Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-10

tne arguments addressed 10 the COM
mittee by representatives Of the farm
ing interests and chambers Of COM
merce. Why is this law necessary?
Because the present laws are wholly in
operative and are attended by so
much cost that they are never resorted
10.
The railroad-men have been down
here trying to hoodwink the members
OF the Legislature into the idea that the
18th section will drive railroad enter
prise from the State. Is that so? lie
thought not. Five lines Of the Georgia
law (which he read vested its COM
missioners with more authority than
the whole Of this Munford bill, and
yet Georgia had prospered under that
law.
Mr.. Loving argued that the 18th Sec
tion, as proposed, was constitutional
that it was a proper exercise Of legis-
latiye authority, and that the interests
Of the people Of Virginia demanded
that it should be enacted into law, and
three sensible men be chosen to enforce
it. lie gave the House a number Of
illustrations of the Determinations and
injustice practiced by railroads upon
the people of his section, and he asked
as measure Of protection to them that
he 18th section be agreed 20. Without
It he ,nelsh feared the bill would be
worthless.
VIEWS or 1lR. PORTER, OF PORTS
MOUTH.
Mr.. Porter said he had no interest in
any railroad, and was never in the en-
ployment, directly or indirectly, ofany
railroad company. He is simply rep
rcsentatiye Of the business interests of
the State. He is one of the business
men of Portsmouth, and a member of
the Board Of Trade Of that city. lie
had no political aspirations and neither
expected to be retained as counsel for
railroad companies, nor did he have any
anticipatiOns Of addressing his fellow
citizens as candidate for Office upon
the platform Of an anti.railrOad record.
He represented the city Of Portsmouth,
which, in the past five years, has in
creased in population 90 per cent, and
increased in value of her real estate
nearly 80 per cent, and is friendly to
every legitimate railroad enterprise
now in existence in the Commonwealth,
or that may hereafter be constructed to
develop her resources.
The times have been dull in Virginia.
prices have been depressed, and instead
Of going to the root Of the cause and
applying the proper remedy, some peo
pie have thrown the blame upon the
railroads. and hope by a war upon
them to improve the prices at which the
productions of the farms can be sold.
Ii has been argued that the Legislature
has the right TO enact this law because
the courts have so decided. But are
the decisions Of the courts always right?
The Court of Appeals of Virginia held
that the burdensome license-taX on
merchants is constitutional because
the business Ofa merchant could not be
reached by the ad-ralorcm system -;
and yet the very law which they sus-
tained levied an od-rGlorem tax.
In the matter Of the tenure of office
Of a judge who was elected to fill va
cancy, this Court held that the election
was for full term, but the same Court,
when differently constituted, reversed
that decision.
The Constitution declares that no per-
soE hoIoing salaried Office under the
State government should be eligible TO
election as a member of the General
Assembly, and the Court Of Appeals
added an amendment to the Constitu-
tion, and decided that the salary of the
officer must be paid out OF the State
Treasury.
The Supreme Court of the United
States decided that an action against
State officer, compelling him to do
something which amounts to CO.
ercion Of the State, is not an action
against the State, and yet we all know
that it is. Therefore the decisions Of
courts cannot always be safely followed
as guides TO what is right and just.
Mr.. Porter contended that there is no
necessity for additional legisla tion. I'm
der the law now in force the rail-
roads are forbidden to discriminate,
and if they fail to comply with the law
the party injured can apply to the Cir
cult Court Of his county and a manda-
mus will be issued compelling the road |
to redress his wrong and the costs will |
have to lie borne by the railroad COM
pany, and, in addition to this, the law |
makes it the duty Of the Common
wealth's attorney TO collect, on motion !
before the court, fine Of $500 for the 1
first offence and s. 900 for the second.
1t is said this law is not carried out,
but the new law will be. If the par
ties aggrieved will not take the trouble
to report their complaints, and if the
Commonwealth's attorneys will not
carry out the present law, what guar
antee is there that they will carry out
the new one
1t has been said here that the first
duty of this Legislature should be to
promote the agricultural interests of
the State, but what good would it do
the farmers If their lands teemed with
grain whose heavy heads bent to the
ground, or whose hills and meadows
we're alive with thousands Of cattle if
there were no market for them: If the
interests Of the producers alone are
looked after, where will there be any
consumers to purchase what they pro-
duce: The mistaken policy Of past
legislation in preventing the growth Of
the cities in the State, by heaping upon
them taxation higher than business can
tear, has prevented the creation within
our midst Of a market for the products
of our farmers, and has prevented also
the building up in the State Of places
where the surplus young men who
grow up on the farms could find em.
ployment; but, as it is, the census of
1880 shows that nearly 100000 native
born Yirginians have migrated to other
States to make the living which they
could not earn at home, and these peo-
pie and their descendants outnumber
the present population OF the State.
Some of them are now Governors of
States and some are in the halls Of Con-
-. -. a. -. ,o.,,cas baya haan Lot |