Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-06-19
A New Question for Diplomats.

Poor Mexico, being financially, politically
and morally used up, has at last come into
most desperate straits The present supreme
government, to-wit, that headed by Senior Don
Zuloaga, and whose supremacy extends over
the city of Mexico, and is opposed elsewhere
throughout the country by almost as many
factions as there are haciendas in the Repub-
lie, is in pressing need of money. To obtain
this desideratum, the President proclaims
decree establishing Bank, the basis of which
shall be. a special tax of one per cent on all
estates in the country Of more than FIVE thou
sand and less than two and Ealf millions
dollars in value. On the publication of this
decree, a number of the citizens OF the United
States, doing business in the city of Mexico,
protested through the American Minister
against the payment of the tax. The reasons
for this protest are thus given by our Minister,
Mr.. FORSYTH:
..First-It is irregular and unusual in Its
inception; it is imposed, not by virtue OF any
subsisting or customary laws, but by virtue
of a sudden and unexpected decree: 1t is to
be enforced by rapid and stringent steps: it is
to take effect for once only, .por ana sofa rex
1t is a temporary financial expedient, sug-
gested by the PRESSING necessities of civil
strife, and has no analogy with any system of
taxation recognized and practiced by nations,
governed by sound and stable laws.
Second-It is partial, unequal and unjust in
its Operations: leaving, as il does, two ex-
tremes above and below which no cOntribu-
ton at all is laid, and establishing large in
equality in the bases of contribution by
those capitals that are within those extremes.
With these large exemptions from all econ
tribution," and without those Inequalities
among those who are compelled TO pay, the
undersigned must deem it as differing toto
coLo, from lawful tax, which, from its
very nature, must be general, uniform and
just
Third-It is irregular and unusual in its
appropriation. From the statement alluded
to in the "Diario Official, /" and from his own
observations, the undersigned is satisfied that
the funds obtained by means OF this ''contrl-
butionr are intended to be employed. in the
first instance, TO sustain troops engaged IN the
civil war, now unhappily devastating the
country, and afterwards to form. in whole or
in part, the basis of the National bank, with
the shares of which it is proposed to re-
pay it.
Fourth-It is in violation of treaties ex-
listing between the United States and Mexico"
On the reception of this Protest, the pay
ment of the tax was temporarily deferred, but
for no specified time. Whereupon the Ameri-
can citizens communicated to Mr.. FORSYTH
their dissatisfaction with this course, and
asked him to demand a repeal of the decree.
What the result of this is, we have no intor-
nation. To say the least Mr., FORSYTH takes
a very wide berth. Foreigners in Mexico
are there by sufierance, and the effort of our
minister to interpret the rules of right and
wrong for the Mexican government in respect
to its domestic affairs, looks as if we were
about to assume the guardianship of that
country practically, whether we formally
adopt Gen. HoUsToNs idea of Protectorate
or not We doubt whether there can be found
any other instance, where our government
has gone so far in its intercourse with other
nations. 1t opens up new and interesting
question in the course of international diplo-
macy, which is not likely to rest alone, in its
discussion, with Mexico and this country. If
levying the special tax on American citizens
was violation of treaty obligations between
the two countries, we cannot see the neces-
sity for other objections on the part of Mr..
FORSYTH.