Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-03-02
FUR THE yIR,.fNA,
TN IE
The Tobacco Interest.


The t0baf co interest 10 coniesseilv one Of the
nrgest agricultural and commercial interests Of
Virginia. and especially Of this portion If IT,
Th. great staple OF the border slave States unlike
the cotton OF the Gulf States AMI the ,f.,iu If
Ia Northwest, Is suI ect in all foreign market.
'Ithc most enormous dutic~. which 5r, laid utyl,,
any article Of commerce. and Of general con.tln,-
ton. The average price Of Virginia tobacco In
treat Britain, IA b1nd, that il with The . ,crn-
n!rnt duties unpaid is something over M,e. Jeaes
per pound-the duty il over three shilling, Ia
other words, the tax TN tobacco imported int.
Great Britain l. about tncicc hnadrtd pcr centum
on the value Of the article. The obyiou. effect Of
this enormous burden, Ia burden from the ike OF
which all other products whether Of slave nr free
Itbnr are comparatively exempt is. incacuhbl,
to FINNISH the demand for the article aud thclc.
fore, ~ dclrc,s its market value 10 the producer.
In the year 1888, the quantity of tobacco ship
ped II Gfoa. Britain was bib HID or about
32,0oOOoo pounds worth there h,f re charged
with the duty, aud subject To it, alb ut s., 500 900
From this the English government real zc in du
tie. tb" Of over - 900 O0l ur fran nrc-f urtl.
to "A ff II a n.u Ia IA even Mr. Bachana..', d ninis-
tratinn find occasion to exrend in u year TIL.
enormous sum would have gone, If justice were
dunc TO the producer, at least IN considerable part
to him II thus appear, I" be the PLAN duty
Of the Gnernmcnt Of the United Statrs--an nrt
ui mere justice To that part Of the agricultural
people 1T the tuion who produce this staple to
make every proper effort to obtain Il mitigation Of
II tax 80 oneruus-a tax too, none tie lighter or
ra,ier to bear for b:ing levied at the expense Of
tobacco growers only--of all the agrcullurists Of
the country. Nor can IL be- said that the subject
j. beyond The reach Of the Goycrnmrnt Of the
lnltci States. The very subject Il commercial
treaties, Is to Obtain bv udicinus mutual concc>
SONS on the part Of each party to the compact
~ri,h ,vors and indul 5cnccs in this trade n each
shall deem most conducive To the interests of its
hon
AGENTS of the General Government were not I'M
mindful # the interests Of the tobacco planter
70 procure some relaxation of the French imports
upon HAT article, was one Of the ul iers for which
Mr.. Jefferson stroy" most earnestly during his
mission to France. He failed t. effect anything
considerable, for reason which at this day has
ceased to operate wherever the principles OF
ouv are at all understood. TIE customs Of
France were then rnld cut by contract with pr-
waite individuals.
Now, however even the voice Of Alml, States
interested for given object, viii IA mi .;ht be-
cured, without prejudice to other sections seems
UNDECIDED.
About four years ago, the Legislature Of Ken
lucky, viewing this sui ,ect in the ght of its real
imI ortaurc to the tobacco growing States, aud
her eli as one Of them adopted certain resolutions
urging it upon the attention Of the President and
Srnate--thc treaty making power-and calling
upon them to exert tho power vested in them by
the peol le for precisely such ends in order to
procdrc some relief from their excessive burdens:
and Ia cnlca,or To put tobacco upon an equal
footing in foreign countries with our other great
agricultural interests. 1t one If many Illus
irAtians Of the vigilance with which Col. FLOOD
has ever sought 10 promote the Interests Of his
constituency. and Of the State Mt large. that he
moved in the Senate of Virginia resolutions which
were unanimously adopted in both branches of the
General Assembly. uniting with Kentucky in
pres ,in@ upon the General Government Il subject
IN which this State aud section have SO great an
interest. That the Federal authorities Whose at
trut3n was thus invoked to large agricultural
interest, suffering for that aid which they ere
'reatcl to aif,rd), have been occupied in us, slv
or irauIulently expending millions OF the peoples
money, instead Of making negotiations and al
in turn> which would increase the profit and
prosperity Of the planter il no dctraction from
the merit which of right belongs to TIE rcprescu-
tatIvc who sought successfully to cmhody into au-
thoritatlve EXPRESSION the of the people and
the Legislature of Virginia upon this subject.
1t Is not known whether any notice was ever
taken OF this call by Virginia and Kentucky upon
the Presidents Certain it il, results have
lccn produced. and the probability il, none
attempted. But though the President and his adj
yisrrs. and agents. have dull Of hearing.
that they cannot hear ths cry Of the peollc--the
prope will remember with honor and acccpta,lcc
the representative who faithfully reminded o! their
duty those who to have been either incl
cicnt unwilling to serve them %H*
Il of the House 81 Representatives towards the close ." the
las Session Of Congress and during the present session Mr.
Kennedy Of that State, moved the subject in The SENATE"
We not Informed 10 the rrccissa"s Of the affair at
rrcscht-Ep. NlRGIhiAN.