Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-10-19
From the Spirit Of the Age.1
TO THE WORKING MEN OF RALEIGH.

Mr., EDITOR:-l hope you Will permit me- IiOuSu
the columns of your excellent papes, to make few
suggestions to my brothers, the Working Men Of
Raleigh, and through them to the Working Men OF
North Carolina.
think the present favorable time for to unite
and make demonstration which will relieve us from
the unequal unjust and oppressive taxation to which
we have been subjected by the legislation of the last
several years. If we have the spirit and pride OF
freemen; if the spirit and pride of fathers have
not forsaken us; if have any selfrespect or any
claim to the respect of others, aoiU unate with
out regard party ties in demanding of all political
parties in language which cannot be misunderstood
that political equality which is the birth-nght OF
every North Carolinian. We have been silent too
long already. Forbearance has ceased to be vir-
tue: our silence and forbearance have been constru-
ed into an abject submission Let us learn what are
our rights, demand nothing more, submit to nothing
less
The first section of the Declaration of Rights,
and part OF the Constitution which enunciates the
fundamental principles of the government Of North
Carolina, declares that
"All political power is vested in and derived from
the people only"
Sec. 9. "That the people of this State ought to
have the sole and exclusive right of regulating the
internal government and police thereof"
SEC. 8. That man, or set Of men, are entitled
to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges
from the community, but in consideration Of public
services"
Sec. 16 THAT the people of this State ought not
to be taxed or made subject to the payment Of any
imposts duty without the consent of themselves
or their representatives in General Assembly freely
given"
SEC 49, THAT the people have a right to assem-
ble together, to consult for the common good, to
instruct their representatives and to apply to the
legislature for redress of grievances"
Now, if the Constitution is the source from which
We are to derive knowledge of our rights and the
five sections which have quoted mean any thing
at all. Sec. l means that "aU political 1O,cer is
vested in and derived from the people only" and
that political power is vested in derived from
the property in this State.
Sec. means, that the people of this State ought
to have the sole and exclusive right of regulating
the internal government and police thereof, and not
that the gamers of certain kind of property ought
to have the sole and exclusive ocer of regulating
the internal government and police of the State,
they had from 1885 to 1857.
Sec. means, that mo man or set of men are
entitled to exclusive separate emolumcnts or pr
viegcs from the community but in consideration Of
public services" and not that ian aristocracy is a
social necessity" and that a certain set of
entitled to separate privileges from the community
in consideration of owning particular species of
property and permitting serve sycophants to fawn
at their feet.
Sec Is means, that the people of the State fought
not to be taxed or made subject to the payment Of
any mposts or duty without the consent of them
selves their representatives in General Assembly
freely giren," and not that revenue laws should he
framed. with such garing Partially, inequality and
injustice, that the consent of the people themselves
their representatives in General Assembly cannot
be freely given
Sec IS means, that the people have right "to
assemble together to consult for the common good,
to instruct their representatives and to apply to the
r lsl-x
semblng together, consulting for the common good,
dischargng their duties as citizens, and demanding
heir rights as freemcn is violation Of the egiti-
mate ri hts of those who may have more pride and
more property, but no more patriotism. virtue or
merit than the morking of North Carolina. It
means, that the people have right to consult and
determine what is best for the common good; and
having determined what is best, to instruct their
representatives to do what they have determined;
and that it is the imperative duty of their reprcsen-
tativcS to obey their instructions whether they
cur in opinion with their constituents not. 1t
means, that the people have right to apply to the
Legislature for redress of grievances individually or
collectively; either in person or through their rep
resentatives and that is the duty of the Lcgisa
laturc to redress the grievances of the people by
whose authority they have assembled and for whose
mutual and equal benefit they ought to legislate.
Now, that the revenue laws of North Carolina, BY
their odlous and oppressive determinations against
the industry, energy and property of large major
iy of the people, sore and intOlerable eriev-
ance cannot be denied and has not been denied even
| by the members of the Legislature who framed and
passed them. Can any man in his sober senses say,
that it is not grievance to tax thousand dollars
worth Of riding vehicles watches or spoons ten dol
lars while thousand dollars worth of land is taxed
but two dollars? Is it no grievance to tax thou
sand dollars worth of property that yields income
and is wearing out and deprcciating in value every
day. ten dollars, while thousand dollars worth Of
negro property, that is yielding from to perhaps
three hundred dollars, is taxed but eighty cents?
Is it no grievance to make pay ten dollars
tax, if he should happen to have thousand dollars
worth Of old carriages, buggies. Watches pianos,
spoons, plate and pistols that do not and can
| yield him one cent of income, and make another
man, who has ten thousand dollars worth of negro
property that is making him richer day by day, pay
not one cent of tax? Is it no grievance to burden
large portion of the people and most Of the prop
erty of the State with taxation in order to screen a
certain species of property and the small number of
citizens who own it. from paying their fair and just
proportion of the revenue necessary to support the
| government?
| Is it no grievance to tax the income or wages of
the overScer five dollars if he receives five hundred
dollars for his services and not tax the man with
whom he lives one single cent on his income of ten
thousand dollars?
Is it no grievance to tax me- as carpenter, five
dollars on my wages of five hundred dollars and
not tax my nelghbors two negro carpenters, work.
ing at the same bench with me- one cent, although
they are making for him as much as make?
Is it no grievance to tax the income or wages of
the laboring man, and not tax the income of their
empoyery
Is it no grievance to tax the journeyman Carpen-
ter the journeyman Shoemaker, the journeyman
Tailor, and the journeman Printer, and not tax
the income of those who employ them and who are
growing richer by their laborf
Is it no grievance to tax every State and County
officer, and every other person, except Ministers Of
the Gospel and Judges Of the Courts from the Gov
ernor down to the Crer of the Court, whose annual
total receipts and income, in the way of salaries,
fees, &C., amount to or are worth five hundred dol
lars, one dollar upon every hundred he receives,
whether he has dollars worth of property or not
and not tax to the amount of one farthing from