Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-05-09

cation And II w;.s in answer tu tlaC 'suntne ti
made the and think th"t tne iu.!
sustained the position which tooh. Inc gentleman
from Rorkoiv ,yas mistaken i'll supposlng that The leg
islature of 1916 adopted the tree "htc OASIS "ithout
regard to taxation the properly qnalhcatlon con-
Cured with the gentleman from herhee TIA" one vas
the consequence Of the othei. :.
s,nnosnr the act of 1916, fer convention equa-
lie the representation among the Tree "htc nhaollahs
NJ ,be commonwealth. But, perhaps the committee
can the better inc meaning OF una. ae' W
hearing read and, as have it here will read it for
Tho information of the house. The act as passed was
carreJ nv vote OF 10 TO 49, and is in the following
words: ;,
"Whereas it is represented to the General Assembly
that large portion Of the good people Of this Common
wealth are DESTROYS OF amending the Constitution Of the
State: and this Legislature deeming it their duty to
certain whether this be the Of majority Of the
freeholdcrs within the Commonwealth:
SIC. Be il enacted by the General assembly, That
Tho several shers and other officers authorized to
duct elections within this Commonwealth, shall under
the nenalty IF one thousand dollars at the time and
place of holding their respective general annual cleo
tons in the ensuing spring. open their poll books two
additional coumns-the to he overwrittcn with the
words, "a Convention to equalize the representation Of
the free white people of this State in both houses Of the
General Assembly; to cqGaze taXatlon to extend the
right of suffrage all persons having sufficient cyl
dcnce of permanent common interest with, and at
achment to- the community, and to provide for such u-
re amendments in the Constitution of the State, as
experience shall suggest 10 be necessary-the other 10
be over.written with the words, No Convention;
and every citizen oil this Commonwealth Qualified BY
existing laws to exercise the right of suffrage at the
ensuing general annual election hereby requested to
give his vote on the question of calling Convention
for the purposes aforesaid, against such Convention
II will be seen, by looking at this first section of the
act passed the House of Delegates that the Con
venon proposed to be called for four distinct dli-
ferent Objects the first Of which " to equallz the
representation of the free white people OF this State IN
both houses of the General Assembly, And the sec
ond to ''equalize taxation was correct men
in saving that stand upon the platform OF our Ia
TIERS and occupy the position of the body OF which
the gentleman (Mr. DArIs) was member in 1916
And this shows the practical workings of principle In
that day the west willing to abandon power for
principIer But now, the advocates of power are dis
nosed to abandon the great American doctrine OF the
political equality OF man. for the sake OF maintaining
their political power. Their principle is power; and
for the sake of that power the rights and Liberties OF
freemcn be sacrificed. Equal representation and
equal taxation the just and equitable platform up
on which fathers stood in 1876 and it is upon tina;
we now stand II IS of fairness to which no one,
disposed TO do as he would be done by, can object.
And here permit me to say in response to the dccara-
ton so frequently made by the gentleman from Fau-
quer Mr.. ScoTr) 'that if We would pay the most of
the tax he would give the representation that such
proposition is to which the west ought not to &c
expected to accede. For it would not only be unfair
and unjust, but would impose upon lis DEGRADATION
as great as that OF the from which are at
tempting to escape. The mixed basis imposes upon
the degradation OF political inequality 1t imposes in
equality in the powers OF the government, and his prop
osition would impose upon inequality in burdens.
And it is Of inequality complain and from which
we are attempting 10 make escape. And
not accomplish that by going from inequality in one
thing 10 rs deep an ono i'll another What VIC ask and
what desire is perfect equality in all things pertain
ing TO the government-equality in power and privi-
ege, and equality the burdens Why did he moi sub
anti fair proposition, such could accept
Why did he not propose in the language Of the fathers
in 1876 "to equalize the representation of the free
white people OF the State, and " TO cqualizc taxa
tion More than that they ought not to ask, if the;
have any desire to deal fairly and justly. More than
that ought not TO expect less, ought not to sub
init to. If eastern gentlemen would make that propo
sition this question would be settled for the
would all accept it. But they will not propose it to
u.s. we propose it to them. And, if they refuse to do
it, lei them to the world for refusing PROMO
sition so just and equal All want, and all we ask
is equal representation and equal taxation. But the
gentleman from Fauquier (Mr. Scorr) SAYS if we will
paw the most taX-more than our equal share and
more than ought to pay; then he will give us
equal representation How generous! But We have
never been taught that IN this country men have to
buy the liberty and equality that belong TO them Of
right. We say to you in the OF our pcopc that
desire TO eqalizc the representation and taxation
among the whole people of the commonwealth; and the
eastern people. through their representatives here this
day stand in the attitude of denying 10 their western,
brethren that which all the civilized world will say is
fair and equal justice. This then, another of the
practical effects Of the mixed basis leads the eastern
people to denial of justice and equality their west
er brethren But whist they deny to equal repre-
sentation, do not think they will he disposed to with
hold from us equal taxation. They will hardly be so
selfish in that matter, they in representation
And when come to settle the subject of taxation,
doubt not they will be quite willing give us our equal
portion Of il. But Of that will not complain for il
the duty Of government to apportion the tax as
" possible TO the value of the property upon which
it laid They who have the most property to be pro-
tected, ought to pay the most for its protection 1t
would be unjust and odous to require the poor 10 pay
as much the rich, and would be Infamous in the
rich to ask it. All the citizens ought TO paw in nropor-
ton their ability TO pay and to the amount to be pro
tcctcd and defended. The contribute in pro-
portion their numbers TO the defence of the proper
ty, and they who have the property ought pay in pro-
portion to the amount of the protection thew receive
for their property That is what propose il is all
we desire Give representation proportionatey 10
those who afford the protection, and mpose the burden
Of taxation in proportion to the amount of protection
received from those numbers, to the things protected
If then you adopt that principle of taxation or if YOU
do not but should at all be governed by the value of the
thing taxed, what will be the effect under the MIXED
basis uron the political power of the Commonwca nh
All know that honest government, in having the tax
will be governed, TO some extent by the value Of
the thing taxed. For honest government would lax
horse worth fifty dollars or clock worth but five
dollars, much as negro worth five hundred or n
thousand dollars What then VIII be the practical
working Of the mixed basis, according to the argument
Of the gentleman from Halifax, (Nlr. EpMrxps0 That
gentleman in his very able speech few DAYS since
told us that the price of slaves in Virginia was reeula
ted very much by the southern markets. If under.
stood that gentleman, then the value Of negroes in Viz
sinia depends upon the price Of cotton in the south
then tax those negroes in proportion to their value and
base representation upoRthose taxes and you will make
the political power of Virginia dependent upon the price
of cotton in the south If, for instance cotton is worth
twelve cents per pound, the negro man in Virginia
worth thousand dollars, taxed as per value. saw one
dollar, upon which representation based
cotton declines TO six cents, and the value of the negro
consequence, comes down to five hundred dollars
taxed again per value, and the tax will be- but ctv
cents upon which TO base representation. The consc.
plencr will be, that one half of the political mover Of
the Commonwealth, based upon the taxes on claws
will be lost by the decline of cotton in the south A
such the beautiful workings Of the system VIC aro
now invited to adopt: a system that viii make ,he
representative power of the Commonwealth Gmrfp,to
with the fluctuations in the price of cotton Al tbe so,
or other markets of the world.
Mr.. G0ODE. Upon ad ralorsm taxation
Mr.. HOGE. I'D raiorem or not sucl, will be tho 70
suit. The government in taxing the negroes and otb
property, must look to their relative yalua unon ,
system, and to some extent be governed bv !, "
dor Ifap,p tp+.