Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-03-16
The Standard.
AID VALOREM TAXATION.
SPEECH OF MR.. BLEDSOE,

Delirered in the Senate Of North Carolina, on the
18th Of January, 1859, on the bill to alter the
Constitution so as to enable the General assembly
to equaIize taxation.
Mr. Speaker, the bill to alter the constitution OF
North Carolina now under consideration, was in
troduced as is declared upon its face, for the pur-
pose of enabling the general assembly to equallze
taxation upon all the citizens and property IN the
State in proportion to the protection enjoyed under
the government Under the amended constitution,
the general assembly cannot equaze taxation upon
all the property, without imposing an onerous and
unreasonable tax upon polls.
The convention of 1885 so amended the constr,
tuition, as to require the Legislature to lay an equal
capiation tax upon all the "subects of capitaton
tax throughout the State" thereby placing slaves,
in reference to taxation, upon an equal footing with
white men, and granting to the owners of slave
property partial immunity from taxation, at the
expense and to the great dctrmen of the owners Of
every other species of property.
| desire, Mr.. Speaker, to remove from the constl-
tuition this restriction upon the general assembly,
in reference to taxation in order that those who en-
ioy the protection and blessings of the government
may be made to contribute their Just and equitable
share to its support l regard this restriction in
the amended constitution and the inequality and IN
Justice of the revenue laws of North Carolina which
are the result of that restriction as incompatible
with the great principle of democratic republican
equality, upon which the constitution was framed
and the government established. Ifthat restriction
which was an innovation upon the constitution OF
our fathers is incompatible with the principles up
on which the government was established, that
alone if there other, furnishes sufficient
reason for the passage of this bill.
In establishing the position which, have assumed,
it is proper that should advert to the circumsan-
ces under which the constitution was framed and
the government established, in order to clear I'M
Outstanding of the objects designed to be accom-
plshed by those who originated and organized it.
We are assembled here to day, under the provis-
ions of constitution protesting to have been framed
by the representatives of the people by the author
ity of the people, for the benefit of the people, and
adopted by them as the organic law of the State.
Then the question arises, did those who framed the
constitution, under the provisions of which the
Senate is now in session, have the right to set up
government for their mutual and equal protection
and benefit? Those who at all familiar with the
history of the government of North-Carolina, will
recolect that in the year 1775 portion of the peo
pie of the State assembled in the town Of Charlotte
and passed the following resolutions:
l. That the people of Mecklenburg county do here
by dissolve the political bands which have connected
the mother country and hereby ahsOve ourselves from all
allegiance to the British Grown, and abure all political
connection contract association with that nation who
have wantony tramped rights and Liberties, and
nhumany shed the blood of American patriots at Lex
ingt"n
mat We co DtreCy Gee are ourselves Tree, lnue-
pendent people, and Of right ought to be- sovereign
and selfgovernng association under the control Of no
power other than that of our Goa and the General Govern
ment of the Congress- to the maintenance of which indie
pendence, sOiemny pledge TO each other mutual
Cooperation our lives our rtunes and most sacred
honor"
1t is thus shown that the people not only threw off
the British yoke, but declared their independence
Of all other governments, and asserted the great
principles of popular sovereignty and democratic
was established But, Mr.. Speaker the resolutions
which have just read do not furnish the only evil
dence that this restriction is incompatible with the
principles OF our government and subversve of the
objects contemplated by the trainers of the constitu
ton invite the attention of the Senate to the 1st
3D. Sd and 2lst sections of the declaration of rights
which read as follows
l. That all political power is vested in and derived
That the pet of this State ought to have the sole
and exclusive right Of regulating the internal police and
government thereof
or separate emoluments privileges from the community
but in consideration of public services.
b 81 That frequent fundamental prnci.
liberty"
These sections from the declaration of rights, and
which are declared to be part of the constitution
snow concluslvely that the government was estab-
lished by the people, in the exercise of that sover-
eisn power which is "vested in and derived from
the people only" 1t has not, and presume will
not be denied by any Senator upon this floor that
the people had the right to frame constitution and
organize government for themselves in 1776.
They not only had the right but in the exercise Of
that right sent their representatives to the Congress
that assembled in the town of Halifax in 1916,
which framed the constitution under which the gov.
eminent of North-Carolina was organized That
Congress not only framed the constitution but left
us perpetual record of the motires by which they
were actuated; the reasons by which they were in.
fiuenced; the authority under which they acted
and the purposes for which the constitution was
Jrdned and the government established
The General Assembly is in session to-day under
the constitution or form of government agreed to
and resolced upon by the Representatives. of the free
men OF the Stdte of North Carolina elected and cho
sen tor that particular purpose, in Congress assem-
bled, at Halifax the 18th day of December in tn,
year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred ant
seventy-six. The preamble to the constitution de
cares that Whereas allegiance and protection ar,
IN their nature reciprocal, and the one should o
right be refused when the other is Withdrawn. Ant
whereas, George the Third King of Great Britain
and late sovereign of the British American Coonie:
hath not only withdrawn from them bis protection
put oy an act of the British Legislature declared
the inhabitants of these States out of the protection
of the British Crown and all their pronertv foun,
upon the high seas liable to be seized and confisca
ted to the uses mentioned in the said act And tn
SAID George the Third has also sent fleets and armie
to prosecute cruel war against Them for tn
purpose Of reducing the inhabitants of the sal,
colonies to state of abject slavery. In conse
9uence whereof all governments under the sail
klng within these said colonies, hath ceased am
total dissolution of government in MANY q
them hath taken place. And whereas the continents
congress having considered the premises, and othe
previous violations of the rights of the eBc1 peopl
Oh america have, therefore, declared that the thin
teen united colonies are Of right wholly absolve
from all allegiance to the British Crown, or an
other foreign jurisdiction whatsoever; and that tn
SAID colonies now are, and forever shall be- free an
independent States; wherefore, in our presen
State' IN order to prerent anarchy and confusion,
becomes necessary that government should be e.
tab!lshed in this State therefore, ue the represt,
totsces Of the treemen Of North Carolina, chose
and assembled in Congress for the cypress purpo
OF Framing constitution under the authoritv