The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-02-17
Tax Upom Salaries.

or all the Oppressive, odious and ubiquitous
bartheas. ever laid upon people, that upon sa'a'
ries IN yirginia caps the climax OF injustice ana
hardship IL the Legislature now In session viii
bestow one moments thought upon this feature OF
the present tar bill, they will strike 1t out with
one accord We do not believe there Ia another
State In the union or another Commonwealth upon
she earth which lsvies such tax upon salaries as
10 levied 10 Virginia. One and half doltovs on
spsry hundred daiars Of salary, when Il exceeds
Ave hundred dollars f,so dollars on ,rery hundred
schsa Il eroeeStf a thousand, provision by which
the agricultural Interests protected, inasmuch
as overscers, whose salaries rarely reach S3oo,
escape from the operation of the tax, (saye the
triie ofone half Of per cent on $3.50 snd one per
cent on any sum between that and $780, whilst II
comes down with crushing severity upon the COM
uercial classes, already ground to the earth by
the enormous burthens which II Is the policy OF
Virginia 10 impose upon merchants. 1t should
also be remembered that, whilst the poor clerk,
with a dependent family upon his hands, is com
PEELED 10 pay two dollars out Of every hundred OF
his salary the officers of the State exempt from
the operation OF the Law, and have not dollar OF
tax to pay on hs,r salaries We earnestly invoke
the attention Of our representatives, of the finance
committees Of the House and Senate. and Of all Just
aim ost intoerable requirement
The merchants ofthe cities already oppressed
beyond endurance by the enormous disproportion
of the public burthens which Is thrown upon their
shoulders There are merchants in our city who
nav fifteen hundred dollars license tax, whilst IN
the great commercial city of New York such tax
isunknown, and Of course not dollar paid. 1t
is the policy Of Virginia 10 put down commerce.
the effect Of her legislation Is to drive her mel-
chants out Of her own borders, to build mp Baiti-
more, and other marts of the North, and having
dono this and filled Yankee pouches with the gold
and silver the sinews of war; that might have su'-
tanned Southern trade, she turns to and raises
terrific huliabaloo about Southern commerce ana
southern Independence. We don't wonder that the
free soil Journals laugh aud jeer nor that the an
kee merchants, with runaway negroes hidden
under their counters fiud 1t hard TO Disguise their
contempt for their Southern customers. Whatcause
have Northern cities to look with any emotion hut
rnutterable scorn at the stupendous folly which
is eterually pratiBg about Southern trade aud
power, aud deliberately sacrificing every possible
means of attaining these objects; taxing our mer-
chants SO heavily that few of them are able to
carry on business, and Virginia houses and Vir'
Qiria customers are transferred to Baltimore, and.
MS n this were not enough, ping mp the agony on
the poor clerks until they fairly sagger aud groan
under their burthens as did the Israelites auder
their Egyptian task masters. If aught were necef
sary to give the erowning touch to this splendid
exhibition Of wise craftsmanship, it would be the
project, very nigh successful of allowing Balti-
more TO tap every railroad in Virginia, secure TO
herself the whole Western trade, and absorb all
the benefits Of that expenditure for railroads
which has been wrung by the tax-gatherers' iron
hands from the sweat and toll, from the limited
and hardearned rewards Of Virginia industry and
economy, whilst she herself pays not farthIng
for any of the benefits that she thus receives
And 1t Ia for this that to be taxed to death
that our merchants and clerks and men of salaries
are TO be drained Of the very lifeblood OF their
support whit Baltimore riots on the fruits OF
Virginia labor and of Virginia folly. For our own
part, We would rather never see another mile OF
railroad Ia Virginia, would rejoice to see every
rail now down torn up, and every car smashed to
atoms, rather than to behold the triumph Of po'
Iicy BY which this State at her own expense, is to
be made miserable, paltry province OF Northern
abolition power.
We once more urge the attention of the Legisa-
turs to the miserable folly and wickedness of sin
cling out the commercial classes, and the clerks,
for such burthens are laid upon no other mem
bers Of the community. The rich landh0lder has
only to pay forty cents on every hundred dollars OF
the value of his land whilst the poor, struggling
man Of the cities, without capital, without any
means OF support, his own industry, with per
haps a large family, and the expenses Of living
twice three times as great as in the country,
has TO pay ten dollars every hundred of his lit
tie income,-except the salaried officers OF the
State who are not taxed upon their income at all
Is not this most unjust odious, monstroue!