Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-03-08
HOUSE OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

The bill concerning Commissioners of tn
Revenue was taken up on Saturday in tn
House, at the usual hour. We stated errone
ously in our last paper that the amendment G
Mr. Goode of Mecklenburg, requiring eacl
Commissioner to return summary of his lis
on or before the first of June, was adopted OF
Friday. The motion was still pending whel
the House adjourned on that day, and its consi
deration was resumed Saturday The ques
ton was debated at considerable length BY
Messrs Imboden, Price of Greenbrier, Good,
of Mecklenburg, VERIFY, Kidwell, and Lewis
Harrison. Mr.. Goodies amendment was final
ly agreed to as modified by himself, directing
the Commissioners of the Revenue to send il
a summary of their lists Of property to the Au
ditor of Public Accounts on OF before the LIST O
May.
The 18th amendment of the committee of the
whole, which had been passed over the day be-
fore, was then agreed to without division.
Mr.. Russell moved to amend that clause of
the bill which provides that the head of each
family shall be entitled to hold exempt from
taxation neat cattle, hogs and sheep, of the ag-
gregate value of 500, by adding ''or in lieu
thereof an equal amount of any personal prop
oIly uUL OIucl w lS6 oAtIllpJGu from IdXdClOQ.-
Mr.. Russell said that the bill made a discrimi-
nation in favor OF those poor men who owned
cattle, and against those who did not. He re-
garded such distinction as odious and UNJUST
and his object in offering the amendment was
to do away with it.
Mr.. Goode opposed the proposition of Mr.
Russell. He contended that if adopted its eff
feet would be to exempt from taxation an over
whelming majority of the people of this COM
monwealth; but the constitution requires that
every citizen should bear his Just share of the
public burthens. Our bill of rights dec lares
that no man or set of menis entitled to exclusive
privileges, &C.; but was it not a most valuable
privilege to be exempted from paying taxes!-
He was in favor of small exemption. The con-
stitution taxed all the properly of the State ac-
cording pits value, and the only cases in which
he was willing to grant an exemption were
those in which the annoyance and trouble to
the tax payer were very great, and the amount.
of revenue to be obtained very small. Mr..
Goode referred to the fact that the average
wealth of the citizens of New York was only
$167. Mr. Scott Fauquier made few re-
marks, in which he denied the right of the Lee
gislature to exempt heads of families from tax
alton. He conceded the right to exempt TAXA
BILE subjects, but denied that classes holding
those SUBJECTS could De flghtfully exempted.
Mr. Russell defended his proposition in brief
but lucid and argumentative speech.
The amendment was agreed to, ayes "a, noes
"a.
Mr.. Tomlin moved to amend the clause as
amended by striking out the whole and insert
ing in lieu thereof the following:
Taxable personal property of the aggregate
value of 500 in the hands of each citizen, shall
he exempt from taXatiOn,''
Mr.. Patrick moved the following amend
ment:
''Heads of families owning less than 800 in
the aggregate, of personal property, shall not
be taxed on such property"
Under the consideration of this amendment,
the House adjourned.