816 



WAGNER, RICHARD. 



House), it aroused unusual interest, and led 

 to one of the most heated canvasses in the 

 history of the State. The Democrats had de- 

 termined to wrest the State from the control 

 of the Readjusters led by Senator Mahone, and 

 to place it securely in the Democratic column 

 in the next presidential election. Their State 

 Central Committee met in February, and de- 

 termined to call a convention to meet at Lynch- 

 burg on July 25th. The convention met at the 

 appointed time and place, every county being 

 represented except Buchanan, Lancaster, Lee, 

 and Wise. A committee on party organization 

 was appointed, which after deliberation re- 

 ported in favor of electing the chairman of the 

 State Committee by the convention, who should 

 be ex officio chairman of the Executive Com- 

 mittee, that the State Committee should con- 

 sist of five members from each congressional 

 district, and the Executive Committee of five 

 members chosen by the State Committee. The 

 report also defined the duties of the State Com- 

 mittee, and laid down a detailed plan for or- 

 ganization in each congressional district, sena- 

 torial district, county and city and ward dis- 

 trict, and for listing the voters of every pre- 

 cinct; and, in fact, contemplated the most 

 exact and search ing enrollment and instruction 

 of the voters of the State. A committee for 

 each precinct was provided. In several places 

 the word " assessment," referring to collections 

 from voters, appeared. Objection was made 

 to this, but it was allowed to stand, and the 

 report was adopted. John S. Barbour, believed 

 to be the best organizer in the State, was elect- 

 ed chairman of the State Committee. 

 The platform opposed increase of taxation ; 

 accepted as final the recent settlement of the 

 State debt; favored abolition of internal reve- 

 nue ; favored tariff for revenue ; favored free 

 education ; opposed mixed schools ; demanded 

 civil - service reform; and denounced "boss- 

 ism " and " ring rule." 



A Straigbtout Republican Convention, at- 

 tended by about one hundred delegates, was 

 held in Richmond, August 15th, and pro- 

 nounced against the Readjusters. The elec- 

 tion resulted in a decisive Democratic vic- 

 tory. The Legislature was constituted as fol- 

 lows: Senate Democrats, 24; Coalitionists, 



12; vacant seats, 4; total, 40. House Demo- 

 crats, 65 ; Coalitionists, 35 ; total, 100. 



The vacancies were caused by the resigna- 

 tion of Readjusters after the election. 



Subsequently, a sufficient number of Read- 

 justers or Coalitionists were unseated on con- 

 tests to give the Democrats a two-third vote 

 in each House. The aggregate popular vote 

 was as follows: Democratic, about 145,000; 

 Readjuster, about 127,000. In 1881 a Read- 

 juster Governor was elected by a vote of 113,- 

 473 to 100.758 for the Democratic candidate. 

 The following was the vote in 1882 for Con- 

 gressman-at-large : Readjuster, 99,992; Demo- 

 cratic, 94,184; Straightout Republican, 4,342. 

 The election did not pass off without violence. 

 The most serious affray occurred at Danville, 

 just prior to election-day, and resulted in the 

 death of several negroes. The Readjusters 

 claimed that it was instigated by the Demo- 

 crats to intimidate the colored voters and pre- 

 vent them from going to the polls, and that it 

 had that effect. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature convened 

 on December 5th, and was in session at the 

 close of the year. State officers for the term 

 beginning in January, 1884, were chosen, but 

 no considerable legislation had been per- 

 fected. 



Public Revenue. The Governor, in his mes- 

 sage, says: 



Notwithstanding the interception by coupons be- 

 tween the tax-payer and the treasury of more than 

 a half of a million of dollars, the sum remaining to 

 the credit of the Commonwealth on Oct. 1, 1882, was 

 $551,540.51. Dining the year ending Oct. 1, 1883, 

 there has been paid, on account of interest on the pub- 

 lic debt, $313,935.17, and the balance on hand in the 

 treasury as of that date to the credit of all funds was 

 $1,537,204.88. This sum will be increased by several 

 hundred thousand dollars during the current month, 

 but the amount available for general purposes is sub- 

 ject to deduction in the sum of $200,000. yet remain- 

 ing to the credit of the school fund as by proceeds ap- 

 propriated, but yet unexpended, of the sale of trie 

 State's interest in the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio 

 Railroad. During the period commencing on Jan. 1, 

 1882, the floating debt of the State has been practi- 

 cally extinguished. 



The Governor recommends the passage of 

 a law for the regulation of railroads, similar 

 to those of California and Georgia. 



WAGNER, Richard, a German composer and 

 dramatist, born in Leipzic, May 22, 1812, the 

 youngest of nine children, died in Venice, 

 Feb. 1 3, 1883. His father, a petty official, died 

 the same year that Richard was born. His 

 mother married Ludwig Geyer, an actor and 

 painter, who also died when Richard was seven 

 years old. When eleven years of age he at- 

 tempted to write tragedies after the model of 

 Shakespeare. In school he showed no applica- 

 tion, but he studied music by himself, and, 

 when sixteen years old, persuaded his family 



to give him a musical education. Yet, instead 

 of applying himself to study, he attempted to 

 write overtures, one of which was produced m 

 the Leipzic Theatre. Then he attended lectures 

 on philosophy and aesthetics, but he was not 

 more diligent than before, and for a time led a 

 wild student's life, until he became disgusted 

 with dissipation. This was his turning-point. 

 He took up the study of music again, and, un- 

 der the teaching of Theodor Weinlig, soon be- 

 came proficient in counterpoint. His teacher, 

 who was the leader of the Gewandhaus or- 



