Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-09-22
HAsFERN AND WESTERN vIRaInIA

tsgi0 Of this Stdte-He Preeats son7s Con-
fiayatioas teueltilsg tEs Ratio o1 Iaratoh,
De. and co1ses dome ~ tie Isst Questi0n
We lsy before our.readers this morning, The
suttjcined letter froula guished gentleman
residing IN the interior 81 this State, and one
well known in the politics Of Western
1t is highly interesting and instructive-both
for the facts therein contained and IS indicating
also, the drift of the question at issue IN thei
minds of somesOf the leading men 6f our est
eEn division. Of the State sas.a
To The Eattots Of The RheeEhg Iatslligsneer:
Gentieme Much interest is felt among the
Democratic Editors Of this State abont The sue
cesFion ct Richmond. It Is an about men and
their anteeedents. We hear nothing Of future
measures The whole effort is to make every
interest boWte the .pecnliar Institution. Who
ever has had, at any period Of his life, the tenn
Gritty to caIi question the dogma that HSLarery
Is moTdl and p0Eitieqt blessing, = is Denounced
Is an enemy to the State, and unit for ahY 1o4
iical PrefeTment or station. This dogma Is the
alpha and omega Of The faith Of the dominant
party. The arch leaders of the Slave interest
IN Virginia make this interest loom up and over
shadow every other 1T Is but natural that they
should do sos for by IT they enjoy exemption
from equal taxation; the pTeIogatiYe Of making
the laws of the State, appropTiatipg money to
build mp improvements in the strong slave hold
ing localities olding money nom The lbcai-
tiles represented by the free white men Of the
State and taxing those same localities with more
than their fair proportion for those improve
meats. Having such ,prer atiyes 1t Is but ma
tural that they sllould desire to hold on 10 them
Men enjoying questionable privileges are very
apt to be sensitive lest their privilege should be
called IN question What is there in Slavery
that should cause the heemen Of the State to
hold it in such high estimaioh? so much so as
to disqualify every one for Office who should
call in question its equity and justice
By the organic law of the State, or by the
Constitution, one half of the slaves are exempt
from taxation. The residue are not taxed one-half
of their value by the two exemp tonss The slave
property Is not taxed more than onefonrth of
It's value, while all the PROPERTY of every
kind, owned by those having no slaYesgis taxed
to its full value, and by the mode of leYying the
tax, the nonrslaye holding portion Of thelState
is taxed for more than its value E
The slave holders by an arbitrary dictum,
deny the right of representation IN the State
Senate, to the npn-slaye holding districts accord
ing to population. They say, IN the first place,
that every thing the free white man has, who
has no slaves, shall be taxed to its full value.
We will exempt three;fouftis OF our slave prop
eTty from taxation, and we will also reserve an
arbitrary majority IN the Legislature. In plain
English, the slave owner says to the free white
man, you are fit to pay taxes butnot fit to make
laws whentaxes are to be raised to exempt the
slaves most effectnalIy. Merchants licenses are
taxed to an enormous rate, and of course the
merchantputs his tax on the price of his goods
Nine-tenths OF, this burden S borne by the free,
ls6oring classes The articles of food aud dress
puTchasedSout Of the store for the 400 600 slaves
in the State, are few and simple. The tax on
incomes is of tue same class; all incomes over
- = 4 r
an oVerseer' of slaves is from 300ito 500 dollars
They bring of a low class, get low wages; and
until yon get above that tigure you will scarce
u affect any other SalaFied employee of the
State. Here is another piece of their faYorite-
ism to their own property.
The slave owner withholds the most efficient
means of noralandintellecs culture fromsb
slave; in fact, makes it felony to Instruct them;
raises his slaye invice and when one forfeits its
life by the commission Of crime, the non-slayeI
holder is taxed TO pay the master for the slave
$45, 900 was appropriated last yearfto pay mas
ters for slaves that were executed and transport
ed. .lf slaves run off into aneighb boring State
and are reclaimed, the freemen5of the. State are
taxed to pay the expenses. Where is the JUS
tice in these gross violations Of all fixed and
settled rules governing proDerty, and its rights
made in these laws. 1t is only part and par.
Gel 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 tyrannical power over all the free
white men of the State
Look ut the internal improvement map of the
State. Wherever you see railroad or a canal
made in whole or III parto on State account tits
in the large slave holding districts. This is the
legitimate policy of the slave owners, First,
they getaIlarge portion Of their property ex-
empted by the organic laws Of the State from
taxation retain the majority in the legislature