The times dispatch. [volume], February 10, 1912, Page 4, Image 4

About The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
Dullness Office.9:6 B. Muln Street.
South Richmond.two Hull Street.
yetcrsburj Uurruu_N. Syculhoro Street
Lynchburg lluiehii.Cishlli Strctl
DY MAIL One jds. Three Ore
POSTAGE I'AIU Year. Mos. Mos Me
Dally with S-'aday.JS.o:- |9.? ti.iO ..'??
Dally without Sunday_1.00 -00 1? I
Sunday odP'.on only_% ?.00 1.0J .60 .l'?
Weekly (Wednesday).1.00 .to .S ...
Py Tiines-Dlapatcb Carrier Deliver} Ser
tlcc In Richmond und ?uburb?) and Pe?
tersburg- One Week
Dally wltb I artsy.'.. 16 cents
Dally Without Sunday. If cents
Sunday only. * c?hts
j
-
Entered January rT. 1900. at Richmond.
Vn., a, con .-class matter under act of
L'or.rrejs .if March .". "SIS.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10. I'M'-'
WILLIAM'S "SPEECH l'll?M THE
TIlllO.NE."
Those who expected' sensational ut?
terances from the Kaiser In his address
formally openlnc the new Reichstag
were sadly disappointed. He discred?
ited all predictions to that effocl; cspe-j
ctnlly did he confound all anticipations
that he would "s<,old" and show Vln
dlctlvencss towards the -Rod Flood." |
ae Socialists Ignored him by being]
oonsp'euous by their absence from the!
procr-sslon of deputies tl'.-it mnrched i
to the palace to receive his congrattl-I
l?tl?ns; he Ignored the Socialists by
not making the slluhtcst reference to J
them.
The most apt characterisation, if? all
the circumstances, that run bo applied !
?to his Epcech Is that which has been'
?o often applied to tho "speech from
the throne'' of the British sovereign
on opening the British Parliament, ''It!
was colorless." The keynote of the]
eut'Ir.c of the government's policies j
?p he enunciated them wus a plea for.
assurance of maintenance of the glorj
inil the safety of tho empire by
strengthening tho military and naval I
establishments, nr.d even this was
sounded In a subdued strain. Yet
Wlaoly he mad* i: the keynote, for It |
wjve enthusiastically responded to by!
al! the eiemihts and groups present,!
the dean of Co Radicals and :hei
Nestor of the Reichstag leading in the!
cheering.
Ir. putting this issue to ths front j
the Kaiser adroitly placed the Social- j
is;s on tlr; defensive, since even Herr!
Bebel, In the crisis of the Moroccan j
efTalr. -when by many It was f.--red the
trouble could not be settled without aj
resort to arms, committed his party to]
tern, which is in scant degree parlia?
mentary in the sense such a system is.
? derstood In thrs country, It I? pos?
sible to carry on the government In the
face of a hostlls majority. Bismarck
succeeded In so doing. Hut In all the
existing complications It would be a
much more difficult task for Von Bcth
iiiann-ifo?weg. The latter has nellhet
tiie don.inhtlng f->rcc and personal mag?
netism nor the confidence of the guv-1
ernment minority the Iron Chancellor!
possessed?confidence In his ability toI
work out the problem without* affect-|
ihg injuriously their strength with
ti-.e masses, Should t'on Betitmann
Holltrtg be unable to arrange now
co:niiir.at!ons?prove lacking in the
t'trategy necessary to render his mi?
nority "bloo" the nucleus for eifectlnu
coalitions by playing the other groups
against one snother, and "Interchange
of concessions," to the tnd of securing j
Indorsement o?,the government's more!
Important %,dtjaics'tfe policies?there
would be a dcudloe.1; In or dragging*; of j
legislation that'tvodld Justify the moBl
usual causi of dissolution and ap?
peal to the piople.
tlon has by appeal been most effectively
rc.-orted to in solving Gorman domes?
tic probt3ms, and concurrently It hau
served to cheek the. rising tide of ii.
irta'lsin and other disaffection, Ol {hat
the Socialists are well ??urc. and it!
tliut knowledge lies the greatest pronto
ice that Von llethmann-lloilwig will
fin i It not only possible but tcaslbU
to command t> majority oupport In "es?
sential;."
It would appear obviously wise fen I
vlte h'oclallsts to hold fast :o wliat they!
have and not.carry obstruction too far,
lest on appeal, with the safety and
Integrity tnd prestige of ; ii ? empire!
lleatlon." their recent victory b? t?rm ?
Into defeat at the polls I'urticiiiiirj
does this course suggest itself ?? wiati
and as "good polities'' whan It is re
meinbercd that thousands of ihe fier
man voters ivho aligned themselves
with tho Socialist organizations i:i (he
lecent elections nie by no intons in
full sympathy with all of the Poelnll i
doctrinis and measures advocated by
the party, but at the last iverr merely
protestan ts agnlnsi conditions they
saw no hope of remedying In any other
way. Their votes voicod gric-Vuilces
arid democracy, hot Bebjdlsrn. nnttigo
nlstn to opportunism and to conipto
rnise. On tho loco o! the situ:.'.ion,
therefore, there would stein more than
a reasonable prospect that while tho
Kaiser will not get the whole loaf he
desires, he will succeed In getting a
pretty large slice of It?the heart of it,
Indeed. Morcour, the general line of
his speech Indicates riiat hr 1? pre?
pared to be satisfied therewith, thus
forecasting that Instead of being <lis
solvcd out ol hand on the llrsi pretext,
es hau been to confidently prophesied
by certain wiseacres, tiiReichstag will
he allowed to live out Its constitutione]
life and continue to luy the foundations
of true pnrllnihenlarlaiilsni mid repre?
sentative government. The outlook
may not be ngrseabl? to the Kaiser,
but his conservative nnd philosophic
acceptance of It does credit lo his tar?
si ghtcdia^j'b', both o.q a. politician and fj
ruler. In this era of the steady progress
of liberalism'the world over.
xiiw i ku <.i?in> mux.
The lohit agitated churl or changes
for Itlchmond arc now law1 and have
gone Into effect By affixing his sig?
nature yestcrdny. Governor Matin
Placed on Ilio statute hooks the leg's
latloii requested by Hlctiniond. This
gives the city the right to build anil
ma tu t u t ti n workhouse for .tall prison?
ers, to Teilte Ii pension fund for cliy
employes, to abolish the office of City
Collector If need b?. These things are
all optional with the city, but the inost
importnnt result of the Changes so
wrought is mandatory?the creation ot
tin Administrative Board for the city.
The live members of this board will b>>
chosen Iii November und will j;o Into i
ofllca Jnnuury I, 1913. lly the est.ib-;
itsiimcnl of this board, the executive
? iiitiis hitherto vested in the City Coun?
cil will bo shifted almost completely :
to the shoulders of the live administra?
tors of the city's business. To this
board will go two of the gr-at political
privileges heretofore enjoyed by thb
Council?the appointment of officers
und employes and the awarding of rmi- ;
tracts. The Council, it will be recalled, |
will be reduced by half before the;
board stuns Its work, the effect of
the rcdlstrlotlng ordinance having then'
taken effet.
From now on the citizens should keep;
in mln.l that this new form of city;
government for Itlehmnnd enh he effect- i
Ivo only If It I? carried out by compa-|
tent and capable men. Especially Is j
this the case In the matter of the Ad- j
inlnistrntlvo Hoard. If the first board j
Is Incompetent and compos?d of unlit!
men. the whol? experiment will likely!
be n failure. Men of the highest at
lalnmcnts, of the best executive ability.'
of the purest motives, of the cleanest
records, must fill the live seats of the ,
Administrative Hoard, or the very
principle of the new plan will be de?
stroyed Tho choice of these nvn must
b? made In November, It ts not too
early to begin to think of suitable men
nnd to set ur ? standard to which'
candidates must measure. It .i 111 not
do to put men In these places who have
been failures at all else. Aggressive
nun of business capacity and Integrity I
are needed to transact the city's bus?
iness.
It is too early for ritlroR-- to commit
themselves to the support of Individual
candidates for the Administrative Hoard
or any combination Of such men. hot
us wall until all candidates arc In the
flild before making any choice. In
such a way. and only In such n way,
can the heft men be chosen and the
welfare of the city best served.
"I'ASSING Till". HAT" STll.lj.
?leorglu seems to have about the!
uume tax problem as that with which'
Virginia Is struggling. In r late ad?
dress before the Atlanta TypothctaeJ
President Wilmer I. Moore of the At?
lanta Chamber of Commerce, sharply!
urraigned the Georgia system of luxa?
tion, showing that It has a "shameful
lack of uniformity" which distributes
the burden of the state':= administra?
tion unjustly and unfairly.
Georgia, In tho matter of taxation,!
i^ "passing the hat " Mite Virginia;
Georgia Is one of the wealthiest Stntosi
In the South, with potential sources of I
revenue available at a dozen points,
end yet Cer.rgtn and Virginia are'
"mendicants." In th" lnrge majority'
of crises. In nearly every rlnss of tax-i
able property, It obsequiously accepts'
the valuation placed by the owner." I
Of the state of affairs lr Georgia,,
the Atlanta Constitution says:
"The lark of uniformity Is nothing]
short of scandal. The law which leaves
every county to Its Individual devices'
In levying taxes and In returns Is un-;
Just and archaic. Two counties; sldei
hy ride, may possess wealth of Identi?
cal value. Vet, under our system, the
county with a vigorous collector and
appraiser will return to the State what
?? !"< whl* th" courc.y next door,
may return only one-third or one
fourth that sum."
IHs received in return. The dispropor?
tion "extends to the. responsibilities
?
Hug.
this It
the f"
wlll r'
Legislature will be of more ?-'-r.u-i
and permanent service thf.n :.!! the
Utting demagogues and artificial !-!-'
?f, in the history of r:-orgln," de-;
r.-H the Atlr.nta paper, and the r"-i
irk applies equally well to VirglnK.1
irking a square deal for nil is the
tpmo,n chiiracferlKilc of Some ebun
n\i ItltlIMM! I IM'. CO.VSTITI l I<>N .
Much of ilarcnstii, more of Ignorar.'e
of t'ito point, has ben; displayed by
those defending the unconstitutional
resubinlstilou In 1911 of the city tnr;
?arei s ' at,.i commisnlon srs' einehdmcht
vote by the people. The two or
three newspapers .'.Hied with the de?
fense have manifested a most ludicrous
misapprehension and colossal mlstiii
Btandlng of the problem at ikhug?of its
aspect In the light of constitutional law
their conception hardly amounts to
1 that minimum for which the law does
not care. They pooh-pooh the possibil?
ity of tho officeholders' trust having
I class of people as demanding a vote on
or being Interested in the proposition.
They mlstok'ttly regard 'officeholders''
j nnd "the people" synonymous. Ar?
gument with Hitch <ief. riders Is useless,
( lor they; lack the essential to Intelli?
gent discussion -ail acquaintance with
constHutloiiul law - and Its application.
The proposition of law for which The.
Tlmos-Plspalch' Stands is thai this
amendment cannot constitutionally bo
?e?ubmltud to populur vote hi
? That this General Assembly can Inl
j tlato this amendment; that It can bog ?it'
j now, cic novo, The Tlmes-Dtsputuh
j concedes, and always has conceded,
however much It bollsves that there Is
no popular demand for rcs?bmlssl?n In
1911, and that rcsubnilsslon then
would still, in the absence of popular
demand, be unwarranted, The whol'J
i|uustlon is: Can the General Assembly
rcsubmlt that amendment for vole In
: lf-12? The Tlinos-Dlspatch, after h
careful examination of the authorities
and after listening to tho arguments of
both sides. Is of the conviction that
that question must be nns-worod in the
negative. That Senuloi Wulkcr alone
argued for the proposition against re
submissloh in 1913 is no reasun why
In wns wrong; If lie has a superior as
a constitutional lawyer in the General
Assembly, that fact Is unknown to us.
and we are willing to stand with hlin
in this matter,
Agreeing that the thing does not look
right .mi ? 11 t it cannot be resubmlttod
until 1'.'!!, -the Newport News Times-*
Herald says:
"That is a question of grave doubt,
nnd it lias the uppeuruuoa to us ol'
tinkering with the Constitution In or?
der to "save tho treasurers,' as some?
body has said. Wo believe that the
question should bo again submitted.
We believe that the people should h ?
allowed to decide for themselves hoit
long a treasurer should hold olllce. But
the question should ho properly sub?
mitted. Not only so. bill If the ques?
tion as lo city treasurers should be
again s?hmlttcd, why not the qucKt'on I
as to county treasurers? The whole'
business has an ugly appearance. It
has- the appearance of rushing thti Con?
stitution In the Interest ot a few ofllve-I
holders. It Is a blunder, and no good I
can come out of It."
The Indvx-Appoal thinks that It i
most strange that Senator lirewry, ol i
Olnwiddle, should havo voted for the
amendment, explaining that he is a
good lnwy-r. but perhaps hltt'nr; i;
rtKht In snylnrr: "As a busy practi?
tioner, Mr. Drewry probably has no',
had time to devote himself closely to
a study ot the Constitution of the
State." There would be merit in such!
an explanation, for members of the Gen-1
etal Assembly nrs busy, and we can- j
not believe that uny substantial num?
ber of them have studied this matter
properly, because of the press of other I
duties. On that ground alone can we;
account for the votes of lOrti! of the j
lav.ycrs !:t the Schate,
Tlie Index-Appeal says: "If Governor
Mann should veto tho bill, as he is
expected to do as a good lawyer, fa?
miliar witli the Constitution, the mcm
bt.ra of the Legislature Will have tlmo
In which to reconsider and vote to
support the Constitution.'' That It.
fact Is a moat excellent reason for tho
exercise of the veto, for no man has i
?ared to say thai the General Assembly
considered so weighty a matter as this
institutional amendment properly and'
deliberately.
Is rcsuhmiSElon in 1012 constll?-l
t'ionat? That is: for Ihe Governor to I
say, after ho has had full light on the
subject, and after hi has examined the
law. At any rate, whnuver his decis?
ion, ho will stiiely give It what It never
had In the General Assembly?full' and
intelligent consideration'.
HI OCK CIRCLE CIVIC IMPROVE
.Ml'N.T.
Last summer, under the auspices of
the Woman's Civic League of Baltl-I
more, was inaugurated what Is known
as a "Block Improvement Movement.":
An the name of the patron organlza-l
lion Indicates, the object of the move?
ment Is to foster civic development. A
parent circle was formed, and since
then a number of other circles havo
been Instituted. Murkcd success has
attended the efforts of their promoters.
The working plan of the circles, as de?
scribed in the last Issue of The Survey,.
Is very simple and practical. It is ibis:
"Tho residents of a block unite to<
r?roducfc more wholesome conditions in
the core of the city square In which
they live. Unsightly fences are clear?
ed away and replaced with wire to ;ro
tect vines and hedges Objections!
backbulldlngs uro demolished. A cara-!
fully planned beauty-park 1? arranged
inside each block. Grape vines, wis?
taria; clematis and climbing roses ore
trained to grow on the front and blick
v.-ulls of the houses."
A notable result of great Interest
and importance to property owners Is
that already In the. blocks embraced ijij
and under the cur? of the several clr-j
cles, th<-re ban beeh an appreciable ad-:
vuitce in realty values In some in-'
s>;> t-.ee?, nnd a decided .-hecklrur In the
tendency to decline of s:uch values In
ft. th? s::ree?.r of the Baltimore ex?
periment there Is. the suggestion that
those of our own fcltli*.ns who have
undertaken to stimulate civic Improve-1
tnent ar ?'. develnr.rner '. might do well to
Httifly the rjpfifatlorja and fruit? of that
er p'.-flrnent. v. Pi. ' he vlrrw to j-lvlng
it a trial her*, fin: >.1 the thUi re.corn
rheridaUons at t'ti? PxWftti* is itixt. kjjthh
from its m*?y appealing to!
und r.-ii' ?>]??? * ?; r: ?:.:\> :? ir,
v.'hlcli especial]} ? ?r.:.l..??S/?-a If? /?/.??<;?
tlrahiiity. The anseht* M tr.ln tr,',r*.
thari ahyiMhg else. I? rniuimiiiiifk f'<:
the alow propre?:- !r. / h?U*r'ffi*flt
Not the leis( roriterripflble iin
.rovofced of file HCt> "t CM? liier?**,
.'?;.-< of t.-.e i j :jf Ivn /'. pa T ' t!ih Ii t 'it
he State of Hodth Carolina, ha?. been
.!n brutal attack ',n th? State Treas
irer, hart discharged 'Ms r.fii'e
ort thousand timer, better thar. Blesse
vor could Ms. snd who wears n?t h 1 n
iddg? ' f honor ar. empty -sleeve r.n a
By ihe way, Senator.? folk es an'i
'tarman ;ue to be warmly comrhshded
or their good work In getting the.
f.lchinond legislation through the Cen?
tral Assembly. That i*bh a. good day'a
.?? ork for Richmond.
I Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., r.ayn that
I Ms baby iIoch not rcsflmblj Its grand?
father, oil well, It takes time for
teeth to .grow.
On the Spur of the Moment
By Roy K. Mouiton
Sil.
(With apologies, lu John Lancaster
Bpalding.)
Inaudible move dav and nlghi
And noiseless grows tho dower;
?Heilt are pulsing wings ?f light.
And voices licets the hour.
Thb moon uttern no word when sue
walks through tin heavens bare;
I'lio stars t'orevi r silent lice
And songlesa c.~' un through a'r.
Hani adoration has no tongue:
No words iKis holiest prayer.
1 ho IntiUst mountain peaks union8
Is stillness everywhere.
These things arc not at all amirs.
Hut, honestly, did vim
B'er think thai it wotild come to this?
T. It, Is BllClli, loo.
Um biirrunNlng n uiueiita.
When you bluff on deuces and every?
body stays.
U hen Wifo rinds the !?"? t HI you have
secreted beneath tl.al pile in the
basement.
When the minister calls suddenly
und (Inda the oh) rye bottle on the I
man tel.
When company comes and the rook ;
demands a raise in wages bet?re serv?
ing; the dinner.
When the suspenders part company i
right In the middle of a two-step.
Cn light oe Ihr Ply.
When General in l I farewell to I
the soldiers K?llig, lb ?'htna It must'
have been n ringing speech.
Philadelphia Is going to have a new
convention hull, It should be pro?
vided with cots.
The Gomes boys are thinking sonm
"f starting another revolution in Mex?
ico. No man by that name ever thinks
of anything else.
An artist In making n:t oil painting
of President Tuft. H '!'? havo to paint
fast or he'll run out of paint before
he gets hip Jo* don- .
So Ohio Is to hnvo .v new Constitu?
tion. Her old one has been terribly
run down since the vote-buying scan?
dal.
If Dr. Mary Walker thinks collar
buttons drive mej, crazy, what does
she think of suspender buttons?
To hour them t:ili; everybody in this
country predicted an old-fnshldned
winter.
>'? nator Lee, of Detroit, says he sees
victory In 1912. Yes. Indeed, but for
whom?
According; to I nelc timer.
The first real test of married life is
to find out which on.- i.- going to net up
an,i put the cut out.
Ahse -Judson had it good Joke on a
burglar the other night. The burglar
told A use to throw up bis hands and
keep still, and Ansr laughed and toid
him to help himself Veil see. the bur
?- i 11 lid., know ?hat > committee for,
tlie rummage sale had been there that
day and had gone through the boo....
with a vacuum elchnef an.', pick...I up'
everything worth while. A burglar's
life must be full of dleappolnttnenta
There tire a good many better ways
to get a reputation tot iiavlri' n lot of
money than toy pulling out n roll of'
hills In a saloon.
The only feilers who seem to hnve i
a cine), oh not --ettitr killed ore thorn
which icke part In th< Central Amer?
ican wars. It's a good deal safer than i
work In' on a railroad or driving u rne- ;
ing ontmoblle.
It is said that President Taft Is'
constantly .surround-?! by a largo party j
of friends. Well, by gum. tt takes a |
large party of friend- surround him.
It doesn't seem as though the Derby I
hat ami the four^lii-hahd necktie that ;
hooks on wt'.li n rubber are ever going
to gn out of style.
Some fellers are just naturally bdrh
foolish and others wear white hats In
the winter time.
Hank Ttimiha has drunk up five of
his Christmas presents and |s saving
the last one for hi* blrthdsy
Nothing Is Impossible 1" 'hl? world.
Anse Judson has got an electric light
It, his house tl.at you light by pulling
down n ehnlr: and put out by nulling
.town the rtnme chnln. I kin solve the
nehulnr hypothesis and the fourth 'II
menslons. but this llmerack Is away
beyond me.
Voice of the People
Uniform Monkkecplug,
To the Editor i The Times-Dispatch:
Sir.?The leading editorial of The
Times-Dispatch of January 24, 1012,
under 'he caption of "Uniform Book?
keeping for the State," la but the repe?
tition of an Insistent demand on the J
part of a clique of accountants who
uro extremely anxious to make places
for themselvei indcr tho specious pre?
tense of discharging a public service.
As a matter if fact, their proposi?
tion is Impracticable?amposistblc or
execution by tht means they suggest
Th^ people rule, and they have pro?
vided on cqult iblb and i'uftlclent audit
or all '.axes collected. The boards ?'t
supervisors, ?- ic heads of the county
administration of financial affairs,
have ample authority to audit, and do
audit, all levies laid by their author?
ity. The county school boards audit
with chastening exactness all receipts
end disbursements of all school fund-t.
slid the roa l r>nards of the districts
Perform a similar nerv'.cs In the audit
Of road funds; each In tholr turn make)
the preliminary estimates for taxation
purposes, which riocorno* ir.A basis of
their audit, all of which la effectively
?::r:led out, a* Ik evidenced by tho
Statistical re;".r-n of tho Superinten?
dent of Pub;: Instruction, and It also
become.* a matter of record, and Is
recorded In n ?? rd books to be found
in the county clerk's office, under tho
general supcrvi ion of the board of
supervisors, whi e duty It Is by law.
In the receipt and disbursement of
county levies .',r schools and roads
?rid county irovornmerit, the State is
not concerned in that sense which
makes them Hie Imperators nnd Im?
perialistic auditors of the people's af?
fairs, Whlefh do not concern the State,
and the principle of local solf-govorn
ment must obtain.
Tho people a whole nro honest
l ! tr ie to M emselves nnd to eneh
t! '.. and the; Insist upon honestv In
Ir public .vice, and that mnn
ilbcj) not live ivho can rob and con?
tinue to roh th< rn.
The people do innko mistakes; they
can ?fford it better than most of us.
for the people rtild and are competent
10 audll I hi r riwn accounts without
the Intervention of self-seeking, self-,
promoting, so-called accountants,
Ah to State accounting, the land and.
Abe Martin
It's nlmbsi impossible t" be bfHcloht
without koln' obnoxious, w.'d nil git
On tii' wator wagon if It run often
enough,
THE USUAL LIFE OF THE MODERN
MUSHROOM CROESUS.
_By John T. McCutcheon.
ICopvrlrlit IP1? nr j?hn T McCu-.-tifir. 1
Pittsbure
Broaduxiy,
Pari?,
Pareth.
property hooks are uniform In tho
fact that they uro furnished by the !
State to each and every county and
city In the Commonwealth, nnd from
their footings the Auditor of Virginia
l.s able to exactly tabulate the entire,
assessed valuation and tax extensions,
fi r Slate, county and city, for govern- i
input, pensions, schools nnd roads.
These books are made up by the com- |
missioners of revenue with nil the,
??are and clerkly skill that he l.s capa- >
bio of exercising. He necessarily re- j
quires the assls.tanco of a clerk, who i
Is recommended to him for his profi?
ciency an 1 exact knowledge In this j
character of work, and there are sev-I
oral of these In each district
The clerk of thu county court. In the
discharge of his public duty. Is re?
quired to compare these books with1
the former book, verifying every
change or transfer of Inn I for which i
he has furnished n certificate to the |
commissioner, and In all respects this '
Is u technicality Hint cannot, in theory,!
be Improved upon, and It It usually
well dono. A copy of this book Is filed
In the county clerk's olllco, a copy Is
sent to tho Auditor of Public Accounts
? ?f Virginia; n copy l? furnished to
the county or city treasurer. Their
uniformity Is complete and unques?
tioned, and any accountant knows
their sequence is uniform; und In sub- t
Sequent accounting he must follow .
their load, as Is proved by tho Audi?
tor's :c;.ort and tabulations.
The Auditor of Virginia, on the re- '?
eelpt of ills copy, tries or tests the
extensions, verities the footings and
recapitulations, compares and charges
to ilio treasurers of the counties und,
i liles. and he rarely falls to discover I
uny errors fiV the make-up of the'
books, while tho county treasur ir de?
fensively audits his copy, while the
clerk to the board of supervisors au
dlta that copy or the ropy on file In
the county clerk's office, ?o ?hat In all j
respects the audit Is complete and per- I
feet, without the possibility of COllU-|
slon. There Is no Inducomont to ills- 1
honesty; there |h absolutely nothing
to be gained; while their uniformity
furnishes the bosis of a uniform sys?
tem of aecoe.mtlng. No accountant
Clin avoid the sequence. No treasurer
con adopt n system ct variance with
lh*m. lie may f n 11 to keep his ac?
counts correctly, but. If kept at all.
tho commissioner's books furnish the
uniform basis.
A certain restraining sense of le?*
majeste in its application to the pow?
ers that be?lese majeste as to too
great officos which are occupied?ties
my bunds or tongue in giving expres?
sion to certain conceived Ideas that
force thomselvea upon my mind.
However, the Tax Commission bill
has found Its Waterloo. Vour distin?
guished citizen?distinguished now, If
never before?Henry Pollard, Jr.. is tin
Bluchor who swept aside the old
guard. He correctly defines It.
Trie constnnt nagging of a puv!!c
official very naturally provokes hl? re- 1
sentment, so that the mnn who I.? ap?
pointed on the theory that the public
Ofllciul is dishonest can hardly expect
to ne mot with that genorou^ cordial?
ity which a man extends to his friends.
I am not tho treasurer's a,pologi.-.i
when he uses hi? official Influence osl
u political football, and be Is Justly
amenable to criticism. That there Is a ;
coterie amongst them who exercise
an undue Influence In the State's af?
fairs Is common knowledge To nfllrm
that nil the county nnd city treasurers
are members of tiilc coterlo could not
be supported by fnets. A "linker's
dozen" mil 'probably constitute the
whole coterie,
j Concert of action In related matters
nffoetllig their own Interests Is to be
I expected. The setting aside tho con?
stitutional limitations as to tenure of
I nffica wag the natural result of thin
COhoslbn. Yot nfty treasurer? of the
K:rit.> could or would probably deny
j their affiliation with this coterie, nnd
prove It. too.
That The Tlmcs-fDIspatch would lend
Its editorial columns to servo private
Interests as opposed to public policy
In a mutter where the line of distinc?
tion Iis elearly marked Is opposed to
lla traditions, and therefore Impossi?
ble.
It is everybody's concern that there
should be maintained In the great
heart of Virginia an Indopendent, eon
serviitlvd organ of public opinion, with
Incisive knowledge, subordinating Its
columns to no Individual interest that
violates public comity. The Tax Com.
mission bases Us conclusions largely
upon the assumption that It Is dealing
with a body of dishonest officials, but
who nr.>, as a whole, equol to' any
similar body of men In any country In
integrity of character nnd public
honor. Vor poV^iloal rotations their
tenure of office should have remained
as lived in the Constitution. S.
Bcntonvlllc.
PonNlnno of Confederate Soldier*.
? To tho I-lJItor of The Times-Dispatch;
Sir,?We remember with gratitude
' your editorial of November 1, in your
vnlunbls and highly esteemed paper,
entitled "Cut on Pensions." und there
... a cause! ami somebody Is responsible
for the Injustice to the Confederate
soldiers. Governor Mann. In his In?
augural address, said thj old soldiers'
ins: claim deserved to be first con.
sldercd, but Instead it was first neglect?
ed, disregarded and scaled. For this
abuse and many other errors theVe
does not seem to be any reasonable or
justifiable txctiso. The people send rep?
resentatives to enact Just nnd ap?
propriate laws for the good of [he en?
tire State and not just to suit nnd tip*
p;v to needs and conditions of their
special locality or neighborhood, but
Ilvese laws should safeguard the honor
ami interest of the entire Slate and
I Its people. Wo ant from tlmo to time
t informed, by tueso ropruaentatives and
the Governor thiit the natural resources
ol tho Stute are hetng developed and
so utlllr.-fd us never before, that the
agricultural Interests tinder new mnthi
? ??is are producing more than ever;
that manufacturing industries ,ir.; be?
ing established and operated "if over
th ? state, ami all prosperous In t!:?
upbuilding of every interest, to tho
end that the Stato is being enriched,
und Is to-day In a more prosperous
condition than it ever was, certainly
sines the war ended. Wo have had
the pleasure of hearing the Governor
In Chase City last October, where hi
, roved lo his large and attractive uu
dlenco thai ihtse ?ro facts that should
not be doubted nnd could not be suc?
cessfully disproved, nnd tve understood
tb it materially and financially the
Slate Im In advance of her sister South?
ern statin?, lie said t.t.u iho old Con?
federate soldier and his children had
done very much to the upbuilding of,
every Interest that had made prosper?
ous all combined efforts to thi enrich?
ing and Improvement of all lines ot
business. Then the cause of iho State
Jiot being able to meet Its Just obliga?
tion;; must be for want of n 'ressury
laws, or neglect to execute the laws,
and the citizen's of this great Common?
wealth are looking more than ever for
thu causa or this disregard of their
rights und Ifttort-sts, und It would be
Strange If they should fall to s?u some
Of tho gross errors that aro and have
be?n permitted. I'lrat. there is a largo
per cent, of the counties of the Stale
that are drawing on the .Stale to pay
their county expenses, wh >n It 1m known
that In these counties there Is plenty of
good property. If taxed as It should be,
to pay a revenue lo the State. Ar Ii is.
a few towns and counties are taxed to
keep tip these counties and meet the
cntito demands of tho State, and If
these guardians of people's honest
rights call this condition of things wise.
Just ami honest, wc aro talstakcn In
what I? Just. Second, every tsf slide
person approves of education and good
highways, liu, falls lo see the Wisdom
Of the State eneouruglng this wava ot
unjustifiable expansion that bus been
going on for tho past five or ?In years,
...-.! especially in the cause of educa?
tion, to tho extent that {2..-...0.'.''?;::.
was appropriated for public education
during the year lull, und this was
more than half of the entlr? appropria?
tions of the State for ail purposes, ex?
cept the $160.OOP for care of soldiers,
end where we Und that this vust wave
Is calculated to produ;e iho system or
I theoretical education, in which, to an
alarming extent, the fundamental prin?
ciples of true euucat'on are l "Ing tils
regarded, tho young minds ? rowded
beyond capacity, and thinking people
aro surprised that the lawmakers
j should continue to paralyse tne llnnn
i cl.al Interests of tho State with exces?
sive appropriations, so that It la un
I able to meet Its honest obligations.
Tho old soldiers have done very lit?
tle complaining, and their pride and
I honor forbid their being classed an
I beggara. They aro only asking for
' what Is their Just dues for thu sacri?
fice made and servlcs rendered, and
now that Iho State Is able. It Is not
unbecoming In them. If still neglected,
to hold It as a shameful neglect of
legislation und B disgrace to th; Staio
they have always defended, l'or sev?
eral years a soldier totally disabled re?
ceived |3C each year (or less. If money
did not hold out), this being 13 pet
month, not enough to furnish him with
a shelter, to say nothing of fuel and
food. Tho appropriation for the caro
of soldlcrn ought to tie $1.000,000. and
If the lawmakers and those employed
to ?nforco the law do their duty It
would not bo a burden. If all property
was properly assessed In all the coun?
ties, for the Stato to do this nnd still
provide for all necessary expenses and
justifiable expansion. An individual
that acquires and continues to improve
and expand Iiis property and posses?
sions and evades his Just dues Is not
considered honest, and a Stato is no
moru Justifiable than an Individual.
Chase City. II. P. J.
(For four years a member of Com?
pany B, fourteenth Virginia Regiment,
Armlstend's Brigade.)
Crltiei/.e.s fJinter Pnrk Commuters,
To the Editor of The Tlmcs-Dlspatch:
Sir.?I have seen with considerable
regret the artlcl-3 In this column
signed "Boston," In which a visitor to
Richmond, from thnt city, adversely
criticises the courtesy and good man?
ners of men on the. Gl liter Park car to?
ward women. I have, occasion to uso
the various car lln^s of the city ;il
rno>t dully, and have never met oth?
er than courtesy and consideration from
men, except from tho men of
Clnter Park. During this week I took
a car In Barton Heights, which was al?
ready fliled with Glntcr Park men. No
ono was standing In the aisle, and I
took my place midway of the enr and
was allowed to stand then alone,
with in-n of Glhter Purk sitting: tili
around mo. I wus honestly mortified
for my townsmen. :ind realize that the
artlele written by "Boston" cannot be.
attacked. It Is very rarely that a lady
Is offered a trial on a Hinter Park
car by ?Unter Hark men, as I know by
repeated experience, mid It I? very hol
ilom that a lady must stand on any
other II I e of the city.
It la my sinc e h"pe that this ar?
ticle may d<> good. K,
Barton Heights.
A Kentiicltlnn Ignlnst Wntterson.
To the Editor or The Tlmos-Dispatch:
Sir,?Can you not Induce Dr. Wiley
to examine tbd whiskey old map. Wat
terson has been drinking. It I.? ?lan
gerous for a man of his ago to ehaturc
drinks: Washington whiskey got aim
Into trouble once before ami old man
(irover Cleveland had to show h'm
a thing or two. We plain Democrats
want Woodro-.v Wilson and wo can
elect him If some obi Hacks don't
i get to shooting off tholr mouths too
'much. I'ul a stopper on Wattcrsoti
and send him on to '.he sandhills
of Florida. There he can relieve nil
pent-up feollngS by telling tho sea?
gulls an.I alligators of his troubles.
Now. let's get toitother and put a
Democrat In the While House We
can do it If Watterson and his klmi
will Just go way back ?:id sit down
und kc< p qulot. Hurrah for Wood
row Wilson. th.? people's choice for
President! JAMES MAJIONBV.
; rsducah, Ky.
-?
Oryatal Shrlnea of Nature.
In crystal shrines of Nature, where
tho Joy of Springtime dream.-;.
? The cry of weary roundsmen break?
the lonely solitude:
I While lov.' lie.-, :,. r:!:.c ail serene In
happiness that seems
Rouslnir bright visions of the dead
now silent atnl ?.ubdued.
I
J Amid vast unseon chambers of de?
parted ecstasy.
Winter anoints tho bosom with a
purifying balm
That heil,, each wound of sorrow and
revives the absent glee,
j in blissful resurrection <<: the sprint:
! sublime and calm.
The beauty of last Summer will re
turn und bloom anew.
On bleak and hoary ruins of each
shattered flower" and leaf;
Soon runs Its course and withers, even
as proud mortals do.
Then vanish In th) shadow of a
seeming awful ?rief.
The Power thnt molds and fashions
all the s.-crets In the earth.
Speaks through enchanted slicnci*
of the ages' endless fate:
To all who may behold life In th?
inarch o'f death and birth,
while passing through brier changes
to attain a perfect state.
Sylvan spirits rustle in th* cold and
Meekly chanting a parting dirge lo
all cor.cenlefl from view;
Blended with mis?y voices that awake
the haunted hours
Among the hidden darkness whore
faint mystic sparks shine
through.
GEORGE SANDS JOHNSON.
] AgnlriNt "finl-vnnlrntlon" of fhr Uni?
versity.
, To the Editor of The Times-Dispatch:
Sir?Cut out the dovecote proposed
1 for the university students,
j The university tins been pure gold for
.generations, and I'll be hanged if we
1 want It gal-vanlzcd at this late date.
' Long Qlade. W. N. REED.
QUERIES &
ANSWERS
"Don't You Knoir!"
j A correspondent has kindly sent
copy of tho poem asked for by some
ono a few weeks ago. It Is hardly
? meritorious enough to print here, but
? the copy will be forwarded to tho
I person who wanted It If he will send
j stamp.
I San kTronclMcn Doss. ?
Please Inform mo what sentence win
I passed on Ituef. the San Francisco
I boss. Is he now In prison? A. B. C.
Abraham Rurf was sentenced tri
j nerve fourteen years In the California
IPenitentiary. Tho term began March
.7, 1011, and he Is now In prison.
RICHMOND, VA.
solicits your account, active or inactive, small or large. We
pay 3 Per Cent. Compound Interest on all savings accounts.
One dollar will start you.
CAPITAL ?- . - - $1,000,000
j SURPLUS - - - $600,000