Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1857-05-12

ii
ling, would make mp staten ntthus:
IReal estate, 1916, 400, 600
Il Slaves, IFs451 49, 90, 500, 900
Personality, i66,d00,oOO
| Grand total, $7s0, Aoo,o 900
Il The total white population in | Vir-
1t ginia in 1850 was 1914, 500; and this
aggregate wealth compared with THE
1wllite population Of 1850, shows a
wealth for each person equivalent TO
$3.50 for each whitellnan, woman and
.Ichild. We believe, as NE said last
4 Friday. that the lands ofthe State are
i moderated. We believe We give too
low ali aggregate value forthe slaves.
| we have Intentionally overlooked a
1 large valuation Of personal property.
We candidly believe that the aggre-
4 gate wealth Of. Virginia, including
that Of slaves approSilnates ono
i thousand mflkt0RS< 0f d3llars and
that whatever increase may have oc-
Cured incur white population, the
average wealth of each white indi-
vidual man. woman and childinE Vir-
gfnia is 81, 900 But take it at the
Lowest estimate, and at $3.50 perrin
Edividnal person there lis not a
State, which calls itself ffrse, that can
| show an average ealth for each per-
SON of one half Of that safn there is
not tone of them that dan showa
wealth for each individual Of $500 -
although, if we knock otf file slave
Item from the above aggregate in
Virginia, andinstead of Counting the
slaves property. count them as dis.
tributes Of the property, the share Of.
! the remaining wealth forteach white
and. slave man, woman and child iGs
| Virginia. will be upwards of $500
perfhead !! We think this exhibit.
will suffice to put forever to silence
all the ultra Southern, rabid Aboli-I
ltion, and home Distribution slang, of
EiiiffeiRiias decline poverty and decay.
| ! And now forithe bugaboo oftaxa-
ton, the skeleton IN the closet, which
ourEdomestic distribntionists keep for
their own exclusive horrificati0n:--
WHAT'S the debt of the Statel The
actual oatstanding debt, I'D rep6rted
.by the Auditor, for the end Of last
wear was S26,914, o49. Throw It'll
fractions and all sorts of csnti1geIl-
cfes, and call it $50, 900 900. The
State owns upwards of.$3, 300, 0b0 ofI
bond stocks. She owns also 500,
967,5s2 ofraiiroad proper, stocks and
bonds, which, under any other bnt
the lazy management ne-half therI
roads arc Under, woald pay four perl
cent. dividends, and be worth from
u 70 100 per cent oh phrvalues.
Estimate this yaluea however, to-
gether with bank stocks and all man
ner and sort of other property be !
longing to the State, all.in a lamp,
at only $4,000, 900 I'VE should then
have. d statement of the debt of tke.I
Colnmonwealtlrthus list
Az tual ard contingent debt, $4,000, cool
Bank stocks, Railroad stocks, HI
y bonds, and property, and all
cities property belonging 70 Is Il
tht Stale, lE@I. 1000 cool
.3t fttH II II - T. L.
Nett ateindthtelnesS imposing
Rstt.6 perrent. charge onttaS-
a,ipn, ii 800, coo, cool
We have seen before that the az
grcgate wealth qftle PEOPLE of Eir |
ginia exceeds $500, 600, 600; and
What per ccntage is il supposed that
S2o,o00, 600 of indebtedness is upon
$500, 000, 600 ofwealthsl Whyfitis3
the amazing figure of21lper cent w.!
Here, then, is a crtlnib Of comfort for
the momnefs over the downfall Of
Virginia. Her indebtedness isHtwoE
and a half per cent. of her wealth q.
IIer people, by clubbing together i'm
a, pony purse, can cternally and ever
lastingly extinguisil the debt byl
throwing III two and d half per cent. \
ofthe value Of their property ]; pr it'll
they prefer to find tho debt, can meet
thelannr1al interest BY paying fifteen
cents on each hundred dollars of their
means VI
We leave the question here. We /
will not shbwsthat3 the mott indebted |
ness5ofthe State over assets, is much
less than $2o,000,0 900. That will Be
a subject Of discussion next winter
when the Legislature shall be in ses+
SION; and we sincerely TRUST. We may
all live to ''go into the figures Mi
We conclude with a single remark
which we may make enE official AM
thofity. The present rate of taxation1
is not only snficientto meet all inter
estion any possible debt Of the Com /
lnohwealtll, all constitutional require /
mehts lib regard tothe Sinking Fund,
and all contingencies and expenes OIL
government whatsoever, but toI paw
also an annual surplus revenue into
the treasury Of $125, 900 II
So the Commonwealth of Virginia
is not poor, is not in decline, is mott
bankrupt but the most solvent, and /
one of the wealthiest and most PROS
Ferrous Commonwealth in the Union Il
Richmond Examiner,
4 X Il 4