The weekly Columbian., 1857-03-07
An Act, Imposing certain Stamp Duties.


We are under obligations to Mr.. Geo.
H. Rogers, of the Assembly, for copy
ofa bill bearing the above title, which
was introduced into the Assembly not,
long since, of which the following is the
pith and substance:
SEC. l. The following duty is hereby
imposed on every sheet or piece of pa
per or parchment, or other material, up
on which may be written. printed, en-
graved or Autographed any or either Of
the instruments following, to acft: Any
foreign bill of exchange, draft or order,
whether negotiable or otherwise, or letter
of credit directed to any person or per-
sons. and payable out of this State, If
above twenty dollars and not exceeding
fifty dollars, fifteen cents; if above ifty
and not exceeding one hundred dollars,
thirty cents, &c, in the same ratio up to
one hundred thousand dollars, upon
which is duty oftwo hundred and sew
enty-five dollars. Or any license TO
practice, or certificate of admission of
any attorney at law, granted by any court
in this State, ten dollars. Any receipt
or discharge for or on account of any es-
tate or legacy descended by law or tes-
tamentary instrument, to any person 9TH
er than in the direct ascending or de-
scending line of the deceased, or other
than the widow or husband, one half Of
the duty levied on foreign bills of OK
change. Any policy of assurance, con-
| tract or instrument In the nature thereof,
upon any house, factory, machine, ship,
steamer or vessel of any description, any
goods, wares or merchandise, or any life
insurance, the same rate of duty as the
last foregoing. Any receipt for the pay
ment ofmoney, or any contract. certificate
or memorandum relative to the purchase
of passage from this State to any place
out of the limits thereof or from any place
out of this State to another place out of
the limits thereof, upon any vessel or
steamship; il fora first class passage -
dollars, and if for second class passage,
-- dollars, and if for steerage pas
sage, - dollars. Any promissory
note, bond, inland bill of exchange, or
writing obligatory for the payment of
money either absolutely or by way Of
penalty, for the sum of - dollars
and over, except sight checks or certif-
Gates of deposit payable on demand, or
official bonds, or bonds given in the Pro-
bate Court, or in any civil or criminal
action or proceeding whatsoever, one
half of the rate of duty imposed on for
eign bills of exchange.
Notwithstanding this bill is Ingenious
ly drawn to convey the idea of the taxa
ton. of bankers and other capitalists, its
real object evidently, is taxation upon
miners and the mines, as these are the
people and this the locality that would
be mainly effected by the passage of the
bill. tits plain to any sensible mind that,
bankers would not be the sole losers, 6
they would simply place the additional
| item Of duties to the charge of those pro-
curing drafts or orders, bills of exchange
&C., which in the main would come out
of the pockets of the miner, or the busi-
ness man of the mines.
1t is true that the passage of this bill
would seriously injure the banking busi-
ness, inasmuch as rather than submit to
such extortion, the community would suf-
fer the banking business to dwindle down
to mere nothing, and instead of the ac-
commodation which they now afford in
the interchange of moneyed transactions,
this bill would force the people of the
State into the adoption ofindividualirans
portation of dust. or some other equally
dangerous expedient by which the ex-
tortion could be avoided. Mr.. Brent
certainly cannot entertain hope for the
passage of bill so obnoxious to the in
terests of the people, as the one before
US.