Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-02-02
LAND GRABBERS' ACT.

The following to the Dispatch il
but another straw which shows hOv
the Land Grabbers act affects the in
nocent:
Coax, New Kent county, Va,
January "a, 1899.
ITO the Editur of the Dispatch:
81 have been reading the Dispatch
and the accounts it has been given oi
the many hard>hips brought on the
people by the passage 10y the last Legis
lature of the "so-called" law relating
to delinquent lands, but l took no par
ticular interest in the matter because
knew that had paid the taxes on my
land ever since it was decided to me
and that my father did likewise. while
be held 1t. But ti.e other day L re-
ciev+d nctic.. from the clerk of my
county stating that certain man had
made application for my farm on ac-
count of delinquent tax for the year
1884, several years before my father
bought the land. was astoni he'd,
but went to the clerks Office aid found
that if l did Lot pay another man s
taxes for him with interest from date,
together with $5 to the man who noti-
| fed me, in four months time he could
force the clerk to make him a deed to
my farm.
We poor farmers do not know much
law, but we know that the fundamen-
tai principles of this land are that a
man shall get value received for his
money, and any thing contrary to this
should not be law. But when I sse
that our Supr. me Court of Appeals,
the highest tribunal in the State, has
said that the land grabbers' act is law.
I stop, and in the words of Tom Wat
son, wonder "wLere 1 am at"
"Are we drifting back to the Dark
Ages Our Declaration of Indepen-
dence says that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with unalienable rights; that
among these are l.fe. liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. Oh, for voice
from the sepulchres of the saviors of
our country to stay the hand of such
lawless acts and make the beautiful |
words areality.
Instead of getting liberty and hap
piness, We, the poor people, are har-
assed year after year by what is called
a new law" But they tell US that is
a progressive age When legislatures
are allowed to make anything law
that will help the lawyers and down
the poor farmer. l. such laws as this
continue to be made tie poor farmers
Of the country will fiuallY be OH an
equal footing with the peasantry of
England. A few people now, compar-
atively speaking, own all of the I
and fear the time isenot far ,
listant when they will own all the
and also, when the poor people will
,lther have to become their tenants, 7
When the chains of tyranny will rattle =,
N their arms, CT they will die of star
,ation. We fought the revolutionary
var to be relieved of the yoke of Eng
and, but now the yoke is becoming
more and more burdensome by the e
cts of our own countrymen.
Who can blame these new territories {
or kicking against annexation to the
United States? They tell us that they j
re an ignorant set, hut their case is {
me where, If ignorance is bliss, tits S
oily to be wise.' &
i was too young to have experi- t
need any of the hardships of the re-
construction period after our civil e
var, but have often read of them. 1 +
10 not think that any Of the laws of r
hose days were more unjust than the
asst acts of our Virginia Legislature as
o delinquent lands. l read also with
ontempt the Introduction in the t
United States Congress the bill known b
70 the force bill, but even this would 7
lOt have worked az many hardships on r
he people. don't wonder at body c
It young and inexperienced lawyers,
Who are thirsting for litigation, max c
ng such laws, but to think that our t
;ourt of appeals have declared it to be ,
We say from the bot {
ON of our hearts, God, save the Com T
8
They tell us that this law will bring {
thousands of dollars in the State treas. t
Try, but for what purpose? say that |
t will finally go to create new Offices t
,r to increase the expense of the al &
'eady heavily salarisd ones. Such i
avs will work no good finally, they are
calculated to make anarchists of the Z
people, and may result in our protect 3.
ing our property with our guns. |,
w. j. TAYLOR. s