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

hack them " nuhoSy Wealth., cooes, last all,
aat very last dominion which will ever bow my neck n
nus. eoose between the srisiocracy Of birth fortunes do
not hesitate moment VIII ch prefer Had better trust
my liberty mus, have MASTER the descendant of hon
est sSns who may he presumed to have reared and edcca
en Wer offspring with and tenderness than man,
90 not show for his riches ii The hucr he obtained,
should ircumhcn, ON iheir poScsor if he claimed my
eonenec aud much more, if Obedience shcw that he
himself had honestly acquired his title
10 The argument ofmy friend from Frederick. (Mr.
CooNe) that wealth would protect itself, The gentle
man from Northampton, (Afr. UpShur) had replied
that could DO So only by corruption by the employ
ment only, oi the bascst means And shall rcprsscn
tatinn be based wealth. (IIcrc Mr.. Up>hur eX
poincd Mr.. II. said lie had not misunderstood the cin-
QIcn member from Northampton. though h. coudnot
do justice To- lis former language nor had the gentle
man. hnnscltdouc in his cNpan;. ON. lfuncNccp-
ton1bc IN all other respects, wealth Mr.. Mr.. said
w"uj be found in all countries, too fcklr basis of
representation for = distribution cr political power
design to balance ihr Interests OF Individuals, VI
distinct portions Of the same community. saii-
vidual wealth. who can fix A.? IL, wno can stop
tho ever revolving wheel r;i0rtunc Na;uva wealth
Is subject. thoun no; III the degree to like I'M
certainty. OF what docs that Of Virginia consist
Chiefly Of lands aud slaves No estimate of the VA
lnc OF tha $4,000 slaves of Virginia accompanies
the auditors Report The lands OF the Common
wealth were vaUcd IN 1917 M POO 600 900 OF lon r.
What ATE they NOW worth; Half that sum- lie had
carefully sought, throughout the Conventions for IN.
:uTrao' 20 correct the results Of his own observa-
ton, within late wears, the chanuA of the value
Of lands i'll Virginia After all his ENQUIRIES he he.
loved they bad fallen 10 two-ftths OF their former
csumncd va!uc and could not, now, he computed at
more than so, or = most. than 90 millions. Next, rs
10 slaves y gentleman sitting near him, iu,l al tho
period ~ which he had Just referred Of the pnssnoe
o. The cqn1lizlng land law, sold 81 slaves, in fami-
lies, AT 500 dudis FOUND: lie had been assured Ly
hun, and ay other G"nticmHn, equally well informed,
n ~ other portions of the Commonwealth, that 80
HAIRS hr each slave, taking them in ill'cs would
hr fair price at the present mnmcnt This do,crip-
ton Of lahour, then, has fallen one half and lands,
m re tan half, in worry little moro than ton years.
In tn estimate Of the last the tables supplied 6y The
Anor, crmprehcndeJ SS6, 100000 for CITY and own
lots chiefly, for the value OF those Richmond. Pc
tcrsburg, Norfolk. aud Fredericksburg. value de-
pendent on the fluctuations of domestic aud flrcirn
trede. What was once its extern in this city, the
metropolis OF the Commonwealth, We ali remember
( What II is now | know not; since commerce, that
inconsan; handmade OF fortune, has turned her holm
rom our ports 10 the favored harbor OF New York
Wealth attracts wealth Fortune not oniv Withdraw.
lIHr lifts from those who abuse, but tram those who
fail to use them taking from those who have little
that which they cannot spare, TO pour it into the lap
Of abundance. While we have been quarrenr about
! Internal Improvement, New-iork mas swallowed up
the commerce Of America. Driven from us by our
unkindnoss, 1t has gone where It invited by wiser
councils.
! There are fluctuations of the value of nroportv
however whish no wisdom e!ude or avert. The
value Of our land and labor depends the value of
the staple commodities which they produce: this on
the demand for them at home and abroad and that
again on physical and moral causes which no const
tuition government, which man himself, cannot con-
troll On tho seasons, IN other countries as well as
our oVn on the policy of other nations on peace on
the varying events of foreign The &C, of Con
gress reducing the minimum price Of the national
lands, struck down, OF blow, the value of every
landed estate III Virginia. The tide OF wealth which
Set IN from Europe 10 America during the wars of the
French revolution rolled back at the general peace
which succeeded our lat contest with Great Britain
II this uncertainty of wealth operated uniformly
all the interests Of our Commonwealth their rela
fIOn not he
Such, however, not its effect. The cotton the to-
hacco the grain. and the grazing interest arc
affected, IN different degrees, by the same agents:
and, although the aura tendency of the profits of
stock tho rent of land and the wages of labor i'm the
same country, Is TO one level, il requires time to still
the successive agtalons of their varying values I'm
the interim, new causes are continually arising 30 de-
lay their subsistence TO common level; and this
principle, the truth of which is unOuesoned thou0b
constantly operating, may never accomplish its end
But had wealth the necessary stability 20 serve the
purpose OF the proposed amendment, is taxation in
any known system just measure of that wealth.
Taxation Is the instrument, by which legislation
draws from the private reve &c Of each citizen his
far proportion of the public expenditure. II should
be proportlOned to his ability to pay 1t. II should
therefore be drawn from his income and not from,
lbs capital, except with view TINT his income shall
supply the call His income cannot be reached if nj
all by cXpedlent means and wisdom suggests the pro-
prIcty of taxing his expenditure, which usually bco;
q certain proportion to his income.
/ The constitutional power Of another government
reStrns the application of these principles to taxa
ton in Virginia. under the authority OF the State; and
= IN other respects, dvershes the action of our local
system OF public revenue.
The gentleman from Culpepcr, (Mr. Grccnl has
not told Us how he means 20 combine the taxes Of the
people, with their numbers in his compOund bas,s ot'
representation. VIII he add the annual SUN of tlc
present taxes, TO the numbers or the people ard Gi-
vldng the aggregate Of men and dollars settle Tie
value at which legal voter in any district may be
: computed, friend has Informed me that such j.
to constitute a part Of the details Of the proposed
compound basis, and that the value of each vote, in
tins commonwealth will be rated at about fiiiy eirLt
cents Or u this shall shock tho ears Of the Con
venon, or the sense Of the people who may SET q
higher estimate on their rights, will gentlemen adopt
Whit ~ proctcc, will lead 20 similar result the
plan OF South Carolno and distribute the TERRITORY
OF thi5 commonwealth into two dcsctpl ions Of cleo
ton districts, ono in reference TO free white popu
ation, the other 10 iaTntion, as IL n0w exists
MR. GREET explained, but in 90 low tone Of voice
ib9t the reporter could not catch his anguage.l
Mr. foI hot b,, 3. Il l., q