuit Court, each involving a sum
not sufficient to give the United States Su-
preme Court jurisdiction. They are the
cases heretofore frequently referred to in
the columns of this paper After these
two cases were decided by Judges Hughes
and Bond, Judge Staples was employed as
counsel by the Board of Commissioners of
the Sinking Fund. Colonel Maury, the
counsel for Parsons. after consultation
with his clients and with Judge Staples,
determined to file a new bill in the United
States Circuit Court. involving sum
sufficient to give the supreme Court juris-
diction, rather than resort to violent and
extraordinary course against the State Off
GERS. This tS2S,00o bill has been filed.
the decree entered and an appeal taken.
and the case is now in the Supreme Court
of the United States, and will be heard
along with the six aforementioned cases
on the 18th of March.
The Attorney-Gen has been con
suited throughout, and assisted in the
preparation of the case for the Supreme
Court, and Will make the motion for the
advancement this in order that all these
Virginia debt cases may be heard together
as near as may be.
Heretofore the State has been repre-
sented only by the Attorney General. The
Parsons case viii be argued by the Attor-
ney-General and Judge Staples. The
latter gentleman, owing to a press of other
business, has declined to undertake the
argument of the six other cases. and the
Board OF Commissioners of the Sinking
Fund have employed Judge Shipman, of
New York, who will assist the Attorney
General, in those cases, and Judge Ship
man has very cheerfully consented to ap-
pear. He is a lawyer of high standing.
and is we'll known here by reason of his an
pearance inthe Atlantic, Mississippi and
| Ohio railroad case.
| In the Parsons case the complainant is
represented by Col. r. i. Maury and ex
Governor Chamberlain and other able
lawyers.
So the discussion in the Supreme Court
IN all of these cases will be of extraordi-
nary interest, and worthy of the maoni-
tude of the questions involved.
|
If the House bill to make the Depart.
ment of Agriculture one of the executive.
departments Of the Government is ever
taken up by the Senate, Hon. j. f. Kenna
proposes to offer al amendment to the
measure which viii radically enlarge its
provisions. Mr.. Kenna's amendments is
virtually substitute for the present hill
1t creates new executive department. to
be called the Department of Industries
the head Of which is to be the Secretary Of
industries Included in the department.
are to be Division of Agriculture and
Divlslon OF Commerce. the head of which
shall perform the duties now deyolvino
upon the Register Of the Treasury
number of bureaus now attached To tbo
treasury Department are to be transferred
10 Ghe department Of Industries, Including
the bureau OF Statistics. 1t is believed
this feature of Mr.. Kenua's proposition
Will De Its greatest strength, as the Treas.
ury Department is overloaded with
bureaus whose work is not of the same ma
ture as that Of the department. proper and
ene transfer OF which to some other de-
partment 10 Secretary OF the Treasury
would be apt to oppose. -
Ayers sarsaparilla win do away with
and energy.