Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-04-03
constitutional Convention.

sconvention at this time. Certainty
Inot. no one expects it, You have no
saxc to grind, but your friends have
lakes. | have shown for the year 1873
| the combined expenses of North Car
Solina and Georgia were l,9SG, 0uo.
For the same year the expenses OF
Virginia alone. were So, 900. l
asked you why it costs nearly as
much to govern Virginia alone as IL
/, does to govern our two Southern sis
ter States. You have not answered.
! You cannot answer except by admit
ting the expenses of Virginia are TAR
greater than they oughtto be. Again
1 asked you why it cost II million dol
: lars more to govern Virginia than it
! does TO govern the great State OF
Georgia with one fourth more area,
one tenth more population, $50, O0O,-
GOO more wealth. Your answer was
that Virginia pays Il million dollars
more interest than Georgia does. !"
What IL stuper dous blunder that
was! have the report of the Comp
toller Gel eral of Georgia before me,
and also the report of the Auditor OF
Virginia. and find Virginia, accord
ing to our auditors report, pays on
her State debt $500, 600 more interest
than Georgia does. You only made
a mistake of about 100000. How
very accurate you are, but the Dis
patch says we pay for the support Of
disabled soldiers and needy widows
S1I3, OOO Georgia during the fiscal
wear ending September 30th, 1896,
according to the Comptroller Gener-
erals report, paid for support of dis
abled soldiers 100000, and for the
support of soldiers widows 1886, 40,
making IA total of $545, no. This
difference far exceeds the difference
paid in interest by the two States
Take the two items, interest on the
public debt and support of disabled
soldiers and soldiers widows, and we
find Virginia pays for these two
items $500, 900 and Georgia pays for
the same items $S9j,OOO. Then you
make u great ado about Virginia's
paying out one million dollars for
educational purposes. Georgia paid
out during the fiscal year ending
September 50, 1896, $l.254, 14G74, but
she saves at the right place. Her
legislative pay roll and mileage 1893
was $GG, 400 II, and now you tell us it
will cost Virginia $4,000 or more to
hold ii Constitutional Convention for
Virginia. You first said 100000,
but you have gone up on it. Proba-
bly, you will make it 100000 in your
next issue. Why not? Your imagi..
nation is very fertile; 500, 900 mistake
in your interest statement Bugbears
are coming down from the noun
tains to devour our tidewater people
and eat up all their oysters And
those terrible populists are so tired
OF this abominable Underwood, HUM
cutt, Wells constitutional Inonstrosty
that they are going to vote for Il
convention They were good enough
to vote for that peerless orator and
patriot, William Jennings Bryan,
but what right have they to raise
their voices against the immaculate
leeches who are sucking the life
blood of old Virginia? Can we eX-
pect these leeches to vote for a con-
vention? No, no. Tie present gov
ornamental system makes room for Il
vast number of officers, large and
small, and it would be ignoring
human nature to expect those who
possess the Offices, as Il class, to ell
dorse the movement to economic in
that department" Their opposition
must be counted upon at all time by
the advocates of constitutional re-
form.
Our people should think deeply
over this important matter. If they
investigate there can be no doubt OF
their course, but if they listen to the
irrelevant, exaggerated and mislead-
ing statements and quake at the
scare crows and bugbear stories OF
interested office holders, then they
will vote against red ucinS the States
expenses and perfecting the State
government. Let them remember
particularly that they will not vote
merely upon the question whether
their present taxation shall be re-
duced; they will declare in effect
whether or not they are willing for
that taxation to be increased. If
they vote against a convention they
vo:e against constitutional reform
and economy. "Then where will
the legislature obtain the money
to meet the increased interest on the
State debt and to remedy the dis
graceful condition of the State peni-
Tertiary % The opponents of a con-
vention lay great stress on the
amount it would cost, but they care
fully avoid telling the people that we
must provide for an increased ex-
penditure annually for interest on
our debt of $1S7, 900. The convention
would be for but one year, and would
undoubtedly effect an annual saving
greater than its entire cost. But
you say the legislature can propose
amendments. Yes, but they have had