Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-11-26
THE COUPON mo VEMENT.

nave ruled C0at Gn6 CeUuer IL SumCIouts
whether the tax collectors receive them
as they will motor refuse them. Very
good. But you know we'll that that does
not pay the taxes; does not put any mon-
ey in the Treasury of your State to pay
for your government, your charitable
institutions, and in the eyes aud under
the laws of the State to whom you owe
these taxes, does not relieve you of the debt.
AS common sense men you must know
that The money that you pay these spec
ulators for coupons goes up in balloon
as far as you are concerned. The State
doesn't get it and you don't get your
receipted tax ticket. No collector will
give you a receipted tax ticket for the
coupons you tender. You have paid your
money for cheap coupons. That has gone
out of your reach and you Will never see
it again. The collector has your tax
ticket still. That you will see again.
You will see it hanging over your proper
ty until it is made out of that property in
money, and if you think not. then you are
reckoning without knowledge. You are
only putting off debt which you will
have to pay in the future with compound
interest. The thing ought to be clear to
you if you would look at it as you look at
your own business affairs. You and ali
the rest of the citizens Of this Common
wealth have combined to have State
government. for which we agree to pay so
much money year. In consideration of
that money we get courts, police to enforce
our laws, schools to educate our children.
charitable institutions in which to put
our insane. We are under legal and moral
obligation to stand by each other in contrib
uting that money. We ignore both obliga-
tions when we refuse to pay the money,
and thereby break down every one of them
Having bound ourselves to pay certain
amount Of money to our State we attempt
to settle that obligation by paying less
amount Of money to coupon spectators
and boDdholders. The money we have
solemnly engaged to pay to the State we
deprive her of, and give it into the hands
of men to send to New York and to
England. We leave cur own Treasury
bare; where then are we to get any gov
eminent, any protection, any charities
from
It is useless for us to try and cover up
the use of coupons by any meretricious
names. Men use coupons simply be-
cause they think they can save little
money. The men who offer the coupons
are not thinking of the rights or wrongs
OF the creditors. They are thinking of
themselves and how they can avoid pay
'. ing the money they justly owe the State.
The rights and wrongs Of the creditors of
; the State have long since passed out of the
question. The coupons offered are. with
possibly few exceptions, the property of
spectators, who have bought the bonds
at next to nothing, as many Virginia
! bopdholder can tell you. But you don't
for moment believe that they represent
the claim Of men who loaned the State
J money. This wide reaching combination:
this employment of attorneys; this drum
ing of the tax payers on court days by
| agents coupon holders of straw seeking
| to sell coupons who you know never owned
| bond or coupon, in their hves-you know
all these things mean that i. is syndicate
on the make. These men ask you to disc
hey the laws of your State in order that
| they may make handsome advance on
the nominal sum they have paid for them
and that you may postpone debt that
you are, with all the rest of US, morally
bound to pay your State.
| There is not shadow Of excuse for the
| tender of coupons to stave off taxes. The
| State has laid tax of 40 cents on the 500
! There is no new increase to strain the
| tax payers. It takes 40 cents on the 500
| paid in money to pay for the expenses Of
| the State and the interest on the debt as
| ascertained under the Riddleherger bill
If the tax payer pays by coupon tender
| then he must pay again some time with
money, that is to say he must pay GER
tain amount of money into the State
Treasury besides his coupons or the taxes
must be increased to cover his coupons.
| Ii the State had laid tax O. 80 cents on
the 500 and arranged for large surplus
in her Treasury. then man might have
an eye to the surplus as an excuse for pay
Ing in coupons; but when the State has
made close and economical levy of 40
cents, there is no surplus, and every man
must pay in money if the government is
TO go on.
From political point of view we can't
see how Virginian who is member of
the Democratic party can countenance
the tender of coupons. He must know,
if he reflects, that 1t is assisting the Re-
publicans in getting possession of the
State government. He must recognize, IL
he looks around him. what political ele-
ment it is that is encouraging this coupon
tender; what political press il is patting
on the back those who it is desirable to
persuade into the use of coupons. The
Democratic party has faithfully and hon.
estly endeayored to carry out the Riddle
berger bill. The Governor it has placed
at the head of the government at Rich
mond is earnestly striving to do his duty
in that direction, and with two notable
exceptions-the Deputy Treasurers at
Richmond and N0rfolk-the Treasurers
of the State are yielding obedience to the
State laws. That Republican might be
deslrous of embarrassing the State gov
eminent and have well defined purpose
in 80 doing. we can well understand. but
that a Democrat who takes time to reflect,
can join them in the effort, in order to
save a few dollars now to be paid with
compound interest at some future day, is
something we cannot understand We