Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-02-22
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY %. 1889
The Direct-Tax Bill.


We favored the passage Of the drect'tsX
bill when II was under consideration nt the
last session OF Congress, and censured the
members OF the House OF Representatives.
who then Glibustered 70 prevent it, passage.
The large majority by which It passed the
House OF Representatives on Wednesday
list is good testimony to It's merits.
In our issue OF yesterday doubt was ex'
pressed In the kilograms from Washington as
10 whether or mol the bin reached the Presi-
dent in time 10 compel him 10 veto IT ~ he
desired TO kill II. We do not understand
why there should be sny doubt upon the
subject II the bill was delivered TO him a
stated at 4 o'clock in the afternoon OF We'd
pesdsy. We take II that there are no parts
of drys recognized by the constitutional pro-
vision which Is quoted as proving that the
bill must either be signed by the President
or fail TO become law. Wednesday. Thurs
DAY, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday. Thursday. Friday, Saturday,
and Monday count up eleven dsys.
We never could understand why any
southern man should be opposed TO the d.
rect.tax bill. Mr.. OATES, Of Alabama,
eeemed TO De almost a monomaniac on the
subject. He not only offered hostile amend
ments 10 the bill, but fllbustered against its
passage In a manner that seemed to us to be
incapable OF justification. The members OF
the House OF Representatives from Virginia
were generally II not unanimously friendly
10 the bill. we believe. Certainly the defeat
of the bill In Congress would have been
equivalent TO q declaration In favor OF COM
polling tue States which had not paid in full
their quotas OF the direct tax to pay up now.
In some OF the States the tax was assumed
by the State governments and paid out OF the
State treasures. These States will have
their treasures replenshed II the bill be-
comes law. Ohio finances ere In such
condition that the sum to which she is en-
titled-more than million and half OF dol
isrs-wIll come into her treasury just 10 time
30 prevent her from suffering for the want Of
ready money.
In Virginia 80 much Of the tax as was paid
Mt all was paid by the persons upon whom it
had been assessed by the Federal taxing off,
GERS. 1t follows that the persons who paid
It. or their heirs, and not the Commonwealth,
will be entitled to whatever sum is coming TO
Virginia. Virginia. or Virginlans, paid, We
think, about Si42.000. The sum eft unpaid,
and which constituted debt that Is now to
be cancelled az the bill becomes a law, Is
about s2s7,000. IL would go hard with
no 20
II the President Should veto the bill,
and they should have to pay 1t. 1t
Is due, we take 1t, by persons living in those
parts OF Virginia which were not easily &c.
cessible by officials haillng from Washing
ton. General W. IL. r. LEES district will
receive a larger portion OF the refunded
money than any other congressional district.
We suppose that considerable sum was
collected in this city after 1t fell into the
hands of the Union army, but we are not
sure that such is the fact
BY the way, LET us say, we recolect that in
1865 the Federal officials notified number
OF persons living here In rented houses not
TO psy any more rent 90 the owners. Bu,
these notifications signifed, we think, only
that the said Federal officials we're bent upon
plumber. They were acting, or claiming to
act. under ANDREW J0HSsoN's amnesty pro-
clsmatlon excepting persons owning over
twenty thousand dollars worth OF property
from the benefits OF that communists docu-
ment
The surplus in the Treasury will be con-
fidersby reduced II Mr.. CLEVELAND signs
the direci.isx bill. We do not know by
what amount, but possibly by twenty mil
lions of dollars or even more.