Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-04-28

that, under all the circumstances OF the
case, they acted CORRECTLY in not raising
the taxes although the necessary conse-
quenCc may be that at the next session
| this measure must be adopted. The friends
of monarchy and energetic government,
whose maxim is not to be governed by the
wishes of the peop,c, but To regard their
happiness or misery as objects unworthy o.
attention, may sneer at the patriotic lcgis-
lators of Virginia, and accuse them of fall
ing through the love of popularity, to pro-
vide the funds requisite for the support of
government but on the present occasion,
those rcproaches are unjust and unavailing.
The great advantage, we conceive, which
a republic possesses over a monarchy, con-
ssts in the very thing which those gentle
men deride; to wit, in the respect which
the representative is apt to pay to the will
of his constituents. The people indeed in
that happy system, govern themselves by
means Of their representatives, and there
fore are always disposed not to lay upon
their own shoulders more heavy burdens
than they can bear: whereas, i'll what is
called an energetic government, those who
impose the taxes are quite different per-
sors from those who are to pay them. EX-
allied above the people, they have only to
spend the money extracted from thcm, and
therefore regardless of their miserics, eX-
tract it from them without mercy. Such
we hope will never be the feelings or the
conduct of those who are elected to serve
the people of Virginia.
Ii must be acknowledged, however, that
as obedience to the wishes of his constitu-
ents and attention to their comfort are viz
tues in a republican legislator, so, on the
contrary, that extreme fondness for popula-
rity, which would prevent his voting for
such necessary taxes as can be collected
and paid without oppression, would be
vice We grant too, that the influence of
this vice has sometimes been felt lii the Nir-
ginia Assembly, as well as i'm all other re-
preventative bodies; 1t is indeed difficult
to Judge OF the motives of men since, such
IS the infrmity of human nature, that pure
and impure motives are often blended togo
ther, and the shades of virtue and vice so
intimately connected, that a very nice dis
elimination is necessary to separate them
from each other. The in0rdinate love
of popularity, or the pitiful fear of losing
it, by doing well may therefore some
times be concealed under the appear
ance Of obedicncc to the will Of the people !;
& none but the Deity who made the heart
ofman, and to whom all its secret emotions
arc known, can at all times certainly distin-
| guish between them. One criterion indeed,
enables the wisdom cf man on common &C
casions to make the Just distiction between
the faithful servants of the public, and the
/ false pretenders TO patriotism it is the
| reCttude and utility OF their H;cGaUreS,
from which their RiofiUe8 viii generally be
sufficiently discovered for practical purpo-
SEES. According to this criterion we may
pronounce that the motives of the last &c
neral Assembly were pure and Patriotic :;
but the same compliment could not with
truth be paid to their successors, if plen-
tiul harvest ofthe fruits OF the earth should
di!fuse plenty through the state, and thew
should then refuse to supply the deficiency
in the revenue by raisingth taxes
Attempts, indeed, have been made by
sundry acts passed at the last session, to
bring more money into the treasury; and
also to prevent its going out. The additi-
onal tax on ordinary licenses VIII be pro-
| ducuve of a small sum and an act to "a
mend the act more efectually TO provide
for the payment of taxes upon lands within
this commonwealth, will probably add very
considerably to the revenue in few years.
BY that act, any tract of land, the taxes on
which have heretofore remained, or shall
hereafter remain unpaid for two years, is
to be forfeited to the commonwealth, and
not subject to location, but redeemable at
any time within three years after the for
| telture upon payment Ofthe taxes due there
upon according TO certain rules, to wit !;
that II such payment be made in the first
year, an interest is demanded at the rate
OF 25 if, in the second year, of so and if
in the third year, of 100 per centum per an
mum; saving, as is usual in such cases, the
rights of infants, fcmc3 covert or persons
OF uasound mind, until one year after their
! disabilities shall have ceased, OF their pay
ing all taxes due, with an interest thereon
at the rate OF ten per centum per annum.
! lh's act is ofgreat Importance and ought
to be particularly attended to by the hol-
! ders OF large tracts of land in the western
/ parts of the state, on which no taxes have
! been paid to the commonwealth for many
years; but it cannot Immediately produce
any large supply of revenue.
! The act to empower the Executive to
! appoint persons to collect the arrears of
taxes (oD which we are happy to observe
that the governor and council have acted
will, we hope, in the end, bring into the
| public Golfers many large sums of money,
which have been most fraudulently and un-
| Justly withheld from them but the collec-
tions from this source must necessarily be
difficult and slow.
The measures adopted to prevent mo-
ney from going out of the treasury, have
IN some instances been of a singular nature.
BY the act to appropriate the public reve-
nue., the sum Of nineteen thousand two hun