The Placer herald., 1857-11-14
Taxation,


yond the matters usually presented for their
consideration, and have taken up the subject
of taxation and discuss it in manner no
ways charitable toward those counties con-
tanning mines and mining population. They
say:
THE Constitution declares that taxation shall
be equal and uniform and that representation
shall be in proportion to population The for
mer has heretofore aud does now exist only in q
legal sense. The agricultural counties it isknown
are mostly covered by Mexican grants and are in
the possession of our farmers and grazers. who
pay heavy tax upon every acre OF their land
and upon every head of stock, while the mining
counties, exceedingly prolific in the returns they
make to their occupants, being almost entirely
the property of the Federal Government pay
comparatively little into our State Treasury
Thus while large proportion of the public ex-
penditures and liabilities were created by them
aud for their benefit, they escape taxation upon
the lands they occupy and the returns they
ceve from the mines, and throw the burden of
the Government upon the more settled or agri
cultural portions Of the State. This inequality
should no longer exist, and while we would de-
precate any schsm that would go to destroy the
harmony of our Government, we cannot be too
mindful OF the duties we owe to ourselves and
our families. when we are compelled yearly to
alienate portion OF our property, both real and
personal. to meet an expenditure of Government
winch we are denied an equal voice in creating.
This burden has been forced upon us from the
first year Of our State organization and although
we have from time to time complained through
the Public Press, of the injustice done us in this
respect we have invariably received the silent
reply, we have the power and you must submit
Not only are we taxed unequaly on our property,
but we pay thereby more than any mining county
OF the same number of Inhabitants in the way Of
captatlon tax. Our farmers have their habita-
tons and locality, and can at all times be found,
and each pays his annual head tax while the
floating elements which characterize the mining
districts are never to be found except at the polls
on an election day, and their voice then goes to
augment the representation in the Legislature in
accordance with that clause of the Constitution
which we have quoted, representation according
to population" We are thus placed and reduced
to the humble position Of 'hewers of wood and
drawers of water
1.-The past three years it is known have been
OF great severity to our farming population, By
the continued drouths, and what little they have
been able to retain after their own consumption,
has been taken away to meet the demands of reck
less Legislators, whose aim is policy, and whose
designs are political supremacy
"The evils of which we complain can be in part
remedied, by a law stringent ard compulsory in
its character, by which all will be compelled to
bear their equal pro rata of the burdens of Gov
ernment and until this is done, the citizens of
the agricultural and commercial counties may
we'll consider the dernier resort which they n-
herit under both the laws of God and man.
The authors of this document have evi
dently been reading the do!eful epistes of
the down-county papers, that have favored
their readers much of late with articles upon
inequality of taxation as between the agricul
tural and commercial and mining counties.
The report complains that "mining counties
pay comparatively little into the State Trea-
sury." This is grossly Incorrect Mining
counties have paid into the Treasury since
the organization Of the State government,
about one million of dollars; and taking out
the receipts from the commercial cities of
San Francisco, Sacramento, Marysville and
Stockton, the other counties have not paid
as much. Two-thrds of the trade, Gf not
more) of these cities is with the mining coun-
ties, and upon the mines depend their pros
perity and the increase of their taxable pro-
perty. Tens and hundreds of thousands of
dollars have gone out of the mines, in the
hands of successful miners, and been invest
ed in the cities and agricultural counties,
and given to them wealth and permanence.
Had the State of California from the date
of its admission into the Union until the
present time, to depend upon its agricultural
resources for Importance and taxable pro-
perty instead of to-day finding 100000 900
on the assessment roll there would not have
been to exceed 2O,oOo,OoO.
The report speaks Of the burden of taxa
tion, as if Santa Clara and other agricultural
counties bore almost the entire weight
Taxpayers of mining counties are abundant
ly able to testify that they have carried a
load of the same kind for years almost too
grievous to be borne; and they certainly have
as much reason to complain as their neigh
bors in the vallies.
The report makes the sweeping assertion
that Santa Clara "pays more than any min
ing county Of the same number of inhabi-
tants in the way of captation tax" We
are unable to find any State statistics that
will support this declaration.
Further on this good natured Grand Jury
say "our farmers have their habtations and
locality, aad can at all times be found, and
each pays bis annual head tax, while the
floating elements which characterize the
mining districts ara poyar 10 Lo found o,oont
at the polls on election day" The closing
part of this sentence is most unjust to the
great body Of the citizens of the mining
counties. 1t is true that from the nature of
their occupation, many miners are unsettled
and do not remain lonn in ona nlaao anL