Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-03-21
Taxation and the Public Lands.

public lands, and particularly with reference
to the repudiated forty thousand dollar de-
post. is the following from the Blue Ridge
Republican, which we commend to the con-
sideration of all sceptics on this subject:
TnE VIRGINIA LAND QuorA-WHAr Is
IT? \ large portion of the money in the
Treasury of the United States is raised by a
tax on articles necessarily consumed by the
mass of the pcople-such as cotton and
WOODEN cloths, brown sugars, salt and iron
Of these articles about one third is imported
from abroad aud the remainder is manu-
featured in this country, mostly in the North
ern and Eastern States When the import
er pays the tariff tax into the United States
Treasury, he Of course adds this to the prime
cost of his goods, and gets it back from the
consumer in the increased price. The home
manufacturer raises his price also, just in
the proportion in which the importer raises
the price Of the same article manufactured
abroad. The tariff tax thus raises the erice
Of the article manufactured at home, as we'll
as of that manufactured abroad BY the
operation of this tariff system the consumer
IS made to pay money not only into the Uni
ted States Treasury but also into the pock-
cts of thc manufacturers Of the North Con-
scqucnily the manufacturing interests at the
North have always clamored for high ia
riff tax while the consuming classes at the
South have demanded low tariff The
more money that can be thrown out of the
United States Treasury the greater is its
demand for high tariff taxes. Hence the
Northern manufacturing interests are anx-
ious to strip the United States Government
of every source of revenue except what may
be derived from q tax Oh imports, BY dis
trlbutine the proceeds Of the public lands
the necessity for high tariff duties is in
creased to the extent of the sum of money
thus taken out of the Federal Treasury
When the Wing party got into power in
1911, this policy prevailed. Although there
was deficit in the Treasury, and they had
to borrow twenty millions to support the
Government, the Wing Congress passed
law distributing among the States at large,
after donating ID per CT to the new States,
the proceeds Of the sales Of the public lands
that had been received for the year past
Under this law the quota payable to Vir-
ginia was some $40 600, In 1912 the Vir-
ginia Legislature, denouncing the distribu-
ton policy as fraud, refused to touch ono
cent Of the money The question was tried
repeatedly before the people of Virginia,
and the Legislature was sustained by the
popular verdict again and again.
For the last FIVE or six years the question
has been but very little agitated, and it was
generally supposed that all further effort to
disturb the deliberate Judgment pronounced
by Virginia, Is years ago, was abandoned
Ia its utter restitution Of issues, after all
its humbugs have been exploded, poverty
stricken Know Nothingism rakes out of the
ruins this forgotten question, and proclaims
the discovery Of Il rich treasure. With its
wonted uistrust of the popular intelligence,
and its accustomed confidence in its power
to delule the public mind. it processes itself
ablc and ready, with this land fund, to re-
heve the burden Of the State taxes 1t be-
comes eur duty to expose this last humbug
of the enemy, and snatch even this last
erumb from the eager hands of the poor
starveling.
If this whole $40, 000 were at once re-
ceived into the State Treasury, it would for
one single year reduce the tax { of one cent
on the hundred dollars Instead of 10 cts
on the hundred dollars, the tax would be
39a cents. y man owning $1,000 worth of
property would pay 81 cents less than he
now does, and man owing $4,000 worth
would pay 62l cents less. The tax on
negro would be two cents less than it now
is. 1t would consume the whole $40, 900
to give us this much relief for one single
gear. This is all that the poor Know No
things can promise to do for US. 1t is even
less For the proposition heretofore made
has been to put this money into the literary
fund and apply the annual iaterestto public
uses \ tax of la part of cent on the
hundred dollars would raise as much as this
annual interest. Or, in other words, levy
of cents on every $40, 600 worth of prop
erty would raise as much annual revenue as
the interest on this land fund. Is there any
Democrat worth $40, 600 who will take !
cents for his principles Would any Dem
oerat worth 500 take 2 part of cent
for the privilege Of recording his vote against
his party?
Such is the bald humbug with which the
attempt is now made to deceive the people
and allure them into the embrace of Know
Nottingham. We shall, in future numbers,
continue the consideration of this subject in
its various aspects of unconstitutionality
immortality and inexpedicney, and if we do
not satisfy every dispassionate person of all
three, We shall be more mistaken than We
have ever been in any similar controversy.
Telegraph to Stanton The extension
Of the Central Railroad, the increase of COM
merco and travel between this city and the
Valley and trans-Alleg hany country, makes
it highly important that the most rapid me-
dunn of intelligence should be established
between them. The public generally there
and here, are deeply interested in this--the
commercial part of it especially so. The in
accommodation now very considerable,
is every day increasing and must become
immense, especially when the railroad reach
es the White Sulphur, which, we trust, will
not be postponed longer than two years.
The telegraph should, however preccdc it,
and if the proper encouragement is given to
the cntcrprising gentlemen now endeavor-
ing to build the line to Staunton, this will
be done. --Richmond Dispatch.
Fire.--Wo regret to learn that the dwell
ing House of Dr. William Ewing, in the
Pastures, near Goshen, was consumed few
days ago by accidental fire, with nearly all