Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-14


! Clerk of the County Court such land as
| had been purchased by the Auditor, and
remaining unredeemed for two years,
upon such person paying the CLERK the
| taxes, with 10 per cent. interest and the
| costs. and the Clerk was required TO
make to the person so paying the taxes
a deed for the land. (See Acts 1921
page 1919 This, in truth, was land
grabbers law" for it allowed any per-
son to buy from the Clerk, and get a
deed, without giving any notice whatever
to the previous owner Of the land. and
such owner had no means whatever OF
protecting himself.
When the Legislature of 1886 met an
effort was made TO amend the act of 1875
"a, by requiring notice 10 be given, ana
an opportunity afforded the previous
landowner to redeem the land after the
notice had been served, or published. A
subcommittee of the Committee for the
Courts of Justice was appointed to dratt
the necessary changes, and, when the
Committee for Courts of Justice report
ed the act, and seeing that the amend
ment allowed the previous landowner to
redeem by paying the taxes and 10 per
cent interest / moved 10 strike out 10
and insert 6, so as to make the burden on
the previous landowner lighter, and thus
try and induce him to redeem the land,
and the amendment was adopted. (See
Acts 1885, page 2l9.) / call attention TO
the fact that that this act also provided
that no real estate which was purchased
by the Auditor prior to the first day of
February 1894, should be sold by the
Clerk until the expiration of two years
from that day, so that, under the act,
two years were given all persons to re-
deem before any applications could be
made to buy the land. although the
lands, in many instances, had then been
returned delinquent for ten years.
DID NOT REQUIRE NOTICE.
After the Legislature of 1885 adj
iourned q careful examination Of the
law, as amended, disclosed the fact that
ii was still incomplete, in that 1t did not
require notice to be served upon any per-
son, except the person in whose name
the land had been returned delinquent,
and. as it turned out that, in many
cases, the lands had been sold 10 limo
cent purchasers, who did not know that
the lands had been previously purchased
by the Commonwealth, the evil of the
act Of 1894 still existed as to them.
Prior TO the meeting of the Legislature
of 1878 / had received letters from
many persons, citing instances of this
kind where great injustice would be done
unless the law was speedily amended. so
as to correct his, and give the persons
interested an opportunity TO redeem their
lands. When the Legislature met, there
fore, having these cases in view, but be-
ing of the opinion that these taxes
should be paid, and that the plan de-
vised by the Legislature of 1884 to col
lect them was good One-provided, that
proper notice was given to all persons
nterested--I opposed the proposition OF
the Senator from Roanoke to repeal the
law. but explained the situation TO the
Senate, and said that prompt action was
necessary, and suggested that a special
committee of five be appointed TO frame
amendments to the law that would cor
rect the evil. l stated that in my judg
ment it would not do to repeal the law,
for, if that were done. there would be no
provision for a resale of the lands, and
no way provided for the collection of the
taxes, which had then accumulated TO
such an extent that they amounted to
over $4,000. And l further stated that,
as the Legislature had been elected with
the special purpose of reducing eXpen-
ses, and thus preventing, if possible, an
increase of taxation, that l thought the
first thing we should do was TO provide
for the collection of this large amount
Of taxes already due. The Senate agreed
with this view, and appointed a COM
mittee, Of whom l was one. The other
four members of the committee were the
most prominent men in the Senate, men
of ability and experience, men who had
at heart the interests of their constitu-
ents, and, at the same time, determined
TO protect the interest of the State. The
committee met at once, and l was re-
Quested TO draft the amendments nee
essary TO give notice to all persons in
terested, and give them time to redeem,
but, at the same time, to allow the ap-
plications TO be made TO purchase from
the Clerk. ! prepared the bill with
great deal of care, and my work was
submitted to the committee, and many
valuable suggestions were made by the
other members of the committee, as we'll
as by the Senator from Roanoke, who
was inVidted to confer with us which
were embodied in the law, and our re-
port was presented TO the Senate in the
shape Of Senate bill No. %. and was pass
ed by the Senate, and sent over TO the
House, and was hung up there. And.
In order 10 protect the interest of the
persons whom l have named whose lands
were about 20 be taken from them under
the old law, an act was passed, suspend
ing the operation of the old law for six
~ days, hoping that, by that time, the
House would pass the law we had pre-
pared with such care.
A COMPANION MEASURE.
At the same time that Senate bill No.
90 was presented l presented a bill (No.
23) which was 10 be a companion mea-
sure. This bill amended section 66i Of
the Code, which allows persons whose
lands have been sold for taxes and pur-
chased by the Auditor TO redeem the
land al any time prior to a resale by
paying the taxes TO the Clerk Of the
Court With 10 per cent. interest thereon
The amendment that l proposed was TO
reduce the rate OF interest from 10 to c
per cent, and thus tighten the burden OF
the delinquent taxpayer. and enable
him the better to redeem his land. This
act was also promptly passed by the
Senate, and sent over 10 the House.
The measures were held up in the
House until a few days before the six
~ days for which the old act was sus.
pended expired. and then the House pass.
ed what was called a substitute to Sem
ate bin No. %. but was, In fact the same
bill. with the s. penalty added When
this bin was reported to the Senate IL
was referred 10 the same committee, and
we had meeting. and. In the mean
time the evidences Of the hardshps UNI
der the old law had increased and as