Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-16
WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 16, 1898
HOLD FAST.

Roth the Senate and the House took
n fresh grip upon retrenchment yesterday.
VIII they hold fast to the end and do
their duty TO their constituents without
fear o., favor2 VIII they obey the man
date Of the people as expressed at the
polls in November las;, and be true 10
the trust connded in them? We hope so.
We have not failed to recognize that
the task before the Legislature-that Of
hewing to the line Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
be beset with difficulties. We foresaw
and prophesied that obstacles would be
raised up TO divert the blade of the axe;
that strong pressure would be used TO
effect "A weakening of the arm appointed
TO WELD the axe. and that efforts would
be made to distract the attention of the
Legislature from the necessity of per-
forming the chief and vital work it was
charged with performing. Hence. we
were not surprised at the springing of the
Treasury surplus discovery" to which
we alluded yesterday.
But as we demonstrated by presenting
the other side. that discovery does not
change the situation one whit. 1t does
not relieve the Legislature feathers
weight Of the responsibility of carrying
out the retrenchment policy enunciated
by the people in the election Of members
of the General Assembly last fall, and
which is being accentuated by the papers
from one end of the Commonwealth to
the other. The one third of a million
dollars in the Treasury. which may be
diverted from its original function to
paying interest on the debt when we shall
have entered the 3 per cent. period, can
cut no figure in the eyes of any sensible
man. when he considers the inevitably
great reduction in property values that
the assessment Of 1900 will bring.
However, we do not suppose for mo-
ment that the interests that are oppos-
ing sretrenchment. and would have the
LEGISLATURE defy the will of the masses,
are at the end of their rope. oh, no!
we shall not be surprised If various and
sundry other attempts are made to
"indarubberize" the backbone Of the
Legislature. and afford the body an ex-
cuse for unloading the vital issue on a
General Assembly We therefore repeat
what we said yesterday To do this
would be to play with fire. The people
are I'm no temper to condone Sinking or
TO pardon breach OF faith. They will
accept from this Legislature no excuse,
however plausible, for ignoring their COM
mand as 10 retrenchment. If the body
nd L. will
ceiye such commentator and endorse
rnent as no General Assembly has re-
ceived in years. II IL relaxes its grip, II
VIII suffer such condemnation as has sell
dom been visited on a General Assembly.
This we tell the Legislature plainly.
Moreover. we would say with equal plain
ness to any interests that may De an
tagonizing retrenchment, that II, through
their influence or arguments, the Legis-
latlre shall be induced to beat retreat
thereby throwing upon constitutional
convention tor succeeding Legislature
the determination OF the issue of retrench-
ment or raising taxes. the result will prob
ably be more disastrous 10 them than any
action likely to be taken by our present
body of lawmakers. And we could not
better show our sympathy for all the In
teresis threatened by the retrencnment
policy than by speaking as We have,
spoken seeing that should this Legislature
fan TO do It's duty. the chances are that a
constitutional convention. If called OF
another Legislature. would, and with the
approval Of the people cut deeper than
the present Legislature ever dreamed OF
cutting.