Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-09
MISUNDERSTANDING Q, 1856.
Coupons.

The recent decisions Of the Supreme
Court of the United States in the Viz
ginia coupon cases have called down
storm Of maledictions upon the heads
of the persons who seem to be on the
side of the bondholders and STANLEY
MATTHEWS and against the Common
wealth and her people. We have said
more than once heretofore that we are
not in favor Of boycotting those per-
sons. Nevertheless, we open our COL
umns on this subject, as on Others to
writers whose views do not coincide
with ours.
Messrs. JOHN A. HAMBLEToN & Co.
paid their respects to the Dispatch in
their circular Of the 9th, and crowed
loudly over the victory gained by the
bondbolders last week. We need not
trouble ourselves to reply to their refer
,ences to us. The price at which the
coupons of 1883 are selling is an all
sufficient justification of all that we
have said on the subject Of those de-
cisions. The firm mentioned assure
their clients that unrerifed coupons
are legal tender for any tax or other
debt due the State" We are inclined,
however, to suspect that the clients
aforesaid are not as credulous as they
might have been supposed to be. The
price Of coupons is better than any other
testimony on this point.
The same firm have the kindness to
inform us that the Virginia Democratic
platform of last year and our editorials
had a convincing effect upon the Su-
preme Court. In other words, the JUS
tees of that tribunal needed no other
inducement to their unrighteous deci-
sion than the fact that they could by
rendering it do harm to, or embar-
rass, the Democratic party. Perhaps
this view of the case is correct. We
have frequently heard it remarked
that the Supreme Court seemed to de-
eide all the Virginia cases in the interest
of MALONE.
The Legislature will hardly allow the
law so to stand as that large taxpayers
can pay their taxes in coupons, whilst
small taxpayers cannot. There must
be found some remedy for this wrong.
The Constitution in terms requires tax
alton TO be uniform. This requirement
will be violated constantly so long as
the small taxpayers compelled to pay
bis taxes in money and the large tax.
payer is allowed to pay his in coupons.
The one pays twice as much as the other
relatively to the value of his property.
There is no justice in any such arrange
ment. We can recollect when the
sheriff went to every house and COL
lected all the taxes at the Taxpayers
house. This could easily be done now.
= IL SO. let the taxes be made to fall due
and become payable quarterly. Then
let the county treasurer and his assist
ants 20 to every house. 1t is no an
,swer to say that this system of collect
ing taxes will cost hundred thousand
dollars more than the present. 1t
would last but few years; because it
would be needed but few years. And
what is the sum Of two or three hun
dred thousand dollars when contrasted
with the million Of dollars worth OF
coupons that fall due every year, and
the forty or fifty millions of dollars Of
debt that will continue to stand against
the State until the debt is all funded
under the RIDDLEBERGER bill?
There is, too, another remedy--an
eiiectual remedy, so far as the placing
of large and small taxpayers on the
same footing is concerned. But We
will not describe it to-day.