Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-03-20
FRIDAY MORNING. MAR. 20. 1896.
Sl.982,OOO.

SI,982,000.
This is the sum that can be saved to the
tax payers of Virginia erery gear 10y the
adoption by constitutional convention OF
the North Carolina plan of State and coun-
ty government. $l,982,000.
When the Virginia constitutional con-
yention of 1850 was called, it met precisely
the opposition that the constitutional con-
vention is meeting now and, as now, MALI
ly from the beneficiaries of the constltu-
ton sought to be displaced. The contem-
plated election of the Judiciary by the
people would demoralize that important
department, so they said. And yet the
iudges elected under the new constitution
of 1850 by the people were among the pur-
est and ablest the State had ever had. The
enlarged franchise, it was claimed, would
lower the standard Of the legislative bodies
of the State. and nobody could foresee what
sort of Governor and State officers would
be chosen by such franchise. And yet
the people under the new constitution
elected one of the ablest legislatures that
ever made laws for the Commonwealth,
and State officers that compared with any
who had preceded them. And Nirginla's
ten years, prior to the civil war, from 1851
to 1860, were among the best governed
most economical and altogether satls1acto-
ry that she had ever spent.
After the civil war the State fell Into
evil hands. A constitutional convention
assembled at her capital, the members OF
which had little love for her people and
little or no pecuniary interest within her
limits. They were there to create offices
for political reward and to strengthen a
party which they believed had come to
STAY. and offices great and small were
CREATED as plentiful as blackberries. The
State was a network of official nests and
the air was thick th official salaries and
fses-as 1t Is to-day. The ground was
sown thick with them until there were
over three Thousand Of them, and out OF
every seventy-fiye voters you met In your
daily walk one would be an office holder
as it is to-day. That convention took away
from the people the right to elect their State
officers except Governor and Lt.-GOVer-
nor ant their judges, and placed it in the
hands of the legislature-as it is to-day.
The cole of Virginia have for over a
quarter az century submitted to the ex-
pensive government put upon them and to
the taxation required to support it. But
of late years 1t has simply become more
than thss can bear, ard they have de-
m2nded relief through another convention
which sh Ill remove the burden. Their eyes
have beef opened to the economical State
ana e9.laly government enl0red by other
ta5ss eQ tally large and mQc't more pros
porous than thsir own, and ey demand
change The legislature hes pened way
cor them out Of their troubles, and in May
1897, they are to say whether they vii
g avail themselves Of il. The Richmond
s Dssputch, always steady friend of the con
stitutional convention and an advocate OF
the benefits which all believe it will bring
the people. thinks that it is important that
the Democratic State convention which,
meets in stanton in June, should endorse
the constitutional convention, and says:
s'Let our State Democratic contemporaries
join forces. therefore, to the end of making
certain as far as in their power lies that en-
aorsement. The way to accomplish this is to
keep up the agitation. ane keep the people
Instructed as to the incUN nd the abomina
lions Of the underwood lstitution.'
We cannot say that attach a great
deal of Importance to hag ng an utterance
from the State conyenti0r on the subject
THE tax payers OF Virginia without regard
to party are not going to stand back from
saving SI,982. 900 because of the utteranct
or lack of utterance of either party conven
tio1s. The sufferings Of the farming ele
ment of the State have got far past thu
point that they would be willing to pa.
nearly two millions of dollars annually
simply on the dictum of their party lead
ers. AS for this paper, we stand with the
tax burdened people in their fight. We
should advocate a cons ltutional conyen
ton whether the Democratic convention
endorsed it OF not, because We
believe that relief is a necessity to the
people.
IL VIC hHeW tEc CUuFcHllOu WOulu EO
touch the question Of educational suffrage
we slioeld till advocate it,
If we L that the convention whe1
elected vs. Id prove to have majority OF
Republic members we should still adyo
cate it. ] ey could not give us WORSE
oonstitutl than that we are now living
s,nder, and jublic opinion would compe
them to glN us "a more economical govern
unent.
That is acre we and we believe great
majority OF the farmers of Virginia, both
Democrats and Republicans. stand. Poll
ticians may manipulate party conventions
but they will not be able to manipulate the
people when they 90 to the polls to vote
whether their State and county expenses
shall remain as they are now, or be reduced
ky the suu of sl,982,O 90 annually.
THE TROOPS.