Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-06-05
FRIDAY MORNING. JUNE. 5. 1885
THE PEOPLE CAN LOOK 10
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
ALONE


V1NDlcAToR] declares for he will have, to cut
loose from Bourbon Democracy, and unite
with the only party that has demonstrated its
ability, to handle the debt question, to take
care of the Public School interests and give
the Commonwealth an enlightened, progress
sive enthusiastically Valley Viryiaaiam.
Well, that's fair 4! Now let US see how
much the INDICATOR would be benefited
by the change, and with it the people of
this Commonwealth. First, let us look
at the most urgent question that now in
terests that people--the debt settlement.
The Republican party carried the State on
that question few years ago, and under
q pledge to effectually settle 1t, swept the
field. 1t had the Governor, the Legisla-
ture, the Attorney General, the Auditors
and Treasurer. the Court of Appeals,
everybody and everything connected in any
way with the final adjustment of the debt.
1t had clear field with utterly uninter-
rupted power. If it could settle the debt
ataU 1t could do it then. If it could not
do it then, it cannot do it atall. That is
the rule the common sense Of the people
adopts for all political parties-with power
they demand results. 1t passed the Rid
dleberger bill, it passed the coupon killers
so as to reinforce it-in short it adopted
any legislation which its wisdom could
compass to make it a final settlement un-
assailable by the creditors. Judged by the
standard of public affairs it measured up
to it's full strength, courage, and capacity
at that session of the legisla ture. The
people were then told that the debt ques-
tion was ended. The very next year the
Republican Governor in his message to the
legislature said of the legislation of the
winter before, that:
''These measures in no sense constitute a
settlement of the debit
He added that the act of January A.
1882, coupon killer had not proved ''sufi
Gent to procure proper care of the State s
interest,"" and that within the official
knowledge of the Executive coupons have
passed through the courts upon the sole
evidence of persons who could not by any
possibility testify with knowledge as to
their genuineness and legality" This
message was surprise to the people OF
Virginia, and it was no less surprise to
tie Democratic legislature to which it
Was addressed-for 10 the interval the Re-
publican party in Virginia with President
Arthur at it's back, had been turned out
Of power and the Democracy had gotten
a majority IN the legislature. The De.
mocracy went to work to legislate to rein
force the Republican legislation of the
year before, and when that body adjourned
it was again believed the settlement was
effected. And so it was. Every Demo-
cratic Judge of court in Virginia pro-
nounced it constitutional ans ruled in &C
cordance with the legislation. Every
Democratic State officer, for 10y that time
all the State officers we're Democrats, was
earnest in enforcing it. A contented
peace reigned throughout the borders of
Virginia. Who disturbed it No foe
from within Who introduced a foreign
arm to upset the settlement and bankrupt
the State, if it were in it's power to sue
coed? Any Democratic power, official or
unofficial? No; it was Republican Uni
ted States Court led by that trickey and
bargaining Republican, Judge Stanlry
Mathews. Who was it that stood before
that court and took the side of the sover-
ign State of Virginia and her right to leg
islate on her debt? 1t was Attorney Gen.
eral Garland, the Democratic Att orney
General of Democratic National Ad-
ministrati0n. What followed within The
State? Any show of weakness by the
Democratic authorities? Not one Every
Democratic State officer from the First
urer, stood firm, obeyed the laws of his
State settling the debt, and refused the
coupons. Who within the State wrenched
and strained their decisions to the end
that the Riddleberger settlement might
be overthrown? Who announced from
the bench to the tax payers that they need
only tender their coupons, and if refused
they could come and deposit their cou-
pons with the clerks of their own Federal
Courts and that would be paying their
Who, but two Republican United States
Circuit and District Judges in Virginia
one of them, Robt. W. Hug hes. the former
Republican candidate for the Governorship
of Virginia! Who was it, that when the
assault was made on Virginia by the Fed.
eral Courts, and the Democratic press
almost without an exception were urging
and entreating tax payers to pay in money
and not coupons, and thus sustain the
Riddleberger bill, made such encouraging
suggestions as this taken from the edito-
rial columns of our Republican cotempora-
~. the Virgiaiam.
SIT is now suggested that every m an who
pays his taxes in coupons shall be published.
1t is not asked that black mark should be
drawn around his name, but that is the mean
ing of it. As the law does not inhibit tax
paying in coupons but in fact provides a
tax-receivable coupon for that purpose, we
cannot see where the crime comes in. It is
one of the methods suggested to save the
Treasury from the blunders of a Democratic
Legislature and show an affected concern for
the condition of the State brought about by
the stupidity of Democratic Legislature, and
its incapacity to legislate for the people,"
That is the sort of assistance the Rid
dleberger bill got from the Republican
press. That is specimen of the loyalty
to the Riddleberger settlement shown by
an influential Republican journal, the
inference being that treasury full of
coupons, and bankrupted State-any-
thing was acceptable to the Republican
party in order that the State might be
thrown into anarchy, and the debt issue be