Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-25

cal nor does il in the least signify ny what name 1t is Sc
called except perhaps that the gazing severity OF the
bondage is ID proportion % TIE nun!ue -" master
Rsnnh;,can government n e'nn' co. eminent Of
.ho, is the old Roman definition and
=; =; - Ioscr;o.;1n Of rational liberty indeed of
civilized society il Is government OF reason not OF
n,.sonof rule. not OF will, aud of duty, not Of
price in short it is limited ana regal: not arbtr
arcor,iinclv all the checks which ours"nslitu'
;ro,oso non the legislative department. all Tie
Nv which the guard the liberty the lives and
~. -onaty Of the people in the making or the adj
10, nj the law, arc designed TO prevent nasty
conclusions and tie preudsng oil important Questions
- s,,i-it Of christian humility, the sublime
~, ~. The people have taken care that they shall
~ -" i.J into temptation BY that omnpotCnce which
~. a,an NAV not abuse and reservng to themseive.
;,lv an absolute control over their dcstincs
Havr nractically restrained the exercise of their
;,n bv Withholding froG2 their agents Of il
;.,hcst attributes u vol. p. 40.
iii. = stem Of constitutional compacs-,his sys
ram If limat ions upon the powers and discretion OF
hose who hold the trust % government, which has in
varied 50 much harmony and success 10 our popular IN
sli,mions Ii is that i'll CONNECTION with the clra' rr
,f an + ,'e, which rcconciles the widest 'i;udc Of
Jmocr rule with the perfect security Of very inter
IL and icgitimatcly touch Is under this system wholly
withdrawn from It's action. Whatever it should only
touch in restricted FORM is submitted to Ms control u
der conditions rgidly prescribed and enforced nat
the common interest Of every in society, and that
community OF interest, becomes the most eifcctua
safeguard against its abuse. This is my theory OF the
proper constitution Of every republic If there he III
tere.ts in the state liable from any TO oppression
throw the shield of your organic law around them and
withhold from vour government all power touch them
ut ALL or if deemed cXpedicn TO subject them l."
it's partial action withhold from it the power OF acting
upon them except in such mode and under such mlta.
lions rs will them from oppression. But what
,l1,, tl>a rol, tspra.
ton of your government contde it 10 government en-
anatng from your mhoe people, confdc it TO govern
ment organized trougouty your entire state upon prIn
cpes of the most perfect equality and justice. Avoid al
distinctions in republican government between maj
viduals or masses OF individuals as certain ana pregnant
sources of discard turbulence faction and revolution
The right of one should be the right OF ALL regardless Q"
his own wealth or thu Of his neghbors, unaffected by
rh locality of his residence IN the republic, whether
North South, East or West
Now, one of the evils which is apprehcndcd by the
east if the suffrage basis should succeed, grows out of
the taxing power-a power that must necessarily BIZ
condcd to every government 1t said that slaves are
very easy and convenient subject OF taXalon-that
they exist TO much larger extent in the east than IN
the west and il might yell in selecting the sub
ccs OF taxation, that undue burden might DC thrown
upon that ,:"scr pioa OF property
Surprising there existed any foundation for this alarm
can there DC any difficulty in removing every possible
ground Of apprehension: None whatever. 1t IS &C
complishcd By provision in the constitution, declaring
that taxation shall be equal and uniform throughout the
State and that no cue species of property shall be taxed
higher than another species of property Of equal vaur
on which taxes shall &c lcrcd.
am an advocate for this, as the only just, fair and
proper principle of taxation without the slightest re-
ard to ha basis o. representa- oh. although Is source
: qualification 10 me- that in establishing this sound
i,incipe of finance, we are removing the weightcs
onrction which the cast las urged to the adoption of
the suffrage basis.
That eminent aud +.stnsushed American statesman
rho.n quoted fc,i moments since whilst commenting
on the work before me, upon the fact that in all
the ancient republics, there the total aScncc OF
any thing in the form q checks limitations upon
those who exercised tie powers of government. makes
this inquiry " low could consent live in any
community. where not only there was prorison far
rouau in taJatiDn bat where iasqucltVwas prncine
md swttm?" Why, sir, we live precisely in that com
nunitv at this time and whist The eTi> Of an unequal
system OF taxation certainly car in :na, bear 10
comparison to Iat they were in those al republics.
ret nevertheless, the facts are lnat ave consi-
tntional provision securing equality ''<atlon,-t
our principle system OF taxatiou u.lcGua--and
lha: this inequality has been the subject Of complaint.
and discussion from the foundation Of the Commonwealth
TO the present hour.
For long time the revenue Of Virsi.ia derived
Fl DIN poll Iax-thc m1t unjust anu oppressive of all
the form. Of TAXATION. The first land tax was laid in
I'LL, and was ad ra'orsm tax, the il amount
with that upon Saves and those al that time the
ouy subjects of taxation. To these, prior 10 the war
Of 1912. were added taxes horses erdnarics. lcr
chant, licenses and law process and II S+2, when
as member Of the Se.atc Of tbs Stale, Bank sock
plate pianos, watches, &C., were furt .. added TO the
subjects Of taxation On every article .cept land lots
ana some lew others, the tax Is sreclc-so tia; horse
worth SO and horse worth 1920 pass thr sane tax
and slave worth $50 and slave worth S0Ga paws the
same amount OF taxation. Besides these inequalities
vast amount property exists in Virginia which ought
farl: cor :ihuc TO relieve the general burden, and
which las yet been made ec to taxation The
amount of uataxcd property IN this Sa,e cannot be
larlv estimated al less than hundred millions of dol
lars and no principle of political economy certainly
can be more clear than that when the wealth Of Stat,
Does not pay its equal proportion Of taxes. an ,!;c
burden IS thereby thrown upon its labor. For long
tine, land and slaves paid uduc proportion OF the
taxes Sucn is Tho fact This time. however in re-
gard to slaves. They pay less than ticirtar proportion
upon an al rdiorew estimate OF the present taxable pro-
perty Of the entire property of the State. So far.
extension o; the subject OF taxation has operated
to tIe relief of the STAKEHOLDER. In 1888 slave, paid
33 per cent. Of thc ci the S,tc-Gow atfo,lc
1!er numbers have largely increased they pay but lU
per cent. of the ii, under general rc-valalio
of the entire properly of TIE Stacatid the ntroG c-
ton Of 'hc I'd yalorcm principle, slaves scrld be made
to Ia, her tax, than they do al this inc il will
only j. acatisc at this time. they pay 70, than their
Just proportion Of the burdens of the STAT.
have heard this system of taxation objected to on
this floor by gentlemen from the east. 1t has been
uSiN OpPoscd from lialItaS.
Mr. EDMuSDsj ard the gentleman from Buckingham
Mr. FuauA and yet have, far, to the lrsl man
ont Of this tla-and | have conyerscd with some of
the largest AID most intelligent shareholders Of Nir-
ginia-who has made any objection to it, Whence then
this opposition 10 the SYSTEM l. il, that ii adopted
must remove almost every valid objection on the part
of the east the suffrage basis is ii that gentlemen
opposed 10 the adofion Of any system that will sub.
ject slave property To the burdens Of taxation
which imposed upon the other property Of the State:
What is the al yalorcm principle! II is system that
abolishes all arbitrary ad specific taxes upon property
and proportions the general burden OF the community pre-
cscy according to the pcctary interests and ability of
each in it. II is in fact, nothing more than redu-
cling TO practice this subject the principles Of natural
Justice and the best conclusions of political cconnny
is il unhcard Of experiment.: 1t has been in
operation in the State Of Maryland slave State for
more than quarter of century. No complaint has
ever, existed against il syst;, there but On the
contrary. it is approved and recommended bv all of
their abc> inanci - with whom hav. considered in
regard to It. II has not only prevailed in Louisiana
Florida Texas, Mississippi, Alabama am! other slave
States but il has ncon there in their organic
law as fundamental principle in their government Il
has been adopted IN many Of Inc Northern STATE. IN
some, as in Maine, b. constitutional proyi.ionn 9th
erS, as the result of Legislative policy Some wears AFRO
IL was introduced into tie State OF Ohio-it was ,err
li Ia ALa.. 49,.