Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-23
A SCATHIgG LETTER.

of yOur excellent and handsome
journal. IL is very interesting in
its news, able and spirited ia its
editorials, and full Of useful inlor.
nation in its general contents. 1t
is quite cheap, too and it ought to
securea large circulation through
out the southwestern counties
where there are so many stalwart
Republicans and other Independent
people who are tired OF Bourbon
domineering and the stupid servlll-
ty it demands and lnculcates.
Although, since the transfer of
the Wing to other hands, | have
not appeared actively upon the
political scene, have none the
less observed with interest what
has been done and said and do
most fervently declare that never
before has BourbOnism shown it.
self less equal to the occasion both
by its incapacity and its bad faith.
The Democratic perfdity at Wash
iugton, so flagrantly manifested to-
wards the Blair Educational Bill,
the removal OF the tObaccO.taX, the
abolition of the Internal Revenue,
the Protection of our resources, Nc,
has been duplicated, though on "A
smaller field, by our BOurbOns at
Richmond. Gov. Lee, as ornamen-
tai as he may be, has not shown
any other fitness for his position /;
and he has made himself and the
State laughingstOck for the whole
political and financial world by his
amazing message on REIMBURSEMENT
in which he gravely and sagely
advised the appointment of a COM
mission to persuade the bondhold-
ers to surrender and entreat cou-
pom scalpers not to do so any more,
Lieutenant Governor Massey too
has exhibited u similar faulty or
treachery in his proposed bill for a
commission armed with plenary
power to throw our whole debtques-
ton under Federal judicial jnris-
diction by suit against West Nir-
ginia, for the alleged purpose OF
determining and enforcing her la
bility to the holders of the sO-called
West Virginia certificates,-to IN
woke an interference with SOW
ereign State that We protest against
in our own affairs, in behalf OF
men who have not surrendered
their cOnsols, ten-torties and co u,
pOns in settlement with us, ana
(which would inevitably put the en-
tire scheme of REIMBURSEMENT at naz'
ard. Attorney General Ayers mas
also proved himself q worthy mem.
Der OF the triumvirate "cOunted III
last year for on application OF the
Auditor of Public Accounts LOT
advice with respect to the collec-
ton of the tobacco taxes, he wrote
an opinion so adverse to the state
and so at variance with the real
law that even his fellOw-Bour-
bons in Office were constrained TO
suppress it If rumor be true tins
suppressed opinion actually declar-
ed that coupons must be received
for license taxes, and that the col
lector would refuse a tender OF
them at his peril,-ior, if it should
turn out that the coupons we're
genuine and valid, he would be
/ liable in damages for o levy or an
arrest And yet this legal lumlh-
ary had, or should have had be-
fore him the decisions of the Su-
preme Court of the L. S. IN Antonl
VS.. Greenhow and Moore VS.. Green
how which sustains COupOn-klller
No. | (the act of January II, loo2,
to pervent frauds on the Common
wealth &c.) by whose provisions a
legal tender of coupons must be ac'
companied by the taxes in money.
SO much for the delectable trio
at the head of our State admins
tratiOn. The legislature has shown
itself only the worse with regard
to REIMBURSEMENT in that 1t had
neither the sense nor pluck to do
ANYTHING The Governor and his
associates had at least the courage
of their convictions, such as they
were but legislative BOurbonlSm
had neither courage norconylctlons.
The Bourbon Legislators did moth
inc towards the defence aud ell
forcement of Readjustment,- mot
even repeating their former foolish
and wicked enactments III this re-
gard and the recent act to protect
collectors of State taxes IS III the
nature and a confession OF Judge
ment in advance of suit, invites
suit, and tends to promote the ex-
listing collision so manifestly ripe
among some of these collectors and
the oupOn-scalping band.
For the rest, our taxes are left in
creased at least S225,0OO year un-
der the Bourbon reassessment, mot
withstanding the pledge that taxa
ton should not be increased direct
ly nor indirectly nothing was done
to correct Auditor Marye's mani
testify, false statement which at one
stroke rObs the free school OF over
$780, 900 on arrears Auditor
Marye's construction of the llenkle-
Grandstaif act was lett in full force,
although it egregiOusly mlsinter-
prets that act and compels our
school teachers for many months OF
every school year to submit them
selves TO the tender mercles of OH
Gals and other warrant-shavers /;
the pledge to furnish free books for
the free schools was scandalOusly
disregarded F.; the "adequate proyl-
sion" for our disabled soldiers,
which everybody understood to
imply a decent regular pension,
dwindles to a single appropriation
of $50, 900, of which $4,000 goes to
the Confederate Veterans Home
the whole sum to 90 to favored few
of whom a large proportion were
never real soldiers, were never IN
battle, and whose disabilities (such
as they arej were incurred in saw
mills, &C., before or since the war
all the labor was only so far dealt
with as to amuse and quiet the
clamor in Richmond, while the old
competition with honest free labor
is continued, until, under sham
arrangements, the cOnvicts can be
Transferred TO railroad contractors