The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-09-09

progress in the material and political in
tcrcsts in the State. The charges the
| General reviewed cXhaustivcly. The
whole debt trouble, SO the speaker con-
tended, arose from the action of the Re-
publicans. More Republicans voted IN
1871 for the funding bill than Demo
Gratis. It's very true that the leader Of
the Republican party in this State de-
clarcs that it has been the idle, incon-
sidcrate and vindictive mcddling
through petty, -ill-considered, ill-con-
cieved and petulant measure of tho
| Democratic party in the last Legislature
that has arrested the quiet and orderly
settlement Of the whole matter Of the
debt on the basis Of the Riddlcberger
law, to the great detriment Of the peace
Of the people and against the interest of
the creditors.
hAHoNE'S CHARGES IDLE.
But Gen. Mahone's charges arc them
selves idle. The Democratic party, two
years ago in Lynchburg and last month
in Richmond, accepted as final the set
tlcmcnt Of the State debt pronounced
constitutional by the Courts Of last re-
sort, Federal and State. and pledged
itself to oppose all agitation Of the ques-
ton or any disturbance of the settle
ment by repeal or otherwise. The
| Legislature Of Virginia also adopted n
| resolution in both branches that the
people Of Virginia have accepted the
Act of February IA. 1882, known as the
Riddlcbcrger bill, as the ultimate settle
ment Of the debt Of the State; that it
is their unalierablc purpose that the
settlement shall be final. and that the
expectation that any settlement of the
debt "f this State upon any other basis
will ever be made, or be tolerated, by
people Of Virginia, is illusory and hope
less. The Democratic party not only
accepted by resolutions adopted by it's
Legislature and State conventions the
RiddlcberGer bill, but also the accom-
panying measures known as tho coupon
killers, in the spirit Of its written and
the letter Of its spoken promises. The
The Democratic party agreed to make
them cffcctual by all constitutional
legislation which might be called to
enact, or which the exigcncies Of any
occasion might require. This is what
the Democratic party promised and this
is what it performed; nothing more or
less. Governor Caincron's first mes
sage to the Legislature called attention
to the necessity of prompt amend
ments to the coupon killers. He said
in this message ut Is true that the
Supreme Court Of the United States in
the case of PoindeXtervs. Grccnhow sus-
tanned the Act Of January IA, 1884, as
furnishing an andcquate and constitutions
al remedy to the holders Of tax-rccciv-
able coupons, but experience has shown
that Act to be deficient in several i'm
portant particulars.
DEBT LEGISLATION.
All the measures which the Demo-
! cratic Legis lature passed were passed at
the suggestion Of Governor Cameron
and with the approval Of the Republi-
can members Of the Legislature. None
Of these measures have impaired or
can impair the effect of the original
Acts. They were designed only to
make efPectual the RiddicbcIger bill,
which the Democrats had promised to
sustain.
Gen. Lee here, as heretofore, quoted
from Mr.. r. ~. Barton, of Winchester,
in whom he said the Bar Of the State
has the greatest confidence. After a
full analysis, and after alluding to the
questions at issue between Ex-Governor
ID. H. Chambelain, of South Carolina.
(now of Boston,) and John S. Wise,
Gen. Lee gave as the opinion Of the
highest Democratic authority the asser-
ton. that the Democratic party was not
responsible for the vexatious litigations
which the State debt trouble has
caused. The case Of Poindextcr VS..
Grecnhow arose before the Democratic
amendment Of March 13, 1884, and in
that case the Act Of January &c, 1882,
was declared to be unconstitutional.
null and void. 1t was, therefore, uncon-
stitutional before. and not because OF
the Act OF March 13. 1884. Gen. Lee
.contended that il, az Gen. Malone as
serts, the action Of the last General AS
scmbly was idle, inconsiderate andvin-
dictive, then Gen. Mahone's Governor,
Cameron, was responsible for it.
HIS OWN POSITION.
! Gen, Lee then explained his own at
titude on the debt question. He himself
originally had been in favor Of paying
thirty millions Of dollars, as the McCul-
Tough bill provided. The Democratic
| ho,, lofo -,