Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-11-07
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VIRGINIA CONVENTION.
TuEsDAY. Nov. 3.

the Chair. He said he had risen to address the Com
mittee: and he had risen with much reluctance and
disagree able feeling, having to follow the gentleman
from Loudoun, (NIr. Monroe) who addressed the
Committee yesterday, who, from his advanced age.
great experience, long service, the high station he
had occupied in the public confidence. and the vast
space lie ha: filed lii the oTmankind had acGuir.
Ell ih't great weight of character, which serves to
deefcn the suppression of every opinion he gives 1t
was that we glt of character OF which Mr. Leigh SAID
he had none, literally Nevertheless, this was
one oftIfosc occurrences which he could take coun-
sci only from his sense of tutv and even Il; (sporue
Washington himself were to rise irln the dead a,n
TO propose compromise so partial he considered
this TO be- ST. destructive, ruinous so damnatorv of
inc dearest Interests of the people who had sent him
h,thnr, he believed in his heart that he should find
moral courage to resist and oppose it.. 1t nrlt he
admitted, be stcterunt coma, but it would not be a
.faac;5ns heSh His hairs might stand on end bui
his voice would not alter; his tongue would net cleaye
to his jaws. He would raise such shrek of alarm
and terror would strike the dules nearer and ter
riy every thing but the heart OF rearmar harden
Ell BY experimenting the rights of man. to ascertain
how large dose Of French principles might be id
mustered without causing their destruction
All the knowledge possess, (said Mr.. Leigh,) as
you Mr. Chairman know, and ali my habits OF think
ing, professional; habits of thinking confined To
mere forms of municipal law and Justice and ON. not
tit t. b. applied TO great questions of State In his
profession, he sadD it always necessary to give
clear staeinant of the and then 10 submit his
views upon It. He then, for the information of the
Committre, went in, o the following statements:
The twenty nine counties lying below the Blue
Ridge and above tide water, pay land tax of 34.2d
cts. head; he thirty-sx counties and four towns
below tide water, pay 31.l CTS the fourteen Valley
counties pay 27.6 cts; and the twenty six counties
beyond til, Allegheny pay IL cts. OF the tax on
slaves the wenty nine counties below the Blue Ridge
pay 1885, cts each; the thrty-six counties and four
towns tide pay 24.3 cts. EACH the fourteen Valley
counties pay SO cts cach and the iwentvsix
Allegheny counties pay 81 cts. each. OF the horse
and carriage tax which the West tell us is equva-
lent the twenty-nine middle counties pay % cents
each; the thirtysiy counties and -four towns tide
water pay cts ench; the fourteen Valley counties
pay cts. EACH and the twenty-siX trans. Allegheny
counties pay III cts. each. The proportions of
tails of direct taxes which the different sections pay
atc--rhe twenty-nne Middle counties 1873 CTS. each;
the Thirty six counties and four towns tide 63.9
c's; the fourteen Valley counties 426 cts and the
twenty six trans ARghany counties % 7 cts each.
Computing the average tax per head on the
paying citizens, whites and free blacks. East Of the
Biuo Ridge, the land tax is 32.7 and West of the
Blue Ridge 1916; the slave tax is 26 East of the
Blue Ridge, and cts. West of the Blue Ridge; the
horse and carriage tax is 81 East of he Blue Ridge,
AMI TO West of the Blue Ridge. Comparing The
tai payments of all taxes into the Treasury, the pro-
portion is, East ofthe Blue Ridge 6G.2 per head;
and West of the Blue Ridge 80 cts. per head
He would further inform the Com nittee OF a
pavison between several districts OF country. Take
the Congressional District composed of Sussex
Southampton, Prince George Isle of Wight, and
Greensvile of the least fertile in the Sou;hren
part of the State. Pie average of taxes paid in this
district island tax % per head slaves 3d. horse and
carriage 10; making total of SO per head.
Fake the district composed of Loudoun, Fairfax,
and Prince William the average of land tax is 49,;
Of slave l. Of horse and carriage e. making
total of 81 per head
FAKE the rich and fertile counties of Frederick and
Shenandoah, the best in the Commonwealth. While
Southampton pays total of 60, they pay only total
ofA3 per head.
The district he represented pays OF; while that
which comprises Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Lunen-
burg, and Dinwidde, pays 10 per head.
The district embracing Halifax, Pittsylvanla and
Campbell, pays III cents per head.
He would make comparison of the counties.
Shenandoah pays 81; Warwick pays IS; Frederick
pays So; Jefferson pays 55; Berkeley pays SO; Londoun
pays SO; Augusta pays sd; Fauquer pays So; Nelson
pays 10; Fluyanna pays ~; Albemarle pays 90;
G0ochIand pays 90; Amherst pays log; Nottaway
pays III: Powhatan pays 1923; Kanawha pays 2i;
Brooke pays 10; and Monongalia pays Is
In making these estimates he had included in the
Taxpayers, the free negroes. They considered
such legally; although in point Of fact they not
He had also excluded merchants licences al
though all must know that considering the nature of
trade and commerce, it is paid by the consumer
in the neighbourhood of town. He had also exclu
ded the tax on tobacco levied 10 indemnify the Com,
lnonwealth for the insurance against fire in the
warehouses. lie had also taken the gross taxes in
1923, and had compared them with the population
paving taxes according to the census of 1920.
His friend from Culpeppef had adopted the estimate
furnished by the auditor of the of population;
and taking the nett amount OF The taxes actually
paid into the treasury and accounted for by the Au-
ditor, he found that in the % counties below the
Rlue RIDGE and above tide-water, the payments
made last wear of and-tux average 341 per head; in
the 80 counties and towns tide, BAT in the Ii
Valley counties, $40; and in the Is trans Allegheny
Counties 81. The average save-tax paid according
TO the books Of the present year is i'll the 20 middle
Counties 49, in the 80 counties and towns tide
27.6; in the IA Valley counties, GO; and in the &c
trans Allegheny counties, 3d. The average of horse
and carriage tax paid is, in the % middle counties
9>2 in the sc counties and tOws on tide, 49, IN the
Ii Valley counties III and in the rs trans Alegha-
NY counties 81. The country cast of the Blue
Ridge containing 362 500 free white inhabitants pays
en- average of 34.4 Of land tax, while the country
cast Of the Blue Ridge containing 300 pays m
average of 1873, less than ono-haf of Che average Of
land tax paid east of the Blue Ridge The average
slave tax paid in the country east of the Blue Ridge
%; while the average of slave AK paid in the
country west of the Blue Ridge only 4; be-
inc but only One-sevcnth. The average horse auC