Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-13
SATURDAY. FEBRUARY IS, 1886
Reorpanizlnp the Readiusters.

III tutSc udlo "hSh WY IVY
talking about the new issues which
threaten to divide the voters OF Virginia
on entirely new lines, it is refreshing to
pick up a paper which coolly ignores
the Knights Of Labor, local option,
prohibition, convict labor, &C., &C., and
proposes to renew the fight in favor OF
the defunct Readiuster party.
This is what the Page Courier does.
1t charges that the Democratic party
has proved its inability to "msster
the situation and calls for a re-
organization of the Readjuster party as
a preliminary to the final settlement of
all the questions growing out of the
public debt Of Virginia. 1t charges that
all the Democratic legislation on that
subject has come to naught under the
recent decisions Of the Supreme Court
of the United States. But it forgets
that that legislation is all that prevented
license-taxes from being paid in coupons
during the last two years, and thus
saved q million or two Of dollars to the
State. 1t forgets that Governor CAME
RON in his annual message Of 1888 de-
clared that the MALONE legislation
"could not in any true sense
be called settlement" 1t for
gets that in that message the
Governor proved clearly that the
words we have just quoted truly de-
scribed the condition in which the Dem
ocrats found the State and her debt
when they returned to power in 1888.
If anybody else has forgotten how
deplorable the condition of things was,
he need only read the message alluded
to tc refresh his memory.
Surely it was Democratic legislation
that reduced the amount Of coupons
paid into the Treasury during the last
two years to the very low figures stated
to be- the true ones in communication
recently sent to the General Assembly
by one of the States officers.
New circumstances call for new legis-
lation. The present Legislature has
passed several new laws intended to
protect the Commonwealth from the
disastrous results which would in the
absence Of such legislation follow from
the recent decisions of a Republican
Supreme Court. And the mention Of
that court reminds us that all
our troubles are due to the fact that
that packed court-"packed " of course
a court must necessarily be when
all Of its members, nine in number,
were elevated to the bench by Repubh-
can Presidents-we say, all OF our trou-
bles are due to these partisan judges.
II is absurd to pretend to excuse
them on the ground that one of the
justices appointed by Mr.. LINCOLN is
sort of pretended Democrat. The peo-
pie are not likely to be deceived by
any such arguments as our Luray con-
temporary advances in this behalf.
We call attention to this subject in
order to impress upon our Democratic
Legislature the necessity Of perfecting
measures that shall protect the State
Treasury from the coupon cut-worms for
a few years longer-that is, until the
bondholders shall have become con-
WINGED that it is to their interest TO fund
under the RIDDLEBERGER bill. We
already have on our side, as we have said
heretofore, all the creditors who have
funded under that bill. The number Of
them constantly increases. The
number of those on the other side
constantly decreases. Logically, the
victory must be ours in the end.
There is no need for the COurier's State
convention, and we predict that it will
never be held, or, if held, that the hall
in which it shall endeavor to show its
strength will show its weakness, and
present "a beggarly account of empty
benehes.'