VIRGINIA. 



various city, town, and county offices, to the 

 organization of the militia and of the judiciary, 

 and to the Iegislati6n required by the condi- 

 tion of the penitentiary, and the necessity of 

 an asylum for insane colored citizens. With 

 reference to the first suggestion, an act was 

 passed providing that officers under the pro- 

 visional government should continue in office 

 until their successors were chosen under the 

 constitution, and that their acts previously 

 done should be valid. For the purpose of re- 

 organizing the judiciary, the State was divided 

 into 82 districts, for each of which a county 

 judge was to be elected and a city judge was 

 provided. There are five judges of the Supreme 

 Court of Appeals, whose term of office is twelve 

 years, and sixteen judges of the Circuit Courts, 

 who hold office for eight years, while the term 

 of office of the county and city judges is three 

 years. All the judges of the State are chosen 

 by a concurrent vote of the two branches of 

 the Legislature. By the election law passed at. 

 this session, general elections are provided for 

 each year, on the fourth Thursday in May, for 

 township and city officers, and on the first 

 Tuesday after the first Monday in November 

 for State officers and members of Congress. A 

 tax law was passed, providing for a levy of 50 

 cents on the $100, on real estate, railway 

 tracks, canal-beds (one-fifth to go for the pur- 

 poses of free schools), and on personal proper- 

 ty, while a poll-tax is levied for school pur- 

 poses on all males over 21 years of age. There 

 are also taxes on incomes, the earnings of rail- 

 road, canal, anij express companies, licenses for 

 merchants, pedlers, dealers, etc., and adminis- 

 trations, deeds, and suits at law. A plan was 

 proposed by the State Superintendent of Edu- 

 cation for the organization of free schools in 

 the State, which provided for a Board of 

 Education, to consist of the Governor, State 

 Superintendent, and Attorney-General; also 

 for county superintendents and district trustees. 

 Schools are to be kept in each district at least 

 five months in the year ; separate schools, under 

 the same regulations, to be provided for white 

 and colored children. One half of the cost of 

 instruction is to be defrayed by the State, the 

 other half by the county, and the other school 

 expenses by the district. Normal schools are 

 to be established as soon as practicable. By 

 acts passed at this session the following rail- 

 road companies were incorporated: Fredericks- 

 burg and Northern Neck, Rappahannock and 

 Potomac River, and the Atlantic, Ohio, and 

 Mississippi, under which name were consoli- 

 dated the Norfolk and Petersburg, the South- 

 side, the Virginia and Kentucky, and the Vir- 

 ginia and Tennessee Railroad Companies. 



The Legislature assembled again on the 1st 

 of October, and was in session at the close of 

 the year. 



In referring to the hopeful condition of the 

 affairs of the State, Governor Walker, in his 

 message, says: 



Our people everywhere are adapting themselves to 



the changed condition of affairs, with a promptitude, 

 a wisdom, and moderation, worthy of all praise. In 

 obedience to law, in the maintenance of order and 

 the performance of all the duties appertaining to 

 good citizenship, the people of Virginia challenge 

 comparison witn any State in the Union. Every- 

 where within the broad limits of the Commonwealth 

 every citizen is safe and secure in his life, liberty, 

 and the pursuit of happiness. Emerging from the 

 terrible ordeal of 9 four years' baptism of blood, 

 stripped of every thing save incorruptible honor, the 

 people of this commonwealth have again resumed 

 their place in the Union of their fathers, with earnest 

 purpose and fixed determination to fulfil all. the ob- 

 ligations of American citizens. More cannot be re- 

 quired of them less they will not perform. 



The finances of the State are not in a pros- 

 perous condition. Not only is the State debt 

 very large, but the interest thereon has not 

 been paid as it accrued. This is attributed to 

 the increased expenses incident to the peculiar 

 condition of affairs in the State, the adminis- 

 tration of the government by military author- 

 ity, and the partial failure to collect the public 

 revenues. The recognized liabilities of the 

 State on the 1st day of January, 1871, were as 

 follows : 



Debts issued under acts prior to the 17th 



of April, 1861 $31.038,144 59 



Interest due and unpaid thereon 5,312,185 43 



Debt issued and that may be issued under 

 the act of March 2, 18G6. authorizing the 



funding of interest 7.092,310 38 



Interest due and unpaid thereon 2,018,208 59 



Debt on old James Biyer Company stock.. . 95,000 00 



Interest due and unpaid thereon 19,800 00 



Debt on James River and Kanawha Com- 

 pany bonds 201,130 97 



Interest due and unpaid thereon 114,000 97 



Amount of principal and interest on the let 

 of January, 1871 $47,390,840 93 



The assets and securities owned by the State 

 on the 1st of January, 1870, with the balance 

 in treasury added to the amounts of the 

 bonds, held by the State, of sundry railroad 

 companies, were in the aggregate $33,963,276. 

 Of the various stocks, bonds, and claims, some 

 are at par, some are much below par, but con- 

 stantly improving in value, while others are 

 worthless. Of these assets $2,612,776 are re- 

 garded as equal to or more valuable than State 

 bonds. It is thought that in a few years other 

 assets to the amount of $10,048,267 will bo 

 available for the redemption of the State debt, 

 while the sum of $21,302,233.62 "is not now, 

 and probably never will become, of much 

 value to the State." In addition to this largo 

 amount, the State has lost, abandoned, or sur- 

 rendered, $9,739,092. 



According to the ad-valorem system of tax- 

 ation adopted by the constitution, the Gov- 

 ernor estimates the whole actual value of prop- 

 erty, real and personal, in the Commonwealth 

 at $723,115,589. This sum, at the rate of 40 

 cents on $100 the rate established by the 

 Legislature in 1866-'t!7, and which has since 

 been continued will produce $892,462.35, 

 which, increased by $471,793.18 received from 

 interest-paying securities held by the State, 

 and other taxes and licenses, will amount to 

 $1,364,255.53, or more than the sum total of 



