The Empire County argus., 1855-01-27
iCoIoma: Saturday, Jan. 81, 1866.
FOREIGN MINERS TAX.

slfa tie FOREIGN MINERS TAX.
We find tho following in the newspaper published
at Placerville .ass
statement of the amt of revenue collected in
this county from the sale of Foreign Miners Licen-
ses since Sheriff Buel has been, in Office, from Octo
Der Sd, 1858. to January Sd, 1856 fifteen months
From Oct Sd to Dec. Is, 1858, were sold
5346, at 81 4..... ...... ..... -. .S2l,38 90
From Dee. Is, 1853, to Dec. Is, 1854
were sold 22O03 ...... ....... ...... .88 012 90
From Dec. Is, 1854, to Jan. 3, 1855 were
"a sold l546. ..... $3.50. ..6,lo4 90
Whole number, 2S,S95, .....- ..$l15,5S0 90
This is large sum of money and collected
chiefly from the Chinese population of the County
comparatively few other foreigners paying for
licenses as we are informed, and amounting to an
average for the fifteen months indicated, of ST. 1885,
SO per month The Chinese are looked upon with
very little favor by our mining population, never
theless, our citizens cannot now fail to see that
their presence among us is of considerable benefit,
especially when it is remembered that the Chinese
engaged in mining are employed upon a class of
claims considered by our miners the poorest in
point of qualityso poor in fact that the majority
Of the claims wrought by the Chinese would be
passed unnoticed by all other classes of miners.
From such ground the Chinese have derived the
money to pay the large sum above indi-
eated thereby materially beneftting our county
finances and hssenng taxation on other classes to
the amount of their contributions and adding also,
materially to the revenue of the State Meantime
commerce and trade generally has received de
gree of benefit from this source, and all growing
out of the presence of this people among us, the
material aid being derived mainly from ground so
poor as to offer little or no attraction to miners of
other nations.
An examination of the law and figures will show
portion of the aid derived from this source The
Act for the protection of Foreigners provides that
fifty per cent of net proceeds shall be paid into the
State Treasury, and fifty per cent of net proceeds
shall be paid into the general fund of the County,
and by sec. 1S, not exceeding twenty-five per cent
shall be paid to the collecting officers and three per
cent to the Recorder
We have total collections in
l5 months .......... ...... .Sll5,5S0 90
County Treasurer reed as per
annl statement of settle
ment wthCourt of Sessions
in this period, Jan IA, ;54 S8.328 SO
Co. Treasurer do Jan. 9. '55 2,806 81
State Ireasr reed in
time so per cent. ..... Al ,l34 81
25 per cent to Sheriff and
Deputy Collectors ..... .895 90
3 per cent to Recorder. ...... 3, ,467 40
Total receipts and legal fees Sl14632 IA
'lt Balance ...... .947 S6
This S947 sc is an ''item' to which we invite the
attention of the Miners Adrocate desire to en-
tighten its readers having hit the Aduocate in the
stomach--this stem" will afford it an appropriate
opportunity for ingenuity. Is this balance of S947
sc in the County Treasury? or State Treasury or
has it been expended! If so, how, and for what
Are we wrong in our figures, if so how?
During the last fifteen months the Treasury of
this County has been fattened with the snug sum
of SAL 1874 81, and the State Treasury has received
the same amount, while our officers in this County
have received 1862 40 for their services in col
Letting the money. 1t is therefore plain that For
eign Miners have contributed largely toward defray
ing the current expenses Of the County besides
paying large sum to officers to look them up. The
collectors of Foreign Miners tax in this County
have done WE'LL and it is known that their labors
are Of an arduous and perplexing character.
This County, to-day, had it not been for the
$32SO6 "a received during the last fiscal year from
Foreign Miners would have been Sl9,675 54 in
debt instead of having S13,13O 80 in the general
fund of her Treasury. This state of things should
admonish us to look with some grains of allowance
at the Chinese. Although people obnoxious to us
in their habits and little disposed to assimlate to
our customs and institutions, yet it is manifest
that with present laws and efficient collections
as We have had in this County, they contribute
much to relieve our citizens of taxation. The pol
icy of excluding the Chinese from Mines and
thereby loosing the revenue we derive from
them, is question we have no time to discuss at
this writing.
The London journals are growing over the awful
barbarity of the Russians in firing upon their
cavalry in order the efectually to destroy the
British and they roundly declare that such an oc-