Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-25
VINO Are our Accu.srsf

To the Editor of the Dispatch:
Is the accusation against Virginia
that she is impairing the obligation oil
a contract in refusing to receive cou'
pons in payment Of taxes honestly put
forth?
Are not the parties who accuse Vir-
ginia of dishonesty the same who helped
to impair the constitutional contract be-
tween the North and South during the
whole period Of the slavery agitation,
and did they not persistently pursue
their purpose till consummated by
President Lincoln's proclamation and
the termination of the war?
Is it possible that any contract can
be more sacred aud binding than that
which defined the rights and mutual
obligations Of the States towards each
other, seeing they were made the sub
jects of constitutional obligation2
With what grace, then, comes the
charge Of impairing the obligation Of a
contract from the parties who charac-
terized the act of their forefathers as
"a league with hell and compact
with death
They who respect not the memory OF
their forefathers, nor regard their
actions as worthy of their sustenance,
but assume to have attained so much
more lofty character, moral and Chris
tian platform-even the platform Of the
Christian statcsmsn--these can tram
pie under foot the sacred, the binding
contract Of their fathers. But why9
Because, forsooth, they conceive their
fathers had erred, and bound them
selves to perform illegitimate pur-
poses. For arguments sake, ad-
NIT this to be so. Do the Scrip
lures justify these extremely-righs-
eous and pure souls to ado evil
that good may Gomez" Surely not.
They are taught to overcome evil
with good" to render TO all their dues.
When q Nero sat on the throne tho
apostle wrote: The powers that be
are ordained Of God" Will these
righteous souls say that the constituted
authorities of this Government were less
worthy the confidence, the respect, the
submission Of its people, than was the
government Of Nero of the confidence,
the respect and submission Of the Chris
tians Of Psul's day-men who counted
not their lives dear when the truth of
the Scriptures was jeopardized when
passions were subjected absolutely to
the teaching Of the apostles, and who
truly denied themselves "all ungoili-
ness and worldly lusts, and lived soberly,
righteously, and godly, looking for their
blessed hope"? Are these sticklers
for the non-impairment of contracts
ready to compare themselves with the
contemporaries Of Paul? Surely not.
They have violated every principle of
Christian teaching to crafty their am
billions, their passions, their lusts. 1t
was their own unhallowed wills, not
the will of the Lord, which impelled
them to the consummation Of the abro.
gatlOn Oh tuo hACIcu OouiaOb tuVH
fathers made and confirmed by the Con-
stitution of the United States.
Had it been the will of the Lord they
were seeking and executing they would
have sought it only by the instructions
Of the apostles, which wonld have re-
strained them from active antagonism,
even az the Christ overcame the world
by permitting the powers that then were
to shed His blood. Away with the
hypocritical pretension of their holy
horror at the impairment Of the con-
tract ! Nothing was sacred when they
would consummate their purpose, and
nothing but the contamination of their
purpose would satisfy them. They, by
their action, have laid down the princi-
pie that public policy-the interests Of
the masses--co constitutes the highest
law, which overrides, and ought to
override, all obstacles when the in
terests, the welfare Of the State, are
jeopsrdized. They have established
the precedent; they cannot refuse to
have it operate, and must submit, and
ought to submit, gracefully.
G. b. STACY.