Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-03-19

Aud yet gentlemen are here alarming gentlemen WEI
the apprehension, that increased taxation must rtsu
from appropriations made at inns session. ihe
design, in levying he new tax Of 40 cens was To pro-
dCce revenue more than sufficient Tor the "ralhary
charges upon the treasury. Experience VI lbs ac"a'
operation proves that it does produce revenue more
than sufficient for those ordinary charges, ana Eer'
| gentlemen insist that If VS. increase tue Ordinary
| charges, We must increase The taxes
The repor. of the Committee OF Finance estimates
probable surplus in the treasury the hrst oil Ocio'
ber 1859 OF 1922 81 subject 10 such d'nluuon H.
may be occasioned by additions to the pubic ceot or
byspecia appropriations at this session Lhe ',ih
Of tho committee have preseated report exnisHinc
different results. In the estimates OF prooaole Oils
burse ens the two branches Of The committee agree
| except that the minority embrace an esflus g Of
chnrE, 70. increase Of the public deot, TO Or
ncca-ioned by the passage of BILL 20 fund certain
! draugbts The Board Of Public Works and charges
of abour NO. occasioned by special appropriations
already mado 1T this session. The majority did Lot
embrace the frat because the bill had not passed. ana
the amount OF the charge might be affected by the
forrn which the law might assume They did NOT EN-.
brace tho last offer, because il 10 submit
full estimate OF the specia appropriations and they
did choose To effect partial Their report tx
or. ssy states that these charges are excluded and
cry gentleman must mske his own deductions from
the estius-d surplus, sccording to his own estimates
of what the addition to the puolio dehr and The special
opriaons at this session, will add 10 The charges
| on the treasury. l, is very simple ariihmaiica'
operation, alter the amount is fixed, and the anount
can at pssen: be only onsey joureG. The lnanc-
committee could not undertake 10 foreteli what bills
would pass thu GENERAL Assembly. the two branches
of the committee also agree in their estimates OF re-
c-ip:s for the next two yearsexcep 10 three fe-.
Upon those three ponts, submit our report 10 me
| Judgment of the House. Every member here Is ID
capable of passing upon them, n would % aft-r
| he had served half century a. Auditor OF Pubic
Accounts. The receipts from the tax on licenses
from the tax property, other than lands and Slaves
and from the surplus revenue OF tue internal
ment fund, are the only suhJeot. upon which d'ifer.
encs occurs in the estimates The minority estimate
decrease OF ten per cent in the receipts from the
license tax. The majority estimate no decrease 10
this estimate the majority sustained by the Audi
tor Of Public Accounts, and by the Senate committee
of finance with diseentien. The reason assigned
by the minority is, that merchants safes VIII decline
! 10 per cent. With the steady annual increase i'll
our wealth and population, exhibited by our
official returns, there is reason TO expect such
! decline. even in the deranged pecuuiary conui
| ton Of the country. But II the sales decline
/, Il does not follow that there will be anything
like proporiionate decrease in the tax. The tax Ia
| spuortioped upon large scae. There is one Tax
on all sales from 81 500 to 80 500; another
on all sales from 81 800 TO s5,D00; another on
al. sales from s. 0UU TO Sl0,0OO Within these limits,
the sales NAV greatly Huotuate, without affecting the
amornt of the license But. agaiu only two thirds
of the license tax is merchants license tax The mi
nority do not appear TO have condescended 10 an tx
animation Of details, bu' content themselves win ae
ths details of the subject Mr.. HARBOUR here read
list of the subjects of license tax besides merchants
sales and commented the improbabllity oi any re-
ducon in the tax on these subjects. These subjects
are odnaries, houses OF private entertainment SHOWS
denistl. lawyers doctors, &c, NC
The point OF difference III our estimates Is ~
the receipt from the tax property other than lands
and slaves. Here again the minority estimates Dc
crease III per cent Now, sir every gentleman knows
that this property has never been assessed at s spec
uative or market price, blu, far below it. 1t is not
fair TO suppose that temporary fHc!uation in
the speculative prices of this property will ope-
rate similar 6uctuation in the values asaes.
sed for taxation. If the bill now before the Sen
ate, to compel fairer valuation of this property
should become law, ard tbs assessment made 10
correspond with actual present prices instead of d.
cline, might anticipate large increase from this
sources. But here again. let me invite attention 70
the details. These assessed values for the last year
amounted to something one hundred and twenty
millions Of dollars. The last Auditors report does
not give the items Of ihess values but the one be-
for. he last does. In 1855, these values amounted,
10 round numbers, to one hundred and thirteen mil
iious o. that aggregate, nearly forty nine millions
consisted Of "moueys, bonds and claims" TIE mo
Notary crisis. 10 exploding North Western and dis.
tanr fancy speculations will certainly have ten
dency 10 retain our money for home investmens.-
Certainly, il is reasonable TO expect the amount OF
taxed money, or bonds to be reduced ten per cent
Fifteen mil ions Of this aggregate consists OF house
hold aud kitchen furniture. Can you calculate on
any diminished assessment Of that item Cattle,
sheep and hogs amount TO more than fifteen millions,
am authorized by my friend from Pulaski, who sits
by my eide that in the great cattle region of
the State South Wes ern Virginia, cattle are higher
a, this moment than he has ever known
them 20 b.. | casually met IN this city
M friend Col. NITTES o! Ta2ewell, formerly l.
be. of this House, and la.ge cattle grazier and
| dealer He gave M, under his own hand, the state
meu' which ! hold in my hard, tMr BARBOUR
| here read a statement from Coz. NIrTEH, who had
\ ~. tl. INr, %
twenty y-ars and had never known cattle TO be so
| sigh in SonhWe-te-n Nrg inia as they IRE row.
Horses he also states, are as high as ever. Dir. Is
stated that the assessed value VI horses mues &C.,
was over nineteen millions Such, Mr.. SPEAKER,
srs the chief it.ms OF this aggregate. Alter an eI-
animation OF these details, challenge the judgment
! Of the House for approval of the action of this
committee 10 refusing 10 deducl ten per cent from
these vauss. We might, indeed, have been justified
in adding theLn Tor thee is astsady Increase each
year in the OF values In 1854 they
amounted in round numbers 20 Ill millions in 1855
70 lis millions; in 1856 10 IL millions; in 1857, to
100 millions. This proportion Of increase would
swell this aggregate in 1888 ard 81 10 more than
l25 miil,ons Yet retain it in our estimates At l20
| rniliiona-the amount actually returned in 1871
The last point OF difference in TIE estimate
! refers 20 the rece:pt from the Internal improve
ment fund. This fund is composed of the bonus on
| bank capital, and The interest and dividends upon
certain honds ard stocks held by the Commonwealth.
The Auditors witch The majority have made 10 the es-
tna'rs al TIL minority. are Designated item by item in
atabe append TO report We took care 10 furnish
rhe Hous. with The basis of our additional estimates,
so that every member can judge for himself We
sgan labor-d through details end gave You no lump
! ing s'imaes The first lem added by us is about
ninItten thouaad 6Gllars interest dividend bonds
az Richmond, Fredericksburg ard Potomac Rail
| Rosa Company. The gent' man from Monroe and
mv--!f informed by the Secretary at The Board
! at Put Works that r..e company were ready to
.is ~ iis uaymen and had actually off-red |. in
treasury volts which that Office no' technically
authorized :" r-c-ive The mkt Two Items amount.
ing nearly rSty thousand dollars, ARE eirearages
at n'er-.. from the Crnirnl ard the Danvil!a Rail
| Road Co.dphn:-s. The State owes esrh cf these
companies considerable amount on account Of sub
script ms 10 he paid Of the loan fund, when honds
| are sold par Though it i II" legnl of set, yet
these companies have retained that amount until
their claims sgan.t the State are adjusted
A bill, which has passed the Senate with bat one
| dissenting voice, settles the demands Ut those com
! promises, by paying them State bonds. AS soon as
the transaction is closed those companies ready
70 pay what they owe the in ernsl improvement fund
We have put that down IA IN expected receipt
The mex: i'em ia $40 900 actually received from Sci
deu Wi;hers s. Co The ueI' ia 81 OOO receipts from
Junction Valley Road, and "a 600 from North West
-rD Turnpike Road, which W. We're informed by the
Secretary of the Board of Public Works, were ready
| tn be paid az soon the Board made order 10
receive It, All these receipts are rejected from the
estimates Of tho minority. We also estimate the re-
cep, OF interest on the loans to the South Side and
the Virginia and Tennessee companies. We have
made these estimates upon The best and most reliable
| information which We could obtain. The companies
IRE here asking as q legislative favor TO be- allowed
| TO pay within these two fiscal years. about the
amount embraced in estimates, in lieu of the full
| amount which they actually owe. The Committee OF
Finance do not profess 10 be above in these 90
Inmates, but they do profess to have spared no lsbo.
| in obtaining such Information as formed proper b.
sis tor the estimates which they submit They may
have erred in estimating 200 much from this source
| tt, anti.
mating too little.
| Mr. McKEEZlE.-Iou have estimated too little
| Mr.. RA3BOCR.-The gentleman from Alexandria may
right We have rejected receipts which are very
probable. But suppose that any OF this sort
either way will about balance and the results will proba
| bly, realize the aggregate OF e.timates After one
other remark shall close this tedious review Of the de-
tails OF hese reports The minority deduct from the re
ceptS for less a4 900 othe dealcn,ion