Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-07-22
JEFFE2SoN's MEMOIR AND coRRf
pONDENCE.-(C Continued

7, ia curious 70 see, in the following extraci,
how the arguments and feelings OF the diner
en-, portions Of the Union have changed places
aecordiu. to their interest. The subject is
particularly interesting at this time, In virgin
Ia, where il will form one Of the principal ques-
lions in the discussions Of the approaching
Convention.
sOn Friday, July 10, the committee appoint
ed TO draw the articles OF Confederation report.
ed them, and, on the c2d, the House resolved
themselves into a committee to take them INTO
consideration. On the 3oth and 3ls' OF mat
month, and FIRST If the ensuing, these articles
were debated which determined the proportion,
or ous,a, OF money which each state should
furnish 10 the common treasury, and the man
ner Of voting in Congress. The first OF these
articles was expressed in the original draugh1
in these words: art. XII. All charges OF war
and all other expenses that shall oe INQUIRE"
for the common defence, or general wenare'
and allowed by the United States assembled
shall be betrayed ou; of common treasury
which shall De supplied by The several colonies
in proportion TO the number OF inhaoiian's OF
every age, sex aud qualify, except INDIANS "ot
paving taxes, in each colony, true account oi
n,
shall be ,riennially taken and transmitted 10 the
Assembly of he United Safes
MIR. Chase moved that The quotas should DC
6x,d. no, by the number OF inhabitants OF eve.
~ condition, but by that Of the white inhao-
itants.' Tie admitted that taxation should De
alway. in proportion 20 property; iha' this was,
in theory, the true rule; but that, from varie-
" of difficulties, it was rule which could ne
yer be adop,ed in practice. The value OF the
nrorer,y in every state, could never be eslima'
ted Justly and equally. Some oiher measure
for the wealth of the state must therefore oe
devised, some standard referred 10, which
would be more simple. He considered the
number If inhabitants as toleraoly good CIT
,er,on of pr operIy, and tha, this might always
5r obtained. He therefore thought it the best
mode which we could adopt, with one excep'
ton only: he observed that negroes are proper
~, aad as such cannot be distinguished from
the lands or personalities held in those states
where there are few slaves; that the Surplus
Of prof, which Northern farmer is able 10
Law by, he invests in cattle, horses, &e whereas
a Southern farmer lays out the same surplus
| in slaves There is no more reason therefore
| for taxing The Southern States on The farmer
| head, and on his slaves head, than the Noi'h
eru ones on their farmers heads aud the heads
of their cattle; that the method proposed, would
| therefore, tax the Southern states according &c
! their numbers and their wealth oonJunc''y
| while the Northern would be faxed on numbers
only; tina, negroes; in fact, should not be con
sidrred as members of the ate, mur' than cat
| tie, and that they have no more Interest I'D II.
! MI John Adams observed, that The number
of people were taken by this article, as an IN
SsH sf As Esn9S by what name YOU eae,
your people, whe, her by that Of freemen or o
! slaves; that in some countries .he laboring poo
were called freemen, in others they were calico
slaves; but that the difference as 10 the state
was imaginary only. What matters it whe the
q landlord employing ten laborers on his farm
gives them annual, as much money as vii
buy them the neeessaries OF life, or gives them
those necesssries at shor, hand! The ten la
| borers add as much wealth annually 20 The
state, increase lis rx ports as mach, in the one
case as the other. Certainly 500 freem-B pro
duce no more profi's, no greates surplus FOL
the payment OF taxes, than FIVE hundred slaves
Therefore the state in which are the iaborrrs
called freemeD, should be taxed no more Than
that il which are those called slaves. Suppose
by an extraordinary operation of nature or OF
law, one half the laborers OF state could ia
| the course of one night be transformed into
| slaves; would the state be made the poorer or
The less able TO pay taxes? rha, the condition
of the laborng poor in mos, countries, that oil
The fishermen particularly Of the Northern
States, is as sbjcc, as that Of slaves. 1t is The
number OF la5orers which produces the surplus
for taxation, and numbers, therefore, indisc rim
inalely, are the fair index Of wealth; that il is
the use Of the word properly here, and its
application TO s"me OF the people Of the state,
which produces he fa3lacy. How does he south
ern farmer procure slaves? Either by impor-
tation or by purchase from his neighbor. II
he imports slave, he adds one 10 he oumber
OF laborers in his country, and proportionably,
to its profits and abilities to pay taxes; if he
buys from his neighbor, il is only transfer nf
lahore, from one farm TO another, which doe 8
not change the annual produce Of The state, aud
therefore should no, change its TAX; that il a
Northern farmer works ten laborers on his
farm, he can, it is true, in,es, the surplus Of
ten mems labor in cattle; but SO may the South
ern farmer, working len slaves; that state of
one hundred Thousand freemrn can maintain