The Huron News-Record, 1887-08-03, Page 6•
T. a IJuroQ News -Record
7W'EDiSESDAYe AUGUST 3,1587-
C MMI RCIAL UNION.
iN A PRETTY GIRL'S BUSTLE.
Said a Custom -house Inspector
the other day to a reporter of the
El Paso(Texas) Iuter-Republican :
Very few people thing it is wrong
tanml3Sglee-er d_tf n
to slip a few little trinkets over
the line unobserved they have
no heditancy in so doing. ' About a
week ago there was a littlo excur-
sion party in Paso Del Norte, Moxi
co, and I kept a pretty sharp look-
out ; but one of the ladies I would
have pased almost with my oyes
shut, she was such a pretty girl and
had such an innocent, babyish
face.
I had just asked her if sho had
any dutible articles and she !lad
just said "Oh, no, sir," when I
hoard a peculiar muffled and whirr-
ing sound, snd then something
tinkling out the old tune, "My
Dream of Love is O'er." It seemed
to tomo from under Ater skirts, and
then I remembered hearin; of --a
clock striking' iu woman's bustle,
and tt'lmbled to the situation.
You see that innocent little
thing had bought a tiny music -box
in a case covered with filigree work,
and somebody had suggested that
she hide it under her clothes. I
can't say exactly how sho attached
it to her, but I know that she ac-
cidentally touched some spring or
something and set the thine going.
It kept right on playing that tune
until she got it out, and thenlit be-
gan to reel of "The Blue Alsatian
Mountains." I thought ti.e woman
would faint, and I heard , hor re-
mark, to a friend that she would
as soon think of packing around a
clock -work infernal machine as to.
try the dodge on again.
o Commerce Com-
mission at Washington delivered its
opinion last week in four of the cases
recently brought before it. The case
entitled Louis Larrisen against the
Grand Trunk Railroad Company,
and the Michigan Centra! Railroad
Company against the Grand Trunk
Railroad Company were by consent
of the parties heard together. Tho
charge is unjust • discrimination.
Iarrisou complainss that the road
• would not 'sell. ]line a 1,000 mild
ticket at the price paid by commer-
cial 'travelers, and the Michigan
Central Company coinplains that the
Grand Trunk Company was selling
to commercial travelers at lower
rates than to the public generally.
The defendant admits the facts as
charged, but avers that nothing
alleged is in conflict with the law.
The opinion reviews and discusses
at length the various points set up
by the defendant, and concludes as
follows:— '
"Colunlou carriers may continue
Lho issuance of mileage passenger
rickets, the charges lot which iuust
be.reasonablo. and just and free from
unjust discrimination or unreason-
able .preference. Persons belong-
ing to the class known as colulner-
•cial travelers aro nat privileged to
ride over railroads at lower rates
than are paid by other persons.
'Whatever reasonable rates commer-
cial travelers aro Blade to pay other
travelers may bo Made to pay. Tb
charge one More than the other is
unjust diserinlivatiotl, and this is
true whether ticket issued aro mile-
age -tickets or in s01113 other form.
"The refusal of the defendant,
the Chicago & Grand Trunk Rail-
way Company, to sell the com-
plainant, Lat•rison, a 1,000 Milo
ticket for $30, the price at which
the said company was selling such
tickets to commercial travelers, and
the neglect t0 ptibliall fates at which
defendant was offering to sell mile-
age tickets, wore alike in conflict
with the `Act to regulate com-
merce.' "
•JOAN IIh[GEI.I' ON CO1I.\IER_
CEAT. UUNION.
' I do not know what is intended
by a Commercial Union between
Capada and the United States. If
you mean that no tariff should exist
between the two countries, such a
condition would he cp.- oly to their
mltt:lal Armitage; belt if itis plo-
posed to extend the States tariff to
C(nada lig respects imports into
Cturada, •then such a chance would
ho'ltilo to England. end if the
present (i 011 ad Ian tariff were 1110i -11 -
for imports other than from
the States, England would be at 'n
great disadvantage in her trade with
Canada. 1 always believed that the
imposition of high protective duties
as against English manufacturers
was and is the first move in the
direction of a separation of *Canada
from 1°,nglaud, and if goods from
the States are to be admitted into'
Canada froo of duties, or at lower
dillies 11100 from 'England, another
and more s.'rions step would bo
t•Il n in the direction of separat-
ion.
THE TICINE CURSE.
iUt, PVJNISHMENT WHICH FOLLOWED
THE DISCONTINUA TCE OF TEtp
DOLE TO THE POOR.
It seems that in the tine of Henry
XI a Sir Roger Tichborae married an
heiress natned Mabel de Lywer-
stoue. She proved to be a Lady
Bountiful, always soliciting her
knight to giveto the poor. These
entreaties he constantly refused un-
til, when she became bedridden, -he
tauntingly offered her for the poor
as mucic Ground as she could crawl
around. She actually succeeded in
covering fifteen acres --hence the
name of the field.
Before Lndy Mabel died she de-
sired that the rental of these fifteen
acres.bo given annually to the poor
every Lady Day, March 25, in the
shape of small loaves. She said:
"If any Tichborne deprives the
poor of this dole the family shall be
punished by the fulfillment of my
curse.. May the house then fall,
the name change end misfortune
'conte. The fulfillment shall be fore;
shadowed by a generation of seven
sons and then one of seven daugh-
ters."
Toward the end of the hist
eeutury the baronet of that day was
petitioned by the neighboring gen-
try to stop the dole as a bad pre-.
cedent. He complied.
In 1802 this same baronet, the
fattier of seven sons, pulled down
the mansion, which he said was in.
convenient and -decayed. The tower
was so solid that gunpowder had to
he used to make it fall. He was
succeeded by a son who had seven -
daughters. The title next success-
ively passed to his two brothers.
The -last of these—father of the
drowned Sir Roger and Sir Alfred,
sire of the present baronet—did
change the family name by making
it the double one of Doughrty.Tich-
borne, for which the royal license
was•obtained.
Then came the misfortune•—the
mysterious death of Sir Roger, the
most ruinons-tawsuit, the birth of
the present baronet after his father's
deatfr and tits --humiliation of the
boy's grandmother, Lady Tichborne
stooping to fraud and p'rjury
supporting the Orton claimant.
Curiously enough the dole proved
a turning point in convicting the
claimant. Ile swore that it was
distributed in 1.silver, whereas the
jurors decided if he had been the
heir he must have known that it
was in loaves. The dole has, how•
ever, been resumed, substituting
sacks of flour for 'bakes bread.
T1IE HIGH OLD STEPPERS.
A \}'ALINING.
For some time past reports of a
vary unfavorable character have
been received from "The High Old
Steppers," a branch of the Lime
Kiln club established tit Nashville.
The officers and members have been
charged.- with various derelictions,
and early in May the president was
arrested, convicted and sent up for
ninety days tor having abag of
ureal in his possession which be-
longed to a grocer half a mile away.
He wits no sooner.incarcerated than
the lodge passed a resolution that
the lows ,of tltiy country were made
by despots, entircecl by tyrants and
should be resisted by the bayonet.
Its charter was at once demanded by
the parent club, and in giving notice
that the branch no longer existed
Brother Gardner said :
"De I -high Ole Steppers will step
n good deal lower after dis, au' we
shall be koerful how to establish
fucker branches in Nashville.
When a man in. dis keutry cunis to
de conclushuu fiat de laws ar'. agin
him •hie will b'ar wtcteliiu' wid bnaf
eyes open. lie's either hen stealin'
sorllet11in' or is achin' to kill off a
policeman on mineral pri'nciples."
Under the head of coluutunieas
tions the secretary announced a let.
ter from Kurucl 13ackspring Joh((-
sou, of 'Selena, ala. The 'turtle!
Bosses a department in all oil Mill
lhtouglt the week, and preaches to
the best of his lung power.on Sun-
days. lie hos invented a new
method of set ting the fisheries ques-
tion between the United States and
Canada, and .he wrote that he should
head for Detroit in two weeks to
appear before the Lillie Kiln club
and ive his method to the worn.
After delivering his address lie
should remain in Detroit several
weeks to take lessons in whitewash.
in.,, and would he the s," ' ',t '.f S,un•
uel Shill, for whom he :..1.1 con-
ceived a _rand admiration. Tho
reading of the letter had scarcely
he(.n concluded when Samuel was
on his feet, trying his hardest to
1 111 pale. Visions of giving up
his hod and sleeping on the floor—
of his household expenses increasing
one half—of calls to loan his ruffled
Sunday shirt and nankeen ve.,t,
dancer) before his eyes until his
tongue could not not utter a 1vor,l,
"Sot down, flrud,ler 1Shin—sot.
down 1" observed the president.
"Dis cha'r not only realizes whet
your feeliu's „r', but sympathizes
wi'l you. Do seekretary will write
to do kernel to de effect fiat clic ILr'
our ryr:lnne, smallpox, cholera nn'
airtlgoake 800.00,011' dm he couldn't
livti five nlinits erter etrlllill De-
troit. If dot,doau' do, we will tele-
greplt ham fiat a pussou of his name
ie wantcll, li*rcfllaatttrder•'i
QUI/ INDIANS IN T HE
NORTH-WEST.
THE INDIAN RESERVES VISITED BY THE
ASSEMBLY'S DEPUTATIONS.
From the Presbyterian Review.
On Friday, Jgne 17th, after the
adjournment tef. the Assembly, the
deputations appointed to visit tho
Indian Reserves, on the invitation
of Lieut -Governor Dewdney, left
Winnipeg. The deputation to Pia -
pot's Reserve was accompanied by
some twenty othordeeply interested
members of the Assembly. The
following is from the pen of one of
the deputation :—
"The whole party was introduced
in turn to Chief Piapot, Mr. Flett
acting lea interpreter, • He is not
very prepossessing in appearance,
though tall and athletic and about
60 years of age. Ills dross consisted
merely of a blanket and a narrow
piece of embroidered cloth reaching
almost to the knees and suspended
from a belt round his waist. This
is all the covering worn by all tho
members of his band. He was put
in good humour by a liberal gift of
tobacco, and talked freely. When
told that the day was beingcelebrat-
ed as the Queen's Jubilee, he said,
`She was getting young while he
was getting old,' that 'his hair was
getting white by coaling in contact
with the white loan,' and that 'for
thirteen years he had been living in
peace, before that he had killed many
-in his wars•with the Blackfoot, Crows
and Peguins.' He showed Ow' mark
of a bullet which had gone through
his thigh, and the spot where one
had' entered his breast. Ho divided
the tobacco with his counsellors
three in number, and more advanced
in years than himself. Tho Govern-
ment built a ]louse for him, but he
will not live in it, preferring his
tepee or tont. Wo wore • then
shown over such part of the Reserve
as ie, - un ler ealltiv,ajione There
were
were some fields of wheat, potatoes
and turnips. Oxen aro supplied to
the band by the Government, but
there is much difficulty experienced
in getting tho Indians to work, yet
progress in this direction is being
made. Mr. McKinnon, the instruc-
tor, related that last year he only'
succeeded in getting two of the
band to plough, while this year
thirteen of them have engaged in•
that''drudgury,' for an Indian thinks
ho is degraded if he performs any
!Manual labour; all such being left
to the women. All of this band aro
still • heathens. The Presbyterian
Church, in addition to Miss Rose as
teacher, has also a young minister
permanently located among them.
He was with another band of the
sante tribe, tale Cress, last summer,
and consequently can now speak to
thenn in their own tongue. Two,
littlo girls, accompanied by Miss
Rose at the organ, sang in Croe,
'Rock of Ages.' The Presbyterian
Church has thirteen Reserves under
its care, at each of which there is a
a teacher, or minister, or both. The
Methodist and Church -of England
Churches aro also .exerting them-
selves on behalf'o£ the pcor Indian,
and it is to be hoped that before
long all of them will conte to know
Christ and I•Iim crucified, Indeed,
when we consider the shortness of
the time since the Churches turned
their efforts to the Indians of the
North-West, it is marvellous the
progress Christainity has made
among them. Most of the chiefs
with their hands have embraced the
Christian faith.
"Tho Government, too, aro doing
all they possibly can to ameliorate
their condition. Each 1000, wouian
end child of 1'iapot's band, consist-
ing of about 450 souls, receives LI;
lbs. of beef and one -halt' pouu(1 of
flour daily. From wli'at I saw of
Mr. Recd, the Deputy Commission-
er of Indian Affairs, I cannot but,
believe that he will see to it that
justice and right is done to his wards
—the Indians. • The Indi;ti problem
is a hard one to solve, but with a
paternal Government and devoted
missionaries there is ever'y'thing to
]lope for."
TAKINTt* OFF THE HAT
. -
The habit of taking off the hat
while talking to ladies is frilling into
disuse; flint is, the uncovering in
public places like the post office,
elevator, theater, lobby, exposition,
ete. 'rho reason is found 1•t the in-
creased practical11 3 of i„• r,,.1•.
Alen (10 not fancy sacrificing their
good looks for the sake of ,allant•ty,
and that's (what they would do trine
times out of ten ,hnuld they doff in
a hurry. "1'hoy would areal a
mussed Ili! 11.'a.! of I.1a11' (for hew
long will a ((tan's hair lank nice() or,
in thcso Inw:I of 111(11143,. n slirti110
pnh . :'o, I,y ke•ping on his eldio,
tic coverine:, 110 10,141 11 tw,; to
gictsp either horn of the dilrin•
Inn.
Anil then another feet that
wsighs heavily, tree is til?" prc'senc0
of (10ntea everva1ere now, in all
the 10sy pia.•e>; re here Buse wunum
were never seen. 111 shut, faeP, y,
store, Ole iirr r lnp!nyeil In Su.•lt 311
000114 11.111 11. 14 d.(11rIUl to give to
tJl.',.ec t!ut' 11i1'uhnis ;IIs n'ion
0
which once was accorded
cause of the infrequency.
public appearance.
i,3URDE'l"r1+e,
them ho-
of their
WITTY AND INCISIVE COMMENTS ON
CURRENT TOPICS.
A Kentucky farmer has trained a
lot of monkeys to work in hie hemp
fields. Well, one soweth, another
reapeth. Many a lean has reaped a
harvest of hemp because of monkey
ing around too much.
CLOSE AFTER HIM.
The great American condor lays
its eggs on the surface of rocks 15,-
000 feet above the level of the soa.
That's pretty high for eggs, but at
the latest market quotations the
common American hen wasn't very
far below the condor. A rise of an-
other eent or two a dozen will put
the hen on top.
A COLD PLACE FOR' EMPERORS.
Scientists note a groat diminution
of forest trees in Russia and hay it is
because the climate is growing cold-
er all the time. RussiLI bas always
been a cold place to grow treason.
That is to say, it has the Siberiast
climate in the world. Now don't
say that's Don thin, my sou. Nova
bo Volga, even for the sake of'Rus-
sia-in a joke. There now, take the
the combination and run it out. I
like to see you amuse yourself.
• BIGHT ON TIME.
"I'n1 sorry I can't accommodate
you, Mr. Paporwait," said firs. Mc-
Kerrel, shaking her head resolutely,
as she often did of a Saturday even-
ing, "but all my boarders settle
weekly ; my motto is 'Pay as you
go.' " "011, yes," excla'I nod Paper -
wait, cheerfully, "so is mine,
so is mine. But I'm not go-
ing yet, you know; 1'll be here six
months yet." And a happier man
never vetoed a bill.
A REGULAR PINNACLE:
After leaving the railway statiou,
which was in the middle of a prairie,
the travelers drove down hill half a
day and at sunset halted at 5 ummit
WO its, the now summer resort
"Great Scott !" roared the indign-
ant tourists, "is this basin your idea
of a mountain 1 Your prospectus
says your house is 1,300 feet above
tho level of the sea" "So it is,
gents," replied Barrabbas, the !lost,
for it was lie, "so it is ; above the
level of the Dead Sea. That's nigh
about 1,400 foot lower than the bot-
tom of the ocean, I reckon." And
when the tourists thought upon
their own Muskoka which they had
abandoned in search of foreign
board, they lifted up their voices
and wept, whereupon l3aioabbas
charged them. extra bus fare for ex-
pressing emotion. Aud it was so.
nEYONI TILE BREAKERS.
"This is Pure Old Government
Rio, is it, Mr. Lightweight 1" asked
tale customer.
"Oh, 'yes," replied the grocer,
"that's, ooffeo frons Cotl'eevillo."
',Put you charge as. Much for it as
you did last week, and I have been
told that the panic in the, coffee
market had reduced the price great-
ly
"Olt yes, 1 know," said the honest
grocer, abstractedly; removing a
Handful of grains from the scales to
make them weigh. more, "hut you
know a break iu the coffee market
Itis no affect on the price of chicory.
There you are; 17 cents a pound, `
and as you're an old customer I've
put up five pounds for $1; the nut-
megs 11 cents, soap 18; yeast cakes 4,
clothespins 23 --that was a $2 bill
you gave me? Yes, Yes, $1 81 out
of $2; yes, yes, 11 cents,.' here you
aro .; mutat obliged; call again. 011
no, we make I10 charge fur deliver-
ing goods." •
COU1•t'1'SHIP rN RUSSIA.
MATING 04' 'rill: YOUNG I•'OLICS AT SO -
,'IAL E•; t;'NI(G GATiii':It1NOs.
It is the custom of the Russian
young folks to meet together by
appointment in the long winter
evenings, selecting the 11011se 01.00011
one in turn. lioys and girls come
dressed in holiday attire, the latter
carrying their looms and linen
thread, which they are supposeed
to convert int() the much prized
linen. 'These pretty young hisses
pass the hours in idle gossip until
the time appro aches for the arrival
of the sternersex, when each one
(ties t0 her loom and begins to work
Most earnestly, by which means
they seek to impress upon the.
minds ofthoir lovers their capabilities
of becoming good (('i(1s Bud 11ouse.
1.04;141 (3 ; but this feigned industry
(lues not Iasi long, for when the
1111141 1110:111 1)441.'S 11tVt1 0111010(1 1110
chantber, work is suspended, and
plea-surn hrgi(1111r the young men
inviting their fair friends to ,join
them in forming a circle.' This
done, they all join in singing, after
which one 01the girls selects her
young gentleman (mei miloi) my
love as she calls hila, I(IId loads him
into the nlic1,11.1 of the circle, then
walks back and forth, chanting a
love song, in which the rest of the
guests join. In the song usually
selected she tells of the beauty of
the lover slit; has chosen; how
11111011 she I014 $ him ; how she
would !cavo home and parents
hrothera, 3islels and friends, and
follow him the (wid) world over.
As the songs runs, ehe would follow
him across the seven ooeania, or
over seven high mountains, and
rest beneath their; shadow, where
she could enjoy her happiness' un-
disturbed.
So, in turn, each girl selects her
moi miloi and leads him into the
circle, when -the same love chanting
is repeated until all the girls have
made their choice. Next in turn
come the young leen, who each
select a partner and go through the
same performance, the whole affair
terminating with the dancing of the
Russian Cossack.
At the conclusion of this dance
each young peasant escorts the ob-
ject of his choice to her home. At
these gatherings they are as • free as
the birds of the air, and take for
their mato whomsoever they will,
without any regard to a third party.'
When the time arrives that a formal
declaration is to be made, the youth,
accompanied by some rnotober or
members of his family, who are
supposed to aid materially iu ob-
taining 'the parent's consent, proceed
to the home of his' lady love and
there make known his wishes to the
father and mother.
Tho mother, not at all surprised,
usually reads the young man a lec-
ture on the duties and burdens of
married lifo, bewailing all the ills
and speaking of few of tho bless-
ings, and Duds by declaring that
her daughter is too young to marry
yet, too young to be given over to
the cruel tyranny of an exacting
husband. Site prefers to see her as
froo and as happy as the birds of
her native woods. All this is bugs
custom which must bo observed, so
fearful are they that the young man
might suppose his bride too easily
won. Tho suitor, further to concili-
tate the mother, now begins to
lavish all kinds of presents .upon
her, according to his means, at the
same time tolling her.how much ale
loves her daughter and how happy
he will make her darling.
Tho mother listens attentively to the
`burning, soul stirring language, ap-
parently weighing iu deep thought
all he says, looking occasionally at
--pl
tawosents presented to, hers -and
which I much , rear aro the koy
which unlocks the door of her
heart. She finally gives au un
willing assent, with the proviso if
the father is willing. This is a
a needless precaution on her part;
for as a rule the father is only too
willing to ease 'himself of the bur-
den of a daughter's support.
But you will naturally ask where
is the poor victim all this time.
Why !. in the next room, . of course,
whore every word uttered by her
lover falls like sweet Music on her
ears. She understands her mother's
tactics, and yet it mist be with
trembling heart that she awaits the
sealing of her fate.
All preliminaries arranged be-
tween mother and lover, the daugh•-
ter is called into the, room to re-
ceive tho parental blessing, iustea(1
of which she ]nleels to her mother,
praying not to be' taken from her.
Silo describes. the beauties of her
vergiu life, and -declares she has. no
wish to change it, .prefers hor free-
dom to all else, and begs that her
mother will not make' for her the
hated red petticoat,4v11ic11 constitu-
tes the principal portion of the
wardrobe of every peasant bride.
The daughter pleads, the mother
caresses, and seeks to persuade her
to accept the lover, to whorl but a
short time before sho refused to give
her. The mother, While gently
stroking the glossy Hair of her child,
tries to persuade her that after all a
vergiu life is not the nrost.desirable;
that God has placed her iu this world
with a mission which she Much seek
to fulfill : that sho cannot always
retiiain at her in this world with a
Mission which bile must seek to
fulfill, that she cauuoe always re-
main at nor mother's side; site must
go out from the, parent roof, , and
made a hone for herself. All these
things and Blaby more are said in
vindication of the life apparently
forced .upon her. The mother con-
cludes by repenting to the daughter
all the lover has, told her of his
bright hopes for the future, and the
sacrifices he is willing to Make for
her ha1piness. The daughter final-
ly yields under such persuasive
words, and who would not 1.111 -
less it were a heart of adamant 1 -
The young people then kneel to
receive the parental blessing, which
is given with a great deal of cere-
mony. Then the priest is called
'upon' to bestow his blessiug, *which
is very boautiful and impressive.
At its conclnsion he Places a ring
on the hand of each. This cere-
mony is called 011eeclinv, and is
considered even more sacred than
marriage itself. The parents of
the engaged girl arrange long tables
on which they place the samover
and summon the neighbors to share
i11 their r41oicing. 'Tito girl pre-
pares tea, the first clip of which she
hands to her accepted lover, then
to the father and mother, and lastly
to each of the guests. This duty
performed sho appears to lose all
her bashfulness, 1104! she who but a
short time before bewailed her fate
so loudly, now accepts and even
glories i11 the choice she has made.
—Countess Norrinkow in the New
York Star.
:asthma cured by the double treat
went of Southern Asthma Cure is a
common remark. 456-41
VIRGIINIA STATE REPUPI.A*
TION. -
WASHINGVoN, AMY 3O. -.-Bir Ed1'
ward Thornton, formerly British
minister to the United States, and
very recently a financial Iuauiater
from the British bondholders to
the state of Virginia, has gone homes
in a rather bad humor, after pointed-
ly intimating that he would make
the state debt of Virginia an inter-
national question. There is only
a bare possibility that the United
States will take any action regard-
ing the debt of a state, for getting
in debt and paying, or failing to
pay, is one of a few functions on
which all political parties have
agreed to the most extreme doctrine
of states' rights; but as the divis-
ion of old Virginia during the war
put the debteof that state on a some-
what different footing flow that of
other states, and' at least ono pro-
minent statewan advocates national
assistance to that` state, it is well
worth our while to look into the
facts. The following figures are
token from the state auditor's books
at Richmond :
Jan. 1, 1861, Virginia (then in-
cluding the present West Virginia)
owned $33,548,141 , nine years
afterward her debt, floating and
bonded, was $45,660,348. And
none of this, strictly speaking, was
incurred for war purposes, much of
it was merely accumulated interest
and the rest for expenses incurred
after tho surrender of Lee and be-
fore tho return of prosperity and
full revenues. The original debt
was validly contracted in construct-
ing valuable improvetnents, but as
there had boon some extravagance
between 1865 and 1870, and as the
Wost Virginia had withdrawn with
her share of the improvements, a
question arose. as to how much the
old shite honestly owed.-Virgin-
ia'
therefore, agreed to assume two-
thirds of the debt as it stood in
1870, and the funding act of March
30,' 1871, into thirty-four year
bonds bearing six per cent. interest,,
"coupons receivable for all debts
and demands duo the state" The_
bond holders hastedod to refund on
this basis, and nearly two thirds of
the amount assumed had been fund-
ed when, on March 7, 1872, the-
legislature
helegislature reported against the
clause making the coupons legal
tender to the state for taxes. The
claim, was Blade that paym, nt in
coupons would so far reduce the
state's cash receipts as to close the
public schools, and on this ground
the colored voters unanimously,
many whites with them, supported
the policy of couporr repeal. 'The
bondholders could neither sell nor
collect on their' coupons for sone
years; s0 on March 28, 1870, thee
legislature passed the "ten -forty act,'
to the effect that the matured cou-
pons plight be refunded at half
their face, and the other bonds con-
solidated—these taken under the
act of March 30, 1871; at reduced
rates—into new bonds bearing 3 per
cont. for ten years, 4 per .cont. for
the next twenty years and 5 per
cent for ten years, the coupons to
bo again receivable for taxes. This
is the Noted "Riddleberger Act."
drawn by the senator of that name.
The bondholders generally ,refused
this offer, and when tlio sura 2f
18,0.00,000 had been refunded un-
der it, the legislature, in February,
1882, and November, 1884, again
changed the terms, "scaled, down"
a small part of the debt and again
provided for funding the remainder,
adding a stringent clause that those
who did not refund 'under -this act
before 'tt Certaili date should be
without a remedy. Tho bondhold-
ers then made a test case on the
coupons in the Federal courts, and .
the supreme court of the United
States decided, five justices to four,
that officials must receive the con•
polls for all taxes and demands clue
the state. The four dissenting
judges held that the federal'edut•t
had n0 jurisdiction as the Eleventh
amendment to .the coustitutibu for-
bade it to act in such cases ; so the
decis' n is liable to be overruled at
any "ilio after a successor is appointed
to tl late Justice Woods. Aud in
this Cl 'io115, uncertain a11(1 unsatis-
factory Condition the matter stood.
when Sir Edward Thornton arrived.
lu the, m0autiule coupons havo
matured to the ate mut of $2,500,000
nearly—enough to keep all cash out
of the treasury for two years or more
—but Virginians as yot have not
availed themselves very largely of•
this cheap way of paying taxes.
The total of Virginia's property
assessment in 1885 was $347,767,-
705, aud the tax for stilto purposes
forty cents on the $1 00 ; but it is
evident that the real value is more
than twice the assessment. Moro -
over the tendency in Virginia, as in
many other places at present, is to
lay nearly alt taxes on land ; fur of
the above total assessment only $84,-
811,067 was on perouals, and as
there are at least 1,600,000 people
in 1110 state this would be less than
$50 per capita in the personals, a
self evident absurdity. Since the
decision the state has sought to
protect itself in various ways against
a flood of coupons into the treasury ;
but it is 11011 believed (or at any
sato hoped fu \tirgiuio) that when
the new justice is a1pointed 1110
supremo court of the United States
will be five to four the other slay.
:\ all this is indeed almost certain