844 



VIRGINIA. 



laws to colleges to $54,572, and the full inter- 

 est due to the literary fund, as stated above, 

 to $84,349, making a total interest charge of 

 $1,075,735 ; this sum, deducted from the esti- 

 mated net revenue stated above, minus the tax 

 on consolidated bonds which would be lost on 

 refunding (which amounts to $61,509 per an- 

 num, leaving a future net revenue of $1,336,007 

 applicable to interest payments), would leave 

 an annual surplus revenue of $260,272. If the 

 entire debt, including the consolidated bonds 

 and the debt held by the literary fund and the 

 colleges, were refunded, with half of the arrears 

 of interest added, the bonded debt of the State 

 would amount altogether to $32,881,695, on 

 which the interest at 3 per cent, would amount 

 annually to $986,450 ; this, deducted from the 

 revenue available for interest, would leave an 

 annual surplus in the Treasury at the present 

 rates of taxation of $350,924. 



Governor Frederick W. M. Holliday in his 

 message expressed his views on the subject of 

 funding the debt as follows : 



I am not of those who believe that a heavier rate 

 can not be borne to accomplish so grand an object as 

 the fulfillment of the State's obligation and the pres- 

 ervation of her credit objects which, in a republic 

 like ours, far transcend every private consideration ; 

 indeed, which elevate private considerations, and make 

 them partake of the strength and virtue of the Com- 

 monwealth itself. The investment of more taxes in 

 such a cause would yield a far greater revenue than 

 that invested in any war in which our ancestors ever 

 engaged for the vindication of the right, both in tho 

 material development of our resources, and the hardy, 

 robust, and honest growth of our people's character. 

 That increase, however, need not be resorted to now. 

 With the present laws properly enforced, the reve- 

 nues will meet the requirements of the act, and leave a 

 handsome surplus in the Treasury. . . . Whatever 

 may be the views of some, I feel that should the present 

 funding bill by any means be stopped in its execution, 

 it would be a great misfortune. It has been regard- 

 ed by the world as a fair and honorable settlement 

 between the Commonwealth and her creditors ; and 

 though the funding under it has progressed with re- 

 markable rapidity, considering the impediments that 

 have been thrown in its way, we have every reason to 

 believe that had no opposition been manifested, and 

 its repeal not been mooted, the bonds by this time 

 would have been well-nigh all brought in to be funded 

 under its provisions. 



The popular vote in the November election, 

 which depended on the State issue of the set- 

 tlement of the debt, was divided between the 

 Debt-Payers and Eeadjusters into 69,763 of the 

 former (62,074 Conservatives and 7,689 Repub- 

 licans), and 77,070 of the latter (58,644 Conser- 

 vatives and 18,426 Republicans). The total vote 

 cast for members of the House of Delegates was 

 147,115. The composition of the new House of 

 Delegates was as follows : Conservative Debt- 

 Payers, 42 ; Conservative Readjusters, 40 ; Re- 

 publicans (white), 6 ; Republicans (colored), 11 ; 

 tie vote in Portsmouth, 1; total number of dele- 

 gates, 100. 



A convention of colored citizens, consisting 

 in great part of inhabitants of Richmond and 

 the vicinity, met in that city May 19th, and 

 adopted the following resolution : 



Resolved, That we recommend to our race through- 

 out the State to organize themselves into emigration 

 societies for the purpose of leaving the State j provided, 

 our condition is not bettered by the authorities of the 

 State. 



A Citizens' Association was organized in 

 Richmond, July 25th, for the object of obtain- 

 ing modifications in the State and municipal 

 Sunday laws which require the closing of all 

 places where drinks are sold between midnight 

 on Saturday and sunrise on Monday morning. 



The James River and Kanawha Canal has 

 been repaired by the labor of the convicts in 

 the penitentiary, who have been employed also 

 on the Clifton Forge and other railroads. There 

 were 52 convicts less in the penitentiary at the 

 close of the year, and a daily average of 32 less, 

 than in the preceding year. The cost of their 

 keeping per man was $62.47 for the year, or 

 an average of 17 cents per diem. Of those who 

 have been hired out under contract to railroad 

 companies and other corporations, 42 have es- 

 caped. The mortality in the camps of con- 

 victs thus employed is twice as great as in the 

 prison. The following are the statistics of the 

 penitentiary : Maximum number of prisoners 

 during the year, 1,070; minimum, 1,013; av- 

 erage, 1,041 ; average age of convicts now in 

 prison, 26 years, 3 months, and 1 day ; av- 

 erage sentence of convicts now in prison, 8 

 years, 2 months, and 10 days ; per cent, of de- 

 crease from September 30, 1878, to September 

 30, 1879, 6$- per cent. Number of prisoners 

 for first conviction, 921 ; for second convic- 

 tion, 91 ; for third conviction, 3 ; total, Sep- 

 tember 30, 1879, 1,015. 



The following statement shows that the 

 number of schools and attendance of pupils de- 

 clined in 1878 to nearly one half of what they 

 were in the preceding years : Number of schools 

 (counting each grade in graded schools as a sep- 

 arate school) in 1879, 2,491 ; in 1878, 4,545 ; 

 in 1877, 4,672. Pupils enrolled in 1879, 108,- 

 074; in 1878, 202,244; in 1877, 204,974. Av- 

 erage daily attendance in 1879, 65,771 ; in 

 1878, 116,464; in 1877, 117,843. The aver- 

 age number of months taught in the 2,491 

 schools (1,816 white and 675 colored) which 

 were opened in 1879 was 5'36. The total 

 school population was 483,701280,849 white, 

 202,842 colored. Of the white schools 95 were 

 graded, of the colored 33 ; together, 128. Of 

 the 108,074 enrolled pupils, 72,306 were white, 

 85,768 colored ; of the 65,771 in average daily 

 attendance, 44,540 white, 21,231 colored. The 

 falling off in schools and attendance was ow- 

 ing to the fact that in some districts the debts 

 had been allowed to accumulate until the local 

 boards determined to open no schools, but de- 

 vote the income to paying off the debts ; in 

 others the supervisors had diminished the 

 school levies. Under the bill passed by the 

 General Assembly called the Henkel bill, the 

 sum of $459,515 applicable to the support of 

 public schools is obtained. 



A writ of habeas corpus being applied for in 



