The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1858-10-07
agitation IN virginia.

AgisatiOnin virginia.
There has been growing quarrel between
eastern and western Virginia, originating in
the fact that the shareholders OF eastern
Virginia, having things all their own way,
take care to advance their own interests at
the expense Of the comparatively non slave
holding region of western Virginia.
A writer in a Wheeling paper Of a late day
calls the attention of the people to some
facts which, If properly appreciated by the
non Shareholders of the South, would secure
rev olution of sentiment and Of power in
half the slave States, within very brief pc
Rod. But the poor whites of tho South are
already too ignorant and degraded under the
aristocratic condition of society that pre-
walls there, to understand or assert their
rights against their hereditary oppressors.-
The writer says:
The slave property is not taxed more than
one fourth its alue, while oil the property
of every kind owned by those having no
slaves is taxed to it's full value; and BY the
mode Of levying the tax the non slavehold-
ing portion Of the State is taxed for more
than It's value.
The Shareholders, by an arbitrary dicium,
denv the right Of representation, in the State
Senate, to the non .slaveholdng districts, az
cordng to population. They say, in the
first place, that everything the FREQ white
man has, who has no slaves, shall be taxed
to its full value. We will exempt three
fourths Of our slave property from taxation,
and We will also reserve an arbitrary major
itv in the Legislature. In plain English, the
slave-owner says to the free white man, you
are fit to pay taxes. but not fit to make laws,
when taxes arc to be raised TO exempt slaves
most eifectually.
Merchants licenses are taxed to an enor-
nous rate, and Of course the merchant puts
bis tax on the price of his goods. Nine
tenths Of this burden is borne by the free la
boring classes. The articles Of food and
dress purchased out Of the store for the
four hundred thousand slaves in the State
are few and simple. The tax on incomes is
of tho same class all incomes over five hum
dred dollars. The usual salary of an over
seer Of slaves is from three hundred TO FIVE
hundred dollars. They, being OF u low class,
get low wages and until you get above that
figure, YOU will scarcely affect any other sal.
aried employee Of the State. Here is anoth
err piece of their favoritism to their own
property.
The slaye-owner wi,hhoids the most eff ;.
cient means Of moral and intellectual culture
from his slave; in fact, makes it felony to
instruct them; raises his slave in vice, and,
when one forfeits his life. by the commiss on
OF crime, the non-slaveholder is taxed to
pay'tho ma ster for his slave. Forty thou
sand dollars was appropriated last year to
pay masters for slaves that were executed
and transported. Ii slaves run of into a
neighboring State, and are reclaimed, the
freemen Of the State are taxed to pay the
expenses.
Where is the justice in these gross viola
tions of all fixed and settled rules governing
property
II is only part and parcel Of the tyranny
of those holding this species Of property
They assume to themselves not only to be the
masters of the soil on which they live, and all
the slaves under them, but also throw their
tyranncal power over the free white men Of
the State.
Look at the Internal improvement map Of
the State. Wherever you sec railroad or a
canal made IN whole or in part on State ac-
count, it is IN the large slavrholding districts.
This is the legitimate policy OF the slave
owners. First, they get q large portion Of
their property exempted by the organic laws
| OF the State from taxation, retain the ma
jority in the Legislature, then appropriate
millions to build up railroads and canals in
their immediate vicinity, by expressing the
/ free white laboring class.
The patroling laws Of the State are mis-.
cradle imposition on free white laboring men
In large majority Of cases, the patrol ha,
no interests In slaves; he gets evenly fv.
cents for twelve hours Of night service and
then has the pleasure Of being taxed to pay
/ it. This is nil done to save the master from
doing what the head Of every well-regulatet
family ought to do, viz: to see that hir ser
wants remain at home at night.
/ This is local complaint, complaint,
contest between the slayeholding and non
siayeholding people Of Virginia. The slave
holders Of that State constitute hardly one il
twenty Of the entire people, yet they rul
the people, and sacrifice the interests OF til
many to the few. And tho Democracy 0
Iowa take sides with the aristocracy Of Viz
! ginia, and even seek to extend and perpetual
q like state Of socieay into all the territorie
Of the United States.