Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-05

one word, % throw We ossss INTO oeux-
,rcscv ana Mahonsism. Whether tbsas
,hirt,.Gys mes realize il or not, others
rec hat for . psltry confederation they
arc playing into the hands Of the sns-
mies Of Virginia; and whsther they see
n or not, others see that the number Of
those Who accept these conditions is to
those who scorn them - IS to $780,
000--ons taxpayer in every ten thou
sand
Shall anything bs done to emphasize
the public sentiment thus plainly sx-
hibited. and compel this handful to bow
TO the majesty Of the people? List
winter Mr.. Pollsrd's motion in the
House Of Delegates to publish the
names Of oil who should offer to pay
thar taxes in coupons Was defeated by
= email majority some reasoning that
such course would infringe the rights
Of men who might choose to buy and
offer coupons under the law; others
that IL would wear an air Of persecution
which might be turned to account by
the bondholders.. But now that the
question il understood by all, and the
general determination Of the people is
fully ascertained, it might be well to let
the world know
HOW FEW vIRGINIANs
there are whom either party spirit or
love Of gain can seducs into alliance
with the enemies Of their country. If
that be called Q suggestion Of intimida.
ton, answer, Yes; and | ask what
else was the attempt now making to
force the States officers into compliance
with bondholders' demands under
threat Of heavy damages land why
should not this attempt be met in kiI69
Why should not they that SOW the
wind reap the whirlwind?
Virginia is not without precedents for
invoking the frown of public opinion
on public wrongs Of which the most
conspicuous case is found in the history
of
THE STAMP TAX.
The right Of Parliament to tax the
colonies had been deliberatsd from the
days of William iii. The most con-
venient mode Of doing it was discussed
in 1853, and Q stamp-tax was decided
on. Nearly everybody" says Ban
croft, [" who reasoned on the subject,
decided for stamp-tax as certain OF
collection, and in America, where law
suits were frequent, as likely to be very
productive" "a stsmp-tax had been
proposed to Sir Robert Walpolc; it had
been thought Of by Pelham; it had
been almost resolved upon in 1855; it
had been urged upon Pitt; it was a
part Of the system adopted in the minis
try of Butte" In 1764 the colonies be-
came alarmed at the parliamentary
claim Of q right to tax them without
their consent. On the 22d day OF
March, 1765, the stamp act was passed;
the policy was fixed. On the 3Oth day
of Nay Patrick Henry moved and car
ried his resolutions against it; and
"this is the way the fire began"
New England could not be conciliated
even by the offer Of the whale fishery !;
for Samuel Adams had Impressed upon
her that "acts of Parliament against
the fundamental principles Of the
British Constitution are void" On
the lst of November, the day on
which the stamp act was to go
into effect, the people in all
the colonies had determined to dis
countenance it; and "there remained
not one person duly commissioned to
distribute the stamps" They had all
resigned. On the 18th day of April,
1766. the act was repealed; tine King
and lords being forced to yield to the
good sense and love Of liberty Of the
commons. The fred policy was found
to be mistake. The colonies had beat
the mother country. What DR.. Frank
lin said to Lord Granville had been
found to be true: They cannot force
a man to take stamps pho chooses to
40 UHNOut HcUts
WHAT WAS THIS STAMP ACT?
II was law imposing a tax Of from Sd.
to G5 on wills, deeds, bonds, notes, re-
ceipts, and every other form of written
or printed paper attesting or recording
business transaction. 1t provided
that no paper charged with the pay
ment Of this duty should be good in law
or equity unless properly stamped. 1t
imposed q penalty for not using them of
e10 to ESQ. The penalties and for
FIXTURES imposed were recoverable in any
court of record or admiralty court
which latter determined controversies
by the rules Of feudsl and civil law"
and without the aid of juries-having
jurisdiction where the offence should
be committed "at the election
of the prosecutor or i9former."
The hardship, and what we would now
call the unconstitutionality, Of this law
are apparent. Like our tax-receivable-
coupon acts, it was to he self-executing ;
like that it fixed IN oppressive tax on the
people without their consent, and claim
ed the right to continue it against their
will /; it dispensed with juries directly,
as the above acts do indirectly by Civ
ing a Federal judge the right to pack
the juries, as l have explained above;
it gave jurisdiction to courts whia had
no right to it, as the Supreme Uniied
States Court has done in tins Cases in
hand.
The precedent furnished by Virginia
in this case will be found in fall in the
Life and Correspondence Of r. II. Lee,
volume |, page 80 ct seq. The following
is oil that have room to extract
Among the various methods which
Mr.. Lee took to prevent the operations
Of the stamp act the most prominent
was to form an association for the pur-
pose Of lettering all persons from ac-
cepting the Office of vender Of stamp
paper, and for awning into silence and
inactivity those who might still be at
tached to the supremacy of the mother
country and disposed to advocate the
right of colony taxation"
OF the six resolutions it is only ne
cessary to give tho third, which sets
forth the object of the association, and
H. o.w<k -h,o6 xl.J~na Ill., a. 49,