The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-06-21
SATURDAY, JUNE 81, Ie45.
For the Spirit Of Democracy.
NEW TAX LAW.


the last session laying tax upon the
moneyed men and moneyed interest OF
this State, commonly called the act 10
tax merchants capital and money al in
terest. shall therefore endeavor TO
do so with plainness of speech, but
shall avoid saying any thing personally
offensive TO you. On the contrary, ]
shall endeavor to treat the subject with
as much calmness and composure as if
some other person had been the actor
in the scenes alluded to and not myself.
As to my position, let the best and
holiest affections Of the human heart
speak to that. A regiment of soldiers
have shared together the fatigues of a
campaign. Their tolls, their labors.
their watchings, their marchings, their
defeats and their triumphs have been
the same. Hence their affections are
united together. They feel like breth-
rem, and each man resents an affront
10 the regiment as IN injury to himself.
A man who understands their feelings
can easily understand the feelings of al
member Of the Democratic delegation
when that entire delegation is attacked
with savage ferocity. ] say the entire
dem ocratic delegation in the House, land
lspeak KNo wlNeLY. If any one singles
democratic member, or any one snglei
whig member pretends now that he vo- |
ted against the law on its final passages
/ ask him for the proof? ask him whyI
he did not call the yeas and nays and
SO preserve the proof! 1t cannot be
pretended that the attention of menu
bers was not attracted 10 the matter
The previous calls of the yeas and naysI
settle that! The right of self-defence!
can never be taken from any man orl
bo 1y Of men. That the other demo-
cratic members think so, witness GEN.
Meredith of Guernsey and Coshocton.|
and Senator Armstrong of Guernsey!
Yet you at least hint that we ought toI
be silent and take no notice Of the at
tacks upon US. You ask me categori-I
cally to answer, ''is the law just:' "isl
it equitableW "does it operate uponI
the people in the diferen, sections of
the State equalIy?' | answer that |
most religiously believe that it does. III
is true that as merchants capital and
money at interest are collected chiefly
IN the cities and in the rich MAN! and
Scioto valleys, it may be said that its
operation will bear hardly upon them,
by making them bear the chief burthenI
under the new law. But it does themI
no injustice, it makes them pay only mi
proportion 10 their means, and if thcyl
are just men they will not complain.--I
The new law does them no wrong
The old law did US gross wrong. Under
the old law rich gentleman or compa-f
ny of gentlemen could hold twenty
thousand dollars worth Of tavern stock
in the city Of Cincinnati, without pay-I
ing one cent of taxation for it, far
mer in Monroe who held two horses,
worth perhaps twenty dollars piece,
had to pay taxes for them at the rate
of eighty dollars. Was this equal? Was
it right! Was i, just9 Again, the oldI
law attempted to tax merchants capi-I
tai and money at interest; but it alto
gether failed in the attempt. No man
believes that it actually called one tenth
of that kind of capital on to the tax
list. | do not myself believe that five
per cent of that kind of property was
ever before gotten upon the tax list ur-
der the old defective system; yet thes
farmers horses were all taxed andS
some of them at double their value; wass !
that right, just,or equal? rOne thingH
is certain, the old law attempted to tax
merchant and money capital, but utter
ly failed, from its defective provisons,E 4
for the amount of that kind of prop-H
erty taxed under it, was mere sham, a
name, a mockery, so that the great buIkE
of that kind Of property lay entirelyE
.out of taxation. Now if there is to bel
"a clamor for the repeal Of taxation, ,sup-s
pose we clamor for a repeal of thek
horse tax and cattle tax. The merch-
ants and money lenders have escapeds
taxation for long time, now suppose
the farmers, mechanics and other mem-E
bers of community take brea,hingH
spell &
One idea has been advanced in theH
shape of argument against this law,s
which deserves an answer. 1t is Saids
that the merchants will throw the tax
off their own shoulders on those OF theirE
customers, by increasing the price of
their goods. This is an old antiquateds
notion which we find in the books OF !
European writers OF the last century,
originating in the state of things prev
alent in their country at that time. ltE
originated in their corporation spirit, inE
their habit of forming merchants, mel