VIRGINIA. 



793 



coupons for taxes. No heed was taken of the 

 injunction order by the Attorney-General und 

 other officials, whereupon Judge Bond tined 

 them for contempt of court. Refusing to pay 

 the fine, they were imprisoned, but were at 

 once released upon habeas corpus returnable 

 before the United States Supreme Court. In 

 that court, on December 6, their application 

 was granted, and Judge Bond's decision was re- 

 versed on the ground that the injunction pro- 

 ceedings were in violation of that article of the 

 Constitution which forbids any suit against a 

 State by citizens of another State, or by citi- 

 zens or subjects of any foreign state. " The 

 Coupon Crusher," as the new act was called, 

 remained, therefore, at the close of the year, 

 unimpaired. 



Other legislation of the session, suggested by 

 the Governor, included an act im posing a penalty 

 on officers of the State for receiving coupons for 

 taxes except for identification or verification ; an 

 act adopting the code as submitted by the code 

 commission and providing for an index; an 

 act repealing part of the tax on drummers ; and 

 an act giving the Governor authority to pro- 

 vide for the insane in jails till they could be 

 transferred to asylums. The following bills 

 were also passed : 



To provide for the care of the colored insane, and to 

 enlarge for that purpose the Central Lunatic Asvlum. 



Appropriating $72,000 to pay the claims allowed 

 disabled soldiers and marines under an act approved 

 Feb. 24, 1884. 



To provide for the payment of Virginia's due pro- 

 portion of the joint expense of re-running and re- 

 marking a portion of the boundary-line between Vir- 

 ginia and North Carolina under" the act of March 6, 

 18S6. 



To punish persons fraudulently using coupons. 



To secure to operatives and laborers engaged in and 

 about coal-mines, manufactories of iron and steel, and 

 all other manufactories the payment of their wages at 

 regular intervals and in lawful money of the United 

 States. 



To direct a sale of the State's interest in the Alex- 

 andria Canal Company. 



To provide for the keeping of a record of coupons 

 purporting to have been clipped from bonds 01 the 

 btate, tendered for taxes, ana to impose a penalty for 

 twice tendering the same coupons. 



To appropriate 0,000 to the Western Lunatic Asy- 

 lum for improvements. 



To protect the crab industry. 



To provide for the removal of obstructions from the 

 Chickahominy river. 



To provide for the appointment and removal of 

 district school trustees. 



To co-operate with the United States in the sup- 

 pression and extirpation of plcuro-pncumonia and 

 other contagious diseases among domestic animals. 



To punish false pretenses in obtaining the registra- 

 tion of cattle and other animals, and to punish giving 

 false pedigrees. 



Requiring insurance companies upon the assessment 

 plan to obtain a license from the State to do business, 

 and otherwise regulating them. 



The session adjourned finally on May 24, 

 having passed 480 bills and joint resolutions, 

 nine tenths of them being local or special. In 

 December the new Legislature, elected in No- 

 vember, began its regular session, which was 

 not concluded at the close of the year. On 



December 20, it elected Congressman John P. 

 Barbour United States Senator, from March 4, 

 1889, to succeed Harrison H. Riddlebergi-r. 

 Barbour, who was the unanimous nominee of 

 the Democratic caucus, received 87 votes to 48 

 for ex-Senator William Mahone, the Republican 

 candidate. 



finances. The balance on hand in the treas- 

 ury Oct. 1, 1887, was $352,181.22. The receipts 

 during the fiscal year, ending September 80, 

 amounted to $2,569,338.73, and the disburse- 

 ments to $2,637,138.25, being $67,799.52 more 

 than the revenue ; but included in the expen- 

 ditures is $143.070.84 advanced under the act 

 of April 6, 1887, to the treasurers of the coun- 

 ties for the support of the public schools until 

 the taxes could be collected for that purpose. 

 Of that amount $107.015.82 has been returned. 

 These disbursements also embrace special ap- 

 propriations to the building funds of the East- 

 ern, Western, Southwestern, and Central Luna- 

 tic Asylums, and to the Colored Normal School, 

 also $52,200 paid to Washington and Lee Uni- 

 versity, being the last arrears of interest due on 

 bonds held by it, and $25,000 used by the 

 commissioners of the sinking fund in purchase 

 of Riddleberger bonds. It also comprises the 

 interest paid on Riddleberger bonds and cou- 

 pons forced into the treasury, which, being 

 redeemed, represent interest on the public 

 debt. 



The number of tax-receivable coupons out- 

 standing at the end of the last fiscal year was 

 $4,278,696.50. The number of tax-receivable 

 coupons that found their way into the treasury 

 on judgments for taxes during the year was 

 $81,620.50. 



Of the new 3-per-cent. bonds $2,280,643.60 

 are held by the sinking fund, and $1,342,327.28 

 by other State funds, leaving $19,572,526.89 as 

 the actual liability of the State. Nearly one 

 third of the whole debt has been refunded 

 under the Riddleberger act. 



Education. The report of the State Superin- 

 tendent of Education for the year ending July 

 31, presents the following statistics regarding 

 public schools: School population (white), 

 345,022 ; (colored), 265,249. Number of pupils 

 enrolled (white), 206,638; (colored), 115,546. 

 Average attendance (white), 121,571 ; (colored), 

 69,949. Number of schools (white), 5,047; 

 (colored), 2,093. Number of teachers (white), 

 5,305 ; (colored), 1,856. Average monthly 

 salary (male), $31.20 ; (female), $26.62. Value 

 of school property, $1,907,775. 



The average length of the school year in- 

 creased from 5'92 months in 1886 to 6-01 

 in 1887. There were 292 new school-houses 

 built during the year the increase of schools 

 was 377, and of teachers 376. There was 

 also an increase of 16,888 in the total en- 

 rollment for the year. The total expenditures 

 for all school purposes amounted to $1,585,289. 

 The percentage of school population enrolled 

 and in average attendance shows a slight ad- 

 vance over the previous year. There has beeu 



