Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-08
SATURDAY........AUGUST 8, 1885.
The Basement omoers and Coupons.

lue buStDDtut OiiScAo e~
A writer for the Petersburg Inder
Appeoi arraigns "the basement off
cers- because they have, so 1t II
charged, refused to receive certain cou'
pons adiudged to be genuine in th'
Hastings Court Of Richmond, Judge
LATHAM, Of Lynchburg, presiding.
We are not authorized to speak fol
the basement officers, but we think
that nobody need ask for any better
reason for the refusal of the
basement officers to receive those
Commons than is furnished by
the writer aforesaid. The basement
officers act under the advice Of counsel.
The law never contemplated the trial OF
ten, nor nine, nor eight, nor two cases
at time. But Judge LATHAM, get
ting a jury in the box, submits ten
cases together. What sort Of trial is
that? 1t is burlesque. He might as
well try ten criminal cases together be-
cause the Commonwealth is the plaintiff
in all of them as to try ten civil cases
together because the Commonwealth is
the defendant in all Of them.
But that is not all that is to be said
in justification of the action Of the base
ment officers, though that Of itself is
enough. Read the law;
"Upon that petition an issue shall be
made in behalf of the Commonwealth,
which shall be tried by jury, and
either party shall have a right to ex-
ceptions on the trial and Of appeal to
the Circuit Court and Court Of APP
posls. If it be finally decided in favor
Of the petitioner that the coupons ten
dered by him are genuine, legal cou-
pons, receivable for taxes, and so forth,
then the judgment Of the court shall be
certified to the Treasurer, who, upon
receipt thereof, shall receive said cou-
pons for taxes and shall refund the
money before then paid for his taxes by
the taxpayer out Of the first money in
the Treasury in preference to all other
claims"
Note, first, that the money is not to
be refunded until after the case is
FINALLY decidsd'-that is, not until
after it has been decided in the Circuit
Court in most cases and in the Supreme
Court of Appeals in those cases in which
the SUN Of money involved is large
enough to enable the case to be taken
up to this tribunal.
Note, secondly, that either party has
Q right to exceptions on the trial in the
Hastings Court, and then ask yourself
whether all the other nine cases are to 60
up with the tenth when exceptions are
taken? Shall the bill of exceptions
say, "Be it remembered that on the
trial Of this case and nine others IN
company with it,? Now, the judg-
ment Of tie court cannot, we repeat,
be lawfully certified to the Treasurer
until after the case has been finally dis
posed of in the highest court to which
ii can 60.
Wherein, then, have the basement
officers departed from the line Of duty ?
They are proceeding, we repeat, under
the advice Of counsel. They them.
selves believe that they are acting
strictly in obedience to the law.
MARyE, BARKsDALE, and RUFFIN
are not men TO run counter to law
knowingly or intentionally. Fortunate
was the Commonwealth when she Sc
lected such men to carry out her wishes
as expressed in her laws. And it il
just such officers that the Democratic
party pledges itself to indemnify for al
pecuniary losses sustained by them II
carrying out the laws.