Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-11-09

Ot
Jus, proportion of the number of their cizcr - i
scale OF the population of their respective "o
wouid enable those cities by combination of MN
WIS hnu wenth To govern, without any con,r,l r.
ycnd their corporation limits. And vet This 10
OF the very evils against which tho me mber f,n,
chesterfield. the eloquent advocate of the amend
,ncnt Is DESTROYS to guard this Commonwealth. A
commonwealth, whose territory ia SO utcrscr,od L.,
numerous rivers, that an ovcsgrown market il mo-,
likely to spring up in its bcscm. ~
Mr.. NJ. said ho had considered tho ;,,,.. c,,.
otthe basis of Representations Submitted b,, FL
m'h arising rom tho nature of taxation considered
rs an instrum Mt for raising any given rcyonua 80;
red by the CNigencics Of the Commonwealth i'''
But IT these exgencies shall vary bel yvecr Il; e,
pc iods ~ time, how unstable is this basis mud 60
eaIy II the pressure OF the public burthens shall or
more and more uncq"ul, us they grow or decline in
weight N>''''o ~
In Mary land there is no State tax: Tho cxro,.. =
her government are betrayed nut of the incomc IS .
puohc capital already acquired. The revenue of Tho
s s gr'o' canals OF Ncw-fork, the work of but a
rev years, reaches already noar million of dolIs,s
ana VIII shortly release that Commonwealth wb;cL
mas no" neither land nor poll tax, from tho ne
OF imposing any tax whatever on her citizens
Such principle of representation ms TIM, G..
which our opponents contend, would ;n,,co n,iot
Such circumstances the Imposition and dstrbui;on
OF axes Tor the sake of power merely On Inc n,s
OF CarohnS; han the political power ofthe State migbt
w secured ny The exercise ofvcry little npenuty .,
hh"fity oil the election districts, aud with n Tho
means OF preserving 1t forever IN the saine hands.
nc nave sought as yet IN vain to secure from mis-
twn
funds of the Commonwealth. If tho new CSns,;,
lion shall be silent this sbjec what will nrcva,,
majority OF future Legislature rom apply mo then
TO reduce the pressure Of the taxes on ono nor,, %
the commonwealth, with n view tn its gova,n. -.
IN all other respects, by minority of the peonla n
those who lead such minority Those funds NJ, "
auu,uney suihcen' Tor any such purpose and tho
amendment If adopted, will furnish the opportnn;,
so 10 abuse them VIC opportunity
Not 9hly would every reduction of the taxes which
uI'c'eu 'hcir relative pressure affect the pronosod
taion of them. 'J ""g"eh-
In TINS view of the subject n new principle reoures
70 pe developed. "A considerable augmentation Of
revenue cannot often be affected without incro,a;u
particular taxes on those subjects already toxod
WIN pear augmentation, nor sometimes without al
Ing new subjects to the existing list of taxes.
war inevitably gives rise 10 bot these necas.;,;
oy reducing or suspending some branches of nIyo,,
known. ''u OF uu-
The burthen nf sustaining a forei,, u,,r :.
mas oeen cast by the Federal Constitution upon nm
other governments but u cannot be forgo,,on b. -
member OF this Convention, that it had been found
necessary 10 douhie the revenue Of the Common
wealth during u late war; aud to incur q cnns;J'
bic debt for its defence. part of which romans 80.
unpaid AN any man venture to predict that n sim,
Hur necessity WAL not again arise? Should he do So
Hou'u 'Hls committee cohtde in the prediction: and
'ouhd provision IN our Constitution upon il, No
practical Statesmen will believethat to DO mpossi
oe' winch has actually happened, reject the coun
cii winch would provide for it's recurrence.
no inc
quality OF taxation, arising from war; or national dis
tIcss by averaging with view future representa-
uoh' the taxes of given period according TO the
se"cihe "i - carolina: the effect of any war which
varies the proportions of the public burthens borne by
the citizens ofthe same commonwealth will subssf
IN their Representations long after peace shall have
been restored. and the inequality shall have ceased
review OF our own system of taxation both bc-
fore and since the formation of present Consttu-
ton, would supply all the facts necessary to sus-
tam the positions have assumed
Prior TO the war of 1856 called i'm Europe the ST.
csan war, from its object, and the seven years war,
from lis Duration and, ~ America, the French war,
from the toe whom brought upon the western from
tier OF this Commonwealth, the only of Vr-
gInia had been derived from n poll tax. The first
land tax was laid in III, and an ad valorem tax
the same Ill amount with that upon saves--and
these, were then the only subjects of taxation To
these before the last war had been added taxes on
horses, ordin0uCs merchants licences, and law pro-
cess.
The last not only required large aue1nenta-
taion of the taxes, all these sub ccts but the adj
dton OF number which will not fatigue the Com
uitco by cnumeratng. Since the war, the extraoY-
binary subjects of taxation, have been released but
the pre- existing proportions OF tax the old subjects
has not been restored. Allow me briefly to
run over these changes with the date of their &C.
cnrrencc. In 1909 the land tax 10 cents on the
hundred dollars, of supposed value, according TO the
act oIl1OT' From 1915 TO 1919 the land tax
10 cents on the hundred dollars In 1920 it was re-
duccd by tho new equalzing land law the price paid
BY the West for equnlizng the representation of the
Senate, TO III cents for every hundred dollars Of
tually assessed value. In 1921 It was brought down
to cents upon the estimates at which it remain
ed TIL the last year, when it was again reduced TO
cents, more than fifty per cent Of the of 1920
having been struck off in eight years, and tho land
tax OF 1879 made to bear TO tho land tax proro the
last cqunzing land law apparent ratio ofonc only,
TO more than o.
Ia 1909, before the war, the tax on slaves above
twelve years of Hge was a. cents; in 1915 il was
raised by the war to 30 cents III 8l9 reduced to 20
cents III 1921 TO 53 cents in 1923 To ~ cents, and
nc Iasi reduction brought it down to 10 cents or 4
cents less than It's amount prior to the war.
Tho tax on horses for several yeurs prior to tho
last war was cents. In 1915 it mounted up
TO 20 cents In 1910 It was 80 cents; ~ 1921 I3b
cents IN 1893 = cents, and It ~ now 10 ,ceiis, or
twenty five per cent more than it prior to the
var.
The war besides adding more thun forty specific
taxes 10 the thTco have enumerated, raised os.
3 ntiay the proportions between those of ordinary