The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-11-05

ed after mature consideration, is, that
o poll.tax should be paid by g every
free white man. who is entitled to
that inestimable privilege of freemen,
Me right Of fsu6raqe. There is injus-
tice in the principle which is at pres.
ent acted upon in that State, that
man because he owns no property, or
(" learned profession" should be ex-
empt from contributing one cent to the
support of that government, under
which he lives, and which government
would "avenge him upon his adver-
sary" who should dare to molest him
in any way; though said adversary
should cast his thousands into the
treasury Of the State, and he, none;
and yet rejoice that such is tho case,
that the poorest citizen is under tho
especial care and protection of State
sovereignty, and hope the time may
never come, when it will be otherwise.
The proceedings, Of opr Courts prove
to the most careless observer that our
code ofjusticc is no, respecter persons,
but that the rich and the poor, alike
resort thither- for protection or re-
dress, and that the rich cannot orprcss
the poor with. impunity, that the man
of property and the penniless arc
equals under our well.organized iusti-
tutions; and yet the man of property
or profession" supports the ponder
Gus burden of government, while ne
who has health and strength and per-
haps learning and capacity to realize
handsomely from his individual exer-
ton is exempt from any taxation at all.
" A few familiar examples may serve
to illustrate my views and position
more clearly.
Here is my ncighbor, q man with q
small tract of land and one or. more
negroes, some. aged or decrcpit per-
haps, and he contributes annually SO
much ad valorcm for his land end so
much per head for his negroes, whether
they benefit him or not. Of course
that is all right. On the other hand
there is an ovcrseer, schoolmaster, a
clerk in a store, public officers and EN-
ployers in general, whose income may
be hundreds or thousands as the case
may be and may live in comfort, per
haps anluence, and enjoy all the bless
ings Of well-regulated government,
and yet they neuer pay one cent into
the state treasury,-never called upon
to offer up one dime of their incomes
upon the alters of their State, which
secures protection to all and the rights
ofsu6rage to all; but the man who
owns an acre!er acres, of land or ne
' . - = .
groes or negroes, no matter whether
this property Y sssisaestts$7;ttself or not, or
whether $50 debt tor the same prop
erty, he must pay his taxes, or his
property is sold for him, and vet he
enjoys no higher privileges than those
who pay nothing with perhaps the sim
pie one of being elegiblo to seat in
the legislature.
My proposition is that the lcgisla-
ture should, in passing the bill TO raise
supplies, insert clause Of the follow.
ing purport viz, that every tree white
man between the ages Of twenty one
and fifty who is entitled to vote for
representatives in the Legislature and
every free white man. not citizen of
this State who shall have resided in
the State six months pre4ions to the
time of collecting taxes, shall pay n
poll-tax Of mot less | would say
than the tax levied upon slavc), with
this 1roptso, that any man who shall
refuse to pay his poll-tax and who
shall be returned "nulla bona" into
the Sheriff's Office upon an execution
to collect said tax, shall be Ineligible
to vote for any District officer, or for
members Of either branch Of the Leg
islature, or of Congress, or for Prcsi-
dental Electors, provided the elcc-
tion of Electors be given to the rco-
plc), and provided .f"rMff thhaa1s aay
poor man who shall upon oath before
n Magistrate or the Tax Collector, say
chat he feels himself too poor to pay
his tax, he shall be exempt from pay
ing the same, but he shall also be incl
ligiblc to vote as above mentioned, on
the same principle hat paupers are
denied the right of suffrage.
And close this communication by