Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-05
For the Dispatch
The BOndb0Iders Have Commenced
Their Fall Campaign.

Their Fall Campaign.
Heralded by loud alarum, which
seems to have affected nobody but q
few nervous and inconsiderate people,
and only q few Of them, the counsel
for the bondholders have commenced
that series Of coupon suits, which they
have so frequently advertised. against
the Board of Indemnity, and which are
intended to intimidate the States Off
GERS into compliance with the unjust,
illegal, and ruinous demands that
stock iobbing frauds and Federal judi
cial usurpation have been for some
years attempting to enforce upon Viz
ginia.
So far the movement appears to have
bad but indifferent success. For months
the State has been flooded with the
bondholders' circulars proposing to sell
their coupons, and endeayoring to tempt
the Taxpayers into their use by setting
forth the liability in punitive damages
of all treasurers who shall levy for
taxes upon teuderers Of tax.receivable
coupons, and offering them the services
Of Mr.. Royal without charge" in
prosecuting their suits. These circu-
lars assert positively that I" if any treas
urer should levy, now that the law
is settled and definitely known, very
heavy damages would be given
against him" in the United States
Circuit Court, where the plaintiff is GER
tain to have an impartial jury to try
his case, that will enforce the law as
the Court instructs it." But up to
this date only thirty-seven plaintiffs have
swallowed their hooks: people appear
to have found out that they are baited
with "the cutworms Of the revenue"
against which Judge Hughes warned
them some ears ago. One Of these plain
tifIs is Mr.. II. G.. Dulaney, who is levied
on for the non-psyment of s2,734.2O Of
taxes and one is q drummer, by name
Cummings, who was arrested for not pay
ing a license.tax in money. / throw out
the drummer, because be was not levied
on and ! omit Mr.. Dulaney because |
suppose him with all his millions to be
above the wish to make money by
suit, but only to have lent his name to
others, who are using him to punish the
State for not following the line Of con-
duct which they and others Of their
class prescribe; in other words, for re-
fusing 10 substitute the demands Of
stock. jobbers for the rights of the peo-
pie, and the ethics Of the stock sx-
change for the principles Of cOnstitu-
tional law.
OF THE REMAINDER,
| find one to be case where the tax
due is $50, for which rents are gar
nisheed and the damage claimed is
100000. With that exception the
damages claimed are in every case
$40, 900, though the highess tax on the
list is s2l4.99--the lowest, 1851.
These thirty-fve suits show an aggre-
gate tax demand of 81, 66S.3s, and an
aggregate valuation, made by the parties
themselves, Of the property levied on,
Of &c, 5S3.sS-an average Of slSS. IL
and demand for damages aggregating
s440,0 If the coupons rendered
have cost the tenderers so cents in the
dollar, the aggregate gain to them, il
they are forced into the Treasury, will
be &S34.l9 and the average Of the
tax due by being each s47.67, the
average gain or rating to each
would be s23.S4. From this
analysis it follows that thirty-6ve men,
dispersed over sixteen counties and
two cities Of the State, claim damages
running from fifty times up to nearly
one thousand two hundred times the
amount Of the tax they owe, aud sixty.
seven times the alleged average value Of
the property levied on. The men who
expect to get such damages must be
incurably blinded by party spirit or
cupidlty. Tho demand is palpsbly ab.
surd.
AS the case now stands, then, au
offer has been made by the bond.
holders and accepted by
THIRTy-FIvE TAXPAYERS
to give each Of them . free ride through
the courts. and t23.S4 apiece in money
lsaved) and chance to get 10000
allowed as damages by . jury Of their
fsllow-citizens, on certain conditions.
These conditions are that they shall do
what they can TO violate the frst prin-
ciples offree government, and deny their
allegiance TO the sovereign State that
protects them, and sne her In . court
which assumes to pack each jury by
swearing them In advance Of the trial
to obey its instructions to abrogats
the eleventh amendment to the Consti-
tuition Of the United States to saddle !
upon the State the cash payment Of
100000 past-dus coupons, and tbs
Iuture payment Of 100000 cou.
,ons per anDum for nineteen years
n one case and twsnty-thres
ears Ia the other 10 Yepudi. |