The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-01-24
SPEECH OF THE
Hon. William A. Graham,
OF ORANGE.
On the Amendment Of the Constitution,

|
On the Amendment Of the Constitution,
In the Senate, December IL, 1854.
Concluded.
The cash value Of lands in 1850 wa.
in round numbers SOS, 100000.
The slaves, by the census, were nun
bered but not valued, and amounted tc
2e8, ,548. Allowing a moderate pei
centage for increase III four years, they
are now 100000. At an average oI
$685. per head they are worth 800
600. 900. Half the number, those un.
der twelve and over fifty, are exempt
from taxation. They are Of less value
than the other half. Put them down
at SIC, 600, 900 and those between these
ages at S60,000,000. Now you pro-
pose, by this bill. to say to landed pro-
perty to the amount Of sixty eight mil
lions Of dollars only you shall be tax
ed at the will Of the Legislature I; but
to one hundred millions in slaves, you
say: for millions shall pay no taxes at
all, and as to the other sixty millions,
they shall not pay as land does, accord
ing to the one hundred dollars value,
but as polls on which there can be no
greater levy than on free man. As to
your revenue, now how is it derived
Land, and town property, (which is but
a species Of land,) pay into the gene
raj treasury, exclusive Of the Lunatic
Asylum tax, $50, 900 per annun, while
the whole tax on 500, 200 slaves and on
a white population, whose muster roll
bears the names of $4,000 fighting men,
and whose votes exceed $4,000, is a.
bout SIS, 900. The treasury accounts
do not distinguish the amounts receiy-
ed on the white from the black poll.
Ii is more than liberal allowance to
suppose that the blacks pay 100000 Of
this sum. But remember that $50, 900
per annum is all you obtain-in the
general Treasury, | mean--from one
hundred millions of dollars worth Of
slaves, while sixty-eight millions Of
land pay to the same strong box $50,
600. Go from generals to particulars,
and the inequality is more striking.
One thousand dollars worth Of land pays
Go cents. A slave worth VI 900 pays
20 cents. And do you desire to ren-
der this inequality still greater, by
making the Legislature wholly irres-
ponsible to the landholder, while you
retain the exemption and the check for
the shareholders
Sir, when the State collected but Sc.
venty or eighty thousand dollars pei
year, from all sources, these things were
matters OF not much Importance, and
received not much attention. Bat, al
though there is no mention of it in the
Gusernor's message, we have now reach
ed period Of taxation. We must have
more money before we leave this Ca.
pitol, or the public creditisgone! And
when your Financier sits down to ex.
anime the statistics Of the national
wealth, he finds fnrty millions that he
cant touch. sixty millions more that he
must touch lightly, because j; stands OF
the footing Oiinen who have votes. Thu,
one hundred millions is passed by
When he looks to the land the next grea
subject OF property, that has now a de-
fence in the vUtes Of its owners. Blu
you propose BY your bill TO deprive i
Of this, and allow him full sweep a
that which can never hide or get 0u
of the way, and generally comes in al
Iresiduary legatee Of all taxes that can
mot lind another subject broad enougl
to bear them.
1 repeat, sir, il is delicate, and
by no means, an agreeable task, thu
TO review the great interests Of th,
State. and place them in apparent an
tagunism. But il is necessar, that ",
shall realize what We are about, wheI
an amendment to the Constitution i
urged, which is in the nature Of an at
tack rn one species of property, an,
survey the whole field before US. III,
landholdcrs are not a majority Of III,
people, but they approach much neare
to il than the Shareholders, and wheI
YOU have triumphcd over them, and er
posed their land to unlimited taxation
Especially when you accompany it will
new tax bill, they will turn upon yol
and demand repeal Of the prOteeiiol
against taxes on slaves, and will hn'
, recruits enough to carry itas by storm
! Thus contest i TO be begun, Oi whicI
no man can tell the end.
Sir, il is TO avoid these consequence
that | offer the amendment under con
sideralion. Since you propose, as
have shown, to abandon and violat
the compromise of 1855, 70 annihilat
J the checks and balances then establish
. ed between conflicting interests, to al
low one Of these interests an adyantag
il never could have obtained but 10
! that which you propose 70 abolish il an
other, the earlier and the inurc calml
you can settle the matter the bettei
When a compact becomes thus disre
gar,lrd or misunderstood, and there
n determination t0 yet rid of its term.