Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-05


| tfow NOT. The state is estoppeu from
asiDg land after this fashion, because
ne state, by ts own officers and acts,
had ascertaintd its value 20 be 80 times
more than their officer took It at private
sale.
The claim SET forth by the State thai
he acquired ownership By due process
OF law Is all fudge. b0sh. and pretence.
The state, Il seems, PASSED an act pro-
siding that the lands should be sold at
public auction to the highest biader."
This act could never be carried out and
was not. though II was sought TO DC doae.
and proved tas Is web knowl.l to be a
miserable failure. You could not have
public auction without the presence OF
the public and number Of bids. The gem
erai sentiment Of the good people OF vir-
smia (whom may kind Heaven forever
project and bIess). was against forced
sales and the oppression OF their fehow-
citizens VINO were poor and hard run TO
live, and showed their sympathy by stay
nag away and refusing TO bid such
sales, and. consequently, pub &c auc-
tons" such as the law called for. could
nos be had, and IN consequence nearly
all sales were private; there we're really
no auctions: there were no bidders. and
the officers merely took the property In.
IN the name OF the State, at the 10 cents
on the sl00 Of real value. Does any one
believe that any court would sanction any
such single sale and give ownership
when there were no bidders. and In which
the only offer was 81 for property worth
81 900. The OfieF would certainly be turn
ed down as wholly inadequate and as thu
State - strong and the poor citizen weak,
how much mofe leinency Saould be shown
10 the citizen. This IL the regular due
process OF law. The officers merely re-
corded the fact of The Offering al sale
to secure the "llen" OF the State for the
tax; they could do no more. To claim
that they did more Thy the State) would
be to claim the right to conhscate the
! lands of it's citizens az will.
When one reads carefully through that
weary world OF change"-the 18th chap
ter OF the Code with all its mutitudinous
amendments in reference TO delinquent
| lands. and goes back 10 section i56, he sees
in number or places the right OF lien
| for the taxes, but no mention nd scarce
| a hint of ownership by the State, for they
| could not have ownership without buy
| ing and paying fair compensation or
price. and that is something that 40 ono
! ever heard Of their doing. for By no
manner Of fair means can lien Tor a
| trifiing sum b made 90 stand Tor the
ownership OF the whole.
| So IL seems that the claim OF due pro-
cess Of law is a miserable pretence,
| having never been carried out, ana the
State has no ownership whatever, anu
| having none can legally give none. TINS
! she tacitly acknowledges, as she only
offers TO give special warranty, which Is
| really no warranty at all, as she has no
| ownership except as 20 a mere title. The
| saaatter sovereign taking possession thus
| Illegally could have no redress for any
| thing that might be done 10 him. All
OF these latter cases will have TO be tried
by juries and what II VIII cost the Stats
no man can fOresee. No ono can Tel, what
this bunder will cost the poor people OF
Eastern Virginia and the State before IL
ends IL has already put thousands or
dollars Of the poor, working peoples
money into the pockets Of their rich OPP
pressors.
Article VIII (Amend. u. S. Conf says:
Excessive fines shall not be imposed, or
cruel or unusual punishments inflicted.
There can be no doubt that TO deprive
poor man. woman. or child OF their whole
property for the offence Of falling TO pay
years taxes is an excessive fine ana
a more cruel punishment than was passed
upon the poor cubans by their hated
Spanish oppressors. The Spaniard merely
removed the "reconcentrados' tempOrarl-
ly from their homes and for that act
the United States drove the tyrants from
Cuba and replaced the people IN Their
homes and rights.
Section 3 (Amend. L. s CONF says: The
enumeration Of certain rights shall not
be construed 10 deny or disparage others
retained by the people" These rights OF
the people have been retained By the peo-
pie Of Eastern Virginia for more than 100
years. and cannot be legally wrested from
them They are vested rights; the people
who live on the land are freemen. and
not tenants at will OF syndicates or
wealthy grabbers.
Section S (Bnl Of Rights OF Na) says:
"Citizens cannot be taxed or deprived or
their property for public uses without
their own consent or that OF their repre-
sentatives so elected or bound BY any
law 10 which they have not assented.'
To change this requires constitutional
amendment. mere act Of the Legisia-
ture will not do, and there has been no
constitutional convention called and no
such act submitted 20 the people. This
same "Bin OF Rights" says that men
have certain inherent rights, with tho
means of acquiring property. and that IN
controversies respecting properly The triai
by jury Is preferred sc. BY the land
: grabbers' act the city or county judge Is
declared dictator-a One-man-power In n
great. free. and equal country.
Section II, Of the Virginia State Constl-
tuition, in defining the powers OF the
Legislature. prohibits Il from passing any
law whereby private property can be
taken for pubic uses without JUST COM
pensation and section q, Article l., says
the rights and privileges OF citizens shall
not be violated on any pretenee whatever.
Both the United States and State consti-
tutions declare that the citizen has inhe-
, rent rights. &c. &c. OF which he cannot
. be deprived.
Section "a. Article w. Constitution OF
/ Virginia, says: "rhe General Assembly
/ shall not pass any ex post facto law or
J any law whereby private property shall
Z be taken for public uses without Just
compensation"
Now. the principal officers OF the State
are sworn to maintain these great Amen-
can magma charters TO the best OF their
ability; so help them God. No one hes
! | heard OF any latter-day revelation IN
{ which the Almighty has refused His helr
10 man; but, on the contrary, the poof
! | have heard. seen, and felt that ''SheO
has given q half-holiday and turned his
: imps loose" 10 despoil the poor people
OF Eastern Virginia OF their hard-earnec
0 savings
Article X. section !. State Constitution
| saws: Taxation shall he equal and uni
, form. and shall be al yalorem." II ths
! | fax "a not ad yalorem according 20 galue)
] N Is not lawful. Now IL is a fact beyond
: | controversy that the Legislature, by an
, | ex parte act OF it's own ascertained ths
, | value Of lands I'm the cities and towns
in Eastern Virginia by the city assess
, ments. which were made for the cities
: | special uses and which have been proven
: | i'm many cases. when pat 10 the test. q
( fr..a "a ef