Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-08-14
CALL OF A CONVENTION.
RICHMOND. AUGUST IL.
To the Editor Of the Enquirer.

have read with great satisfac tion
the letters. both of the first and second Sc
ries, from Gentlemen in the Upper Coun
try, TO their Friends in Richmond. Their
views with respect 70 the propriety of re-
forming the State Constitution, appear to
be generally correct, and their arguments
are recommended by l,berahty and cantlor.
which must contribute very much to their
success. / rejoice to find that this intercs-
ting subject OF Convention is about to be
taken out of the hands of disappointed
Bank faction, and that " very general
determination" is diffusieg itself amongst
the people Of the Upper County to take no
step nit. without leg jslative concurrence"
Such a determination is worthy of free
people, who keoS how to appreciate the
blessings which they have always enjoyed
under the present Constitution, and who
know how dangerous it will be to the
tranquility and happiness of the Common
wealth to enter on the work of reformation
with exacerbated feelings, and with a spi-
rit of Z" rash violence"
should not Nv trouble you with any
remarks on tn S subject, bat that The state
ments which are made in the 5 Letter
sigred L. p. respecting the inccusli.y of
taxation in the different sections of the
Commonwealth, are calculated to mislead
the public mind, on a subject as important
as the inequality of representation. and in
timately connected with il. The object of
the writer is to prove, that the lower coun-
try hes no reason to complain of an inc =
quality in the public burthens, and that
therefore the lower country can oppose no
bar to the Just remonstrances of the Upper
Country against our undue weight in the
Legislature. He commences with laying
down two propositions, which he endeavors
to prove the first is, that the country west
of the Blue Ridge pays its full proportion
| of the Land Iar, and the Country east Of
the ridgs pays no more than its just pro-
portion the second is, thot the West IN
section pays very nearly It's full Dr porto,
of all the Taxes, whist the Low Country
pays very ittle more than its just proper
| tion.
Letus suppose, sir, that p P. has proved
! both of lis propositions S.i!l he has { lied
in proving that the inequality in the Lind
and other Taxes, is not as burthcnsome
to the toa1er country (properly Understood
as tire rnequ li'ty OF representation is M
just to the upper. He mistakes the nature
Of the complaint. What is the real COM
plant, and what is the part Of the country
which complains? have never understood
|
! the Rivers and thu B,ue Ridge, complain
thai they are unequaliy ta0d it is that
country which conposcs the first district
under the equalizing law ESQ, caied,) OF
! 1852, and which embraces the Is lower
Counties. that complains Of the unequal
! taxes.
y. p. blends the first and second classes,
and then gravsiy proves to ;hcm that they
need not complain that they pay no more
| than their just prnportion.Wha con, ISOLATION,
sir, does it afford 20 the residents IN the first
! class, who pay too much, to inf rm them that
the people in the second class, who, fer the
| most part, reside or this side of the Blue
| Ridge. pay too little, aud that their excess
| Of taxation is countcrbalanced by the def
cit Of the second Glass; 1t certainly affords
none. If pay twice as much as ought
to pay, it matters not, whether the cores
poncing deficiency exist ia the middle or
10 the transmontane country. If the Sy.
nopt,ca Table of z. Z. be formed on cor
rect principles and calculations, it appear:
that of the whole aggregate taxes Of the
| year 1906, as actually assessed, and which
amounted to the sum of S293,SO1 only. the
first class Of counties. as arranged under
the Land Tax law, paid mere than its due
proportion, to the amount Of SiS,500, that
is, nearly twentieth of the whole revenue
of the State of that year. ] ask, whether
the injustice Of this dsproportionate sys-
TEN of taxation is in any degree lessened
by the information given To Us by the same
calculator. that during the same year. the
second class of counties paid to- h'tie by
the sum of St4,903. Surely. It is not les
sened, and to the . op!e OF the Lower
Country this calculation gives no more
pleasure than to be Informed, that during
the same year, the shird class OF counties
paid also too little by nearly third OF the
whole amount Of taxes paid By that class
So much, SIR, for p. P's. propositions which
may be true. and yet the lower country
may have as much reason to complain OF
the inequality of taxation, as the western
Counties Of the inequality OF representation
AS the exhibition Of The letter .wrlt.r''
calculations ON tive subject Of taxation, may
induce the people of the upper couniry &c
suppose that they alOHc are injured BY the
present Constitution, aud that we have
not the smallest reason 90 complain, have
thought it important that his errors should
be detected, and the real state Of the inc
quality laid before your readers. Fol
this purpose, havc entered on the calcu-
Iation with the same materials used by =
z. and with the aid Of "A few other Gocu
meuts. The results are in some degree
variant from his, and, a.tho' the subject i
dry, and NAV De unintcreStiag TO mani
persons, yet hope you Will give them I
piacei 10 your paper,