Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-02-26
VIRGINIA'S FINANCIAL SITUATION.

GOV. FITZ LEE RECOMMENDS TO THE
LEGISLATURE APPOINTING COMMITS
SION TO SEE THE CREDITORS.
Governor Lee sent the following mes
sage to the Legislature, Thursday:
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR,
February 18th, 1885.
To the General Assembly:
A constitutional obligation obliges me
to bring to the consideration of the Gen.
eral Assembly OF Virginia such matters as
[ may deem expedient.
My purpose in this communication is to
call the attention of the Legislature to
the recent decisions rendered by the Su-
preme Court of the United States, which
seriously affect the rights and interests of
Virginia. For while we believe in the
sovereignty of the State, and that under
the Constitution OF the United States, she
cannot be sued by citizens within her linn
it's or by those without, and while we rec
ogniso no distinction between the State
and its officers, because the State "acts by
its legislative. executive or its judicial au-
thorities," and can act in no other way,
we are also firmly persuaded that constant
conflict between the courts and the State
is an agitation to the body polite, and
should cease.
Our financial condition, already suff-
GENTLY embarrassed, will, it is feared. be
further complicated by them, and it be-
hooves all departments of the State Gov
eminent to labor and confer together. so
that, If possible, a remedy may be provid-
ed. The people of Virginia, after long
and acrimonious agitation of the debt
question, reached in 1881 and 1882, the set
Element which has since received the sane
tion of both political parties of the State.
From the position thus taken the people
will not recede.
IL is unnecessary at this late day to re-
call tie history of the debt legislation of
this State, or t refer to the bitter politi-
cal struggles which resulted in the triumph
of sentiment which found expression In
the settlement made in 1881 and 1882
Suffice it to say, that that settlement re-
fleets still the over whelming will of a ma
jority of tbs people IF the Commonwealth;
hat it was reached after long aud eX-
haustive agitation; that any renewal of
which would be injurious to the interests
of the creditors and of the State; aud che
representatives of the people stand pledged
to its maintenance and should invoke ev-
cry resource of law necessary to enforce
its acceptance to the creditors, so that
they slight not az one beats the air.
1t Is believed by many. and L indulge at
least the hope, that If dispassionate rep
resentation was MAIDS to our creditors of
the condition Of the State before. during,
and since the war, Of all her resources and
taxable values at the time the VirQlnia debt
settlements we're entered into by the LegiS-
lature in 1865 and 1866, In 1871 and in 1879,
that it would be made apparent to the
creditors that the debt recognised by these
several acts involved a recognition on the
part of the State OF a larger volume of in
debtedness than was actually within the
ability of the State to pay. There are du-
ties resting upon the State and recognized
by the Constitution Of the United States,
of dignity higher than the obligations to
her creditors, such as the absolute neces-
sity of controlling at least so much of the
revenues as is necessary to the support and
maintenance of our Government, our free
schools, our charitable institutions, and the
administration of justice; and the sense OF
the more imperative nature of these duties
largely contributed to bring about tie set
Element of 1881 and 1882.
Virginia from her geographical position
became the battle ground for four years Of
contending hosts. Her soil was exhausted
to supply armies. Houses. barns, farm
ing indictments and fences were destroyed;
her industries paralyzed; the wheels of her
commerce stopped; the fires III her fur
naces were extinguished; her heroic sons
fell beneath shot and she'll, or were en-
feebled by exposure and disease; her beau
tiful Capital City Was swept by fire, and
her boundaries chan yed 40 as to show two
States where only one had previous ex-
existence. Free schools we're established
and freedmen made voters. The state
was without banks, and practically with
out currency. Her citizens when return
ing to their various avocations III 1855. in
most instances, had to begin their bust !
ness lives again. The land was before !
in the labor system, while stock of all |
kinds had to be provided. The funding |
bill of 1871 mortgaged the ,fe blood of the
State, and threatened destruction to the |
schools; the bill of 1879 went down when
made an issue before the people. and ma
jority Of the voters of the State demanded |
its repeal and decided it should be replace
ed by the settlement of 1881 and 1882
The party in whose hands the reins of
government has now been placed, was re-
tored to power upon a pledge not to dis
turb that settlement, because the voice of
Virginia, speaking through majority of !
her voters, so ordered it. Whatever diff
ferenees of opinion existed among our
people at the time of the passage Of that
settlement have in the main disappeared,
and the people of the State, without ref
srence to party distinction, are OF oas
mind in their resolution to uphold and
in all its integrity and by all lay.
tul means the settlement this declared. 1t
nav be we'll to observe that the various
acts heretofore mentioned, which under
,ook to deal with the rights and interests
If our creditors were passed without di-