Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-02-19

MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR.
Gov. Lee sent the folio wing message to
The Legislature yesterda!
COMMONWEALTH O F VIRGINIA,
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR.
February IS, 1856.
To the General Assembly:
A constitutional obligation obliges me TO
bring to the consideration Of the General
Assem- bly, of Virginia such matters as I may
deem expedient.
NV purpose in this communication is to
call the attention of the Legislature to the
recent decisions rendered by the Supreme
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 co constitution of
the United States she cannot be sued by cit
liens within her limits or by those without !;
and while we recognize no distinction be-
tween the State and its officers, because the
State "acts by its legislative executive or
its judicial authorities" 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 sufficient
Nv hHIi ~ ID lCutOos 10 opiia
| further complicated by them, and it be-
hooves all departments of the State Govern
ment to labor and confer together, SO that,
if possible, remedy may be provided. The
people of Virginia, after long and acrimo-
NOUS agitation of the debt question, reach
ed in 1881 and 1882 the settlement which
has since received the san ction Of both po-
litical parties of the State. From the posi-
ton thus taken the people will not recede.
It is unnecessary at this late day to recall
the history of the debt legislation of this
State or to refer to the bitter political strug
giles which resulted in the triumph of SEN
timent which found expression in the settle.
ment made in 1881 and 1882. Suffice it to
cav that that settlement reflects still the
overwhelming will of majority Of tho peo-
ple of the Commonwealth that is was
reached after long and exhaustive agitation ;
that any renewal of which would be I'M uri-
Gus to the interests of the creditors and OF
the State; and the representatives Of the
people stand pledged to its maintenance and
should invoke every resource of law neces-
sary to enforce its acceptance by the credit
ors, 80 that they flight not as one that beats
| the air."
1t is believed by many, and indulge al
least the hope, that if q dispassionate repre-
sentation was made to our creditors of the
condition of the State before, during, and
since the war, of all her resources and taxa
bic values at the time the Virginia debt set
Elements were entered into by the Legisla-
ture in 1865 and 1866, in 1871 and in 1879,
that it would be made apparent to the cred
itors that the debt recognized by these sew
eral acts involved recognition on the part
of the State of q larger volume Of indebted
ness than was actually within the ability of
the State to pay. There are duties resting
upon the State and recognized by tho Con-
stitution of the United States, of dignity
higher than the obligations to her creditors,
such as the absolute necessity of controlling
at least 30 much of the revenues is is neces-
sary to the support and maintenance of our
Government, our free schools, our charitable
institutions, and the administration of JUS
| tice and the sense of the more imperative
nature of these duties largely contributed
to bring about the settlement 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 farming
| implements and fences were destroyed; her
| industries paralyZed; the wheels of her COM
MERGE stopped; the fires in her furnaces were
extinguished her heroic sons fell beneath
shot and shell, or were enfeebled By expo
sure and disease; her beautiful capital city
was swept by fire, and her boundaries
changed so as to show two States where on
ly one had previous existence. Free schools
were established and freedmen made voters.
The State was without banks and practical
~ without currency. Her citizens, when
returning to their various avocations in
| 1865, in most instances had TO begin their
business lives again. The land was before
them, but it was confronted by change
in the labor SYSTEM while stock of all kinds
had to be provided. The funding bill Of
1871 mortgaged the life blood of the State
and threatened destruction to tho schools !;
the bill of 1879 went down when made an
issue before the people and ma ority CT
the voters of the State demanded its repeal
and decided it should be replaced by the
settlement of 1881 and 1882. Tho party in
whose hands the reins of government has
now been placed was restored to power up
on pledge not to disturb that settlement
because the voice of Virginia speaking
through majority of her voters SO ordered
it. Whatever differences of opinion existed
among our people at tire time of the passage
of that settlement have in the main disap
peared, and the people of the State without
reference to party distinction, are of one
mind in their resolution to uphold and
maintain in all it's integrity and by all law
| tul means the settlement thus declared. 1t
may be we'll to observe that the various acts
| heretofore mentioned, which undertook TO
deal with the rights and interests of our
creditors, were passed without direct con-
ference or consultation with them. We
| would suppose that people so Jealous of
their good faith, so sedulous to preserve
their good name, as Virginians have always
been, would not propose settlement to
their creditors which was not based upon
principles of equity and fairness. Notwith-
standing the great diversity of sentiment
that existed among our people when the
agitation upon the State debt first began, a
full and free discussion of it has resulted, as
we have seen, In perfect unanimity among
our people of all political parties, and there
is reason to hope that the same arguments
which have brought this about in spite of
the prejudices and passions which for long