The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-08
The Responsibility FIXED.

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Detroit Free Press.
The Responsibility Fixed.
The bill passed by the General As
sembly> and signed by the Governor,
known as the Parks bill, providing ZOE
the appointment of commissioners OIL
valuation and defining their duties, IS
by far the most eSecrable piece OF iegts-
:lation ever enacted by a Virginia Legs
lature The notorious Malone bill TOR
the appointment of commissioner OF
sales" which created a revolt by the
famous pig four, pales into Insignia
canoe beside this other measure. me
tIoIiy and danger OF it are beyond de-
scription. 1t was drafted upon the pre-
sumption that the average citizen OF the
commonwealth is a knave and !las-
and. in order to direct this interentlal
sllnavery and falsenood OF the people OF
Virginia, this act institutes system u
espionage that is positively revolving.
One hundred and thirty public officials.
with authority to name deputies Win
out limit, are to be appointed and in
vested With Inrestrained authority to
sscrutinlze the business. books, ac-
counts and private papers of every
individual, firm and corporation Ill the
Commonwealth, and make public what
they find out These men are given
power to put valuation on all capltal
invested or not invested, on all stocks,
bonds credits or evidences OF DEBT, on
all incomes and a variety OF personal
property, and they are not required 10
notify the persons assessed as TO now
much they have been assessed. Inns
the taxpayer must find out for him
K self. The law reaches every citizen,
)tfrom the clerk behind the counter to
the president of railroad, and will be
equally offensive to all. II man has
| $500 in bank and owes lOo. unaer TINS
law he is entitled to no credit Tor nus
| Indebtedness, as he formerly was, but
will be taxed on his $500; and there are
innumerable drastic features OIL q XIII
dred kind. These commissioners have a.
premium offered them to overvalue
every citizens personal property, and
the expense and trouble of protesting
| the valuation as well as OF finding out
| what it may be. is put upon the tax
payer Every business man In the Com
monwealth must exhibit his bank book
and his ledger to the inquisitor, under
heavy penalty. of refusal, and every
| countryman who has a little money on
| deposit pending the purchase OF sup
plies, must submit to the exactlonS OF
| the spy. The possibilities OF tyranny
outrage and corruption under the sys-
i
ton The administrative features OF the
! Federal income tax law were mild when
contrasted with this Virginia statute
Congress enjoined the strictest secrecy
! upon the Federal agents, in heavy pen
alties for exposure Of any citizens affairs.
There are absolutely no restraints or re-
strictions prescribed In this act OF our
General Assembly; the States agents
| may give away, sell or publish any IN
To-. 01>t 0i in
any citizens private business. It will
be in their power to ruin the credit OF
any man. And for whatever additional
taxable property returned under this
system the State must pay twice-it must
| pay the commissioner of valuation for
his work, and then pay the commissioner
| OF the revenue on exactly the same
| valuations
The act is an infamy. It was passed
| In haste. without due consideration, in
| the closing hours of the Legislature. Few
| members comprehended its scope; not
q dozen of them understood its drastic
| provisions In the Senate it was only
| read by its title; and, as a Richmand
contemporary declared, that body was
mortified when it discovered the> true
nature of the bill. The Senate speedily
rishted itself and repudiated response
bility for the act Twenty seven Sena-5
! tors
! put themselves on record against the
/ bill: and knowing the impossibility Of re-
healing the act In the expiring hours
! of the session, owing to insuperable:
parliamentary Instructions by bare
minority; twenty-five Senator'S. over their
several sigma lures, appealed to- the Gov
| ernor of Virginia to withhold his APP
prevail from this dangerous and unjust
measure But, instead OF doing this
| service to the State the Governor hastily
approved = measure which half an hour
before he confessedly had not read; and
notified the Senate of his action while
that body3sWas ]. in the act of adjusting
its own records so as to have them show
that this bill was not properly or law
fully before the Governor The pro
fEceeding was shocking. For an instant
the Senate was stunned by. this sunnre-.
cedented and indefensible &C ton OF VIZ
.gin!a's Governor. urged on, as Mr. sn u M
ford: declared In open Senate, oysa:a
horde Of vultures, waiting a chance 60
prey upon the people Of the State, But
the Senate did not hesitate a m ment.9
It promptly and overwhelmingly re-
nounced all responsibility for this Cow
ernor-made acts and 81 put upon e It's
records. IS q memorial OF the facts
the declaration tina { the bin did not pass
the Senate. by the constitut ional method
and was mot properly before the Execu-!
tive is almost sure that the courts
viii inva lldate the act: but sif not, the
resp onsibility for tixed. -Lynch burg
News.
For PurposesofR efntatIon.
sdoa you N tend to go TO see that
vile play or ~
Ierely ITO satisfy myself DON'T
Islieve it. Is as bad as eYeryNodygWl1oSl, has
SCENT says Hts; hicaxoZ tribune.