Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-11-12

vtieud., accruing on her several road, br,re canal
snJ bank stock, make up the sum total Of the public
income, applied 10 the disbursements Of state govern
ment, where neither land nor poll tax eAis. More
than a n,oic,y OF 1t arises in Philadelphia
Similar views apply 10 New York. The auction du-
ties levied in her great emporium, largely exceed a
moiety Of our State revenue and cs,ab iici and
set apart for special purpose by express provision
Of he, Constitution.
The only tax we have in Virginia, analogous to this.
IL merchants licenses; and both have close al
Unity, In their principles and operation, To the iiu
post duties Of the United States They are levied at
the msrts Of commerce,-ai charge .bl- upon the
modi,ics which ener into that commerce. They are,
consequently, all paic neither by the importer the
vender,-nrither Ivy the auctoneer the me chan-
who but the collectors Of the tax and charge pro
fit their !abour They all paid. in tine by the
who, for the opportunity OF paying them
this amendment would req lire OF him .n,ler not
only tho price in mooey OF the articles which he p,r
cha,ed but most undue and advance of PC
litical power TO his snpcriors the tsxpying merchant
and auc'ioneer Apply this amendment to the coud-
ton Of Pennsylvania and New York, and their chief eli
ties would govern those STATE. These new heads Of
inonied arstocracy, the aurtoneers, who pay by far
the largest share Of tn. taxes TO In. State would in
the several State Governments far out rank the rcsu
lar merchant, whose principal dues pass through the
Collectors OF the Customs, TO the Treasury o! The Fed
era Governments AMI, consequently. neither aug mt
his own political power, nor that Of his neighbours
however large they may be, and actually are.
Ii the payment OF tax, gives right proportion
ate share of the power which! levies il. my ns
have fair claim to representation in the Legislatures
New-fo;k and Pennsylvania, since they pay no small
share OF these auction duties.
Sir, said Mr.. NJ the sal-tax Of New-York State
excise, Is also set apart. by her Constitution Tor spe
cial purpose. ing IL l-2 cents on the busheI and
the quantity niie about lot. 900 bushels il does not
fall short of Si2) 900 per annd, and bcn l,viad AMI
collected OIL Like onondaga, the town Sa!na il
should en,e the inhabitants Of that vicinity 10 very
large portion OF thu political power of that great AMI
Hourishng Sale ~.
During the last war, we favored 10 levy SINH,
tax in the counties OF Washington AMI Kauawhs; but
with less Should The political weight of our
several counties be hereafter dependent on The
OF taxes they may severay pay, the gentleman from
Cu'Peper proposes, whatever the sa!tmakrs may think
OF the renewal Of ,hs,tax the politicians snr The peo
pie OF those coun'ies might rule these OH ctious
Tor the sake of governing the rest of the Common
wealth. by this newly invented poliIics al power.
lit must now be apparent, NJ. Chairman, TINT The
district in which pirticular tax /. collected NAV not
b. the district Of the people by whom paid and
consequently that nothing woud he absurd than
to rest the superintendent OF political power on any suc,
basis.
Indeed, the tax which /, pail on particular suh;.c,
will have its locality, il may be a1wei the expre..
sion determined altogether, by the mole in which il i.
levied. The Supreme Court Of the Units States has
defined tax upon carriases TO he lax on cxpenii.
ture. and therefore Indirect tax. aud 10 be- the same
an chatacter, whether paid by the maker the user
oil the Carriage. Now the M ker AMI the user NAV
dive IN the same C0mmcp wealth maay miles apart
IT, however. the tax be paid by the m ,ker h. would
have cred, fr II; ii by The user IL would u-ure hi,
benefit. To whom should the ii hit of sufri age attach?
II attach to neither it vol vest in the We
bicie itseIt AMI to suggest similar difficulty to that
propoun'ei by DR.. Frank in, who commenting on m.
case of man, whose right I" depended on the
tax which lie had paid his ass, inquired after tn
death of IN, animal. and the qr.ut los. OF TIE
or the
itisimpo.sib!e Mr.. Chairman, said Mr. NJ, TO inisc
how far The rule apporionmenI, adopted by C4roii.
oa, would salt our condition, without knowing how il
operates on her What il the character and Vps.
ration Of her system Of xuio!
similar rule ia slld to prevail in the superintendent
oil the Senators OF Massacusettsaud Nav Hampshire
under their respective State Coas intion,. III. had
been informed, t'at 40 State tax had been levied in
Massachusetts Tor years past ami he Thought il
highly probsbe that thu state of a,ir the
gal Conmonwc h Of New II amp hire, would prevent
a'ule OF appor'ionmen, however offensive in theory.
from exciting the public indignation. A rule, wholly
imperative, would be obnoxious 10
IL can he readily r"rceived. that il applied to Penn
sylvan,, or N,w York, to Maryland. it would
90 far from restraining the political influence OF te
chief cities Of ,ese States, 10 short OF the
just proportion OF the nuStt OF their ciix-n. the
scale Of tho population OF hrii S'aies
wonld enable those cites by combination OF nunhrr
aud wealth to gnveru without any control, beyoni their
corpor rion limit. AID yet, this il of the very
evils ngainst whiri The member IRON Chcsic III, IN
eloquent advocate % Inc amendment il DESTROYS 10
guard this Commonwealth: A Coiil.ionw eah, whose
territory 10 81 inerscced by numerous rivers that
ovcrgrown ,ket il k ~y spring uD in iis no. ON
Nj. III said, lac had con'derrl this. inpcri-cons
OF the basis OF represent ion, submitted 10y the
ment' arising from the nature of taxation, cotsd, red
as an instrument for apg any given required
by the eSisenrics of lie Commonwealth.
y But if these exigenres str vary between diff
periods of time how unstable is This b,>., especial
ly il the pressure Of The public bmrheus shall rroy
more and moe unequal, as they grow OF decline in
weigh
In Maryland there i, no Iax: She expenses Of her
government dcayed of the income OF a pu,llic
capital already 1cq Ii ell. The Of he great
canals Of New York, the work Of hut y few years
reaches already million oil dohrs, aul will -h,rt
iy release idi COmmnnweai h, which ms neither
land nor poll tax from th- necessity of imposing
tax whatever on her clilens.
Such prncple OF representation. that Tor which
our opponents ooueni would induce, under such cir
enmsiances Che impo''ion and d ribuon Of taxes for
thu sake Of power IN rc'yy On the piin of Ca ona
h.lf the poi ca pows nf the State NIGH, be secured by
the exercise Of very huc ingenuity, minority Of
the election Districts aud with tie oil sserving
II forevrr in the hAnis.
We have sought yet in vain To from inisap
pfca.ion and cfib, thu of the great fund
OF the Com nonwcalth. II the Constitution shall
bs silent this subject, what will prevent ,lorty
OF titure L'gislaare from applying them To reduce
tn pressure OF the taxrs portion Of the Common
wealth. with view ofits government in all Oh-r
pects, by minority ol til people, those who lead
such minority! rho's u,ds ars a5nnianty suiIirirnt
for any such purpose. ani the nIncni, If adopted
will furnish The opportunity to abus- them.
Not only would every reduction OF the taxes which
affected their relative pressure affect the proposed APP
porionment Of representation, but every augmentation
Of them
In this view OF the subject principle requires 10
be developed. considerable Of revenue
cannot often he affected without increasing particular
taxes those subjects already taxed, which viii bear
augmentation, sometimes, without adding sub
jecis to the existing list OF taxes.
War Inevitably gives rice 10 both these necessities,
by reducing susp nl;nE branches & private
venue and supplying oher'beiore unused or unknown.