Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-12-14
4 PLEA N BEnALr OF TIE MERCHANTS OF VIR-

GrSLA.-One of our Oldest and most solid mar
camille men, day or two ago submitted to our
attention, document emanating from the Rich
Inond Board of Trade-intended as memorial
to the Legislature on behalf of the over taxed
merchants throughout the State. The memo
rial is very able document throughout:-the
facts or grievances set forth, viii, however, an
swer our purpose, which is to call the attention
Of our merchants to the necessity of some CO.
operative action with merchants throughout the
State, in order to influence the necessary relief
from the Legislature. The memorial first pro.
ceeds very justly to remark:
THAT the obligations due to the State are
due as individual citizens, not in classes, and
that each citizen should contribute to the gen
eral fund in proportion to his ability, which IS
the measure Of the protection he receives in re-
turn, as nearly as that ability can be reasonably
asceTtained,
The above is very forci6le observation, and
it has always appeared to us that the assessment
by classes was not only an insidiOus but PERM.
cious system Of raising a revenue. The memo
rial next proceeds:
In pursuing this plain ratio of taxation. the
plan is perfectly simple. The property of the
State being ascertained, and the amount needed
also ascertalned, the per centage is at once ar
rived at
In all cases, except our own, this ratio is OBJ
served.
The farmer pays under the proposed tax bill,
forty cents on every one hundred dollars value Of
sland.
The manufacturer pays forty cents on every
hundred dollars value of personal property,
money and credits required to be listed
But the merchant has another Inc 10 measure
his contribution to the public treasury. 1t is
quite as easy to ascertain his ad valorem pro
portion. IL is quite as simple to require from
him forty cents on every one hundred dollars of
his capital But in lieu of this, the track of
taxation pursued in reaching every other en-
plOyment, is deserted when he is visited. He pays
first specific tax for the privilege of exercising
his industry Mt all. Then a tax upon his sales,
arranged upon sliding scale, which will aver
age fully two dollars and fiftySiX cents on every
one hundred dollars of his capital and increas-
ing pari PaSSu with the energy with which his
business is carried on. &c this new test were
not submitted, by which the comparison is con-
cealed, the astounding fact would stand out in
plain figures, that citizen of Virginia, who fol-
lows the calling of merchant, is required by
Law to pay Mt least six times as much III proper
ton to his means rs the citizen engaged in any
other occupation. The mode by which this
innate is arrived at, will, when explained, show
the statement to be within the possible limits of
exaggeratiom. The inquiry is curious one to
n speculative inquirer. 1t is one of Sclfprotec-
ton, and is becoming one of SelfPreservation,
to the merchant himself
All other occupations pay forty cents on every
one hundred dollars Of value possessed by them.
The merchan: pays the same on all his real or
personal property, outside Of his capital in bust
ness. This amounts to forty dollars ON every
ten thousand dollars worth of any such proper
ty. To institute fair ana true comparison, it
only becomes necessary to ascertain what ten
thousand dOllars of capital, employed in active
Nyil N m
the license tax is regulated by the amount of
sales, the amount Of sales represented by ten
thousand dollars of capital on the average, must
first be fixed This is question Of fact, only
to be learned by careful investigate Such
investigation VIC have male; and while we be-
lieve the ordinary proportion of annual sales to
capital to be ten to one, 4. e, one hundred thou
sand dollars on ten thousand dollars, and while
no one conversant with trade will assert ii to be
less than eight to one, yet to avoid all cavil, we
take the estimate of six to one 1. e, sixty thou
sand dollars Of sales ON ten thousand dollars of
capital. On less than this, the capital would
not return n livelihood By the proposed tax
bill, this ten thousand dollars Of property pays
Il tax Of two hundred and tffty-six dollars
instead of forty dollars--(or two dollars
and fifty-six cents on every hundred dollaFs)
AS that is the rate proposed to be levied on
sixty thousand dollars of Sales-Or more than
six times as much as any other property in the
State There are other calculations by which
this result VIII be upprONlmntedi as, for ln-
stlncc contrast of the revenue derived from
this license tax and the whole revenue of the
State, considered in connection with tue prob
able total of business copital and the total value
OF the entire taxable fund Of the State. But we
desire to leave nothing to conjecture. Nor do
we wish to make as strong an exhibit as posi-
bic OF the disparity which lies heavy US
Our object is to state the case in such light as
will carry conviction with it. The estimate of
sales to capital as six 20 one is so undoubtedly
within bounds, that scarcely an intelligent bu.
sinesS man would hoSiiatc to make affidavit OF
its correctness.
In some particular branches of mercantile
ICe this disparity is greater still The mel chant
who sells on commission is entitled to but2 % per
cent OH his sales, as his compensation for sell.
ing Ga sixty thousand dollars of sales his en-
tire income wonld be but fifteen hundred dollars
and his tax thereon Will be two hundred aud
ilty-six dollars, or one-sixth of his income
The lands III the Commonwealth have largely
increased in value since the last assessment
Agricultural products yield return which pre-
sentsa like favorable contrast with former years.
The old standard OF value being retained, it is
actually no greater charge upon the landed prop
erty now to pay forty cents in the hundred dol
lars, than twas heretofore to pay the old rate.
IL.