Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-05-24
Alt9mon0 Enquirer,
TUESDAY MORNING, MAY FL, 1850.
The City Dclegates-Lator y.. CAPITAL.
BY mrcHlg, DrNSAvAyr, TYLER 4 WISE.

Gle between the representatives OF Labor and
the representatives Of Capital; between the
workingman and the retired capitalist; between
llaSkins, TN. active, energetic ship merchant,
and Myers an ex-dircctor in n Railroad: be-
tween Heath, an able lawyer, and Saunders, a
! Know Nothing; between Anderson the repre-
sentative OF the mechanics of Richmond, the
man who has elevated mechanism Of the city
| to point of great pride throughout the whole
South; and Wyndlam Robertson, the director
of a passenger Railroad
! Which of these delegations deserves the suf
fragcs of the merchants, the manufacturers,
the mechanics, the lawyers, he riti:cns of
Richmond: The ticket Of r,tircd gentlemen.
or the ticket. Of active laboring men, the re-
prcscntatvcs of the energy, the commerce and
the labor of Richmond: Which fthese tick
cts is most interested in modifying an odiou'
and unjust tax.bi: Which of these tickets
! has more interest in 4 tax OH labor than on
capital: These are questions for the conside-
ration Of the voters of Richmond Omtting
political view Of these tickets, which deserves
most from the business men of Richmond:
II has been charged that the Democratic
delegates did nothing to advance the interest of
Richmond, and the Richmond Wing" asks
what did they do while members Of the LesiS-
aturc, to cntille them to a renewal Of the pco-
pies confidence: The effort made by the late
delegates to remove an odouS tax on merchants
license may be of very little value in the eyes
| of that party who nominated the retirtd ticket.
But in the estimation Of the merchants Of Rich
mond and that numerous class Of active, intelli-
gent rising clerks that fill the establishments
of the city, their efforts to free them from an I'M
Just and ini1uitous discrimination will not pass
without appreciation And for their informa-
ton We now alludc to the effort ofMr. Heath and
his associates for their relief. On the day that
of the Committee OH finance mmic an
adverse report to the petitions for change
| in the tax on merchants license, Mr.. Heath
moved "to strike out the word be rejected and
insert arc reasonable" so rs to cause the re-
solution to read as follows:
"Rcso'vcd, That the prayers Of the petitions
are reasonable.
This motion was lost
But Mr.. Heath and his associates lid not
abate their efforts, when defeated. But when
the tax hill was under consideration, We find
his nntirins efforts directed TO all alnclioration
of it, harsh features, TO an equalization Of its
burdens. and struggling for justice To the mcr-
chants and their clerks.
We quote from the Journal:
NO. HI. 4 bill imposing taxes for the sup.
port Of Government, being the special order OF
the day. was taken up, pending the motion OF
Mr.. Heath to amend the sixth section, which Is
as follows:
"On the income or fees received during the
year cndn. the first day of February OF each
year. in consideration Of the discharge OF any
office or employment in the service OF the State,
(othcr than of an officer receiving salary out
of the Treasury or in the consideration OF the
discharge of any office or employment IN the
service of any corporation, or IN the service oi
any company, firm or person, except where the
services are of labor in some mechanic art,
trade, haudicraft or manufacture, or that oil a
minister of the gospel, ""e-h"J ct o"e per
cent,,,a, II tie same bc.ot more Man 800 ;
one per ceittvm II tie sane be more than sou
and not more Maa 500 ont dAd II h@I PER
centum ;t thc same be more Man 500 oIm net
more tanh $1,000; dhd tro per- ccnt"m Y me
mm. be orer $1,000 md less Than $4,000, and
throc per ccnt"n, II he same BE- "re" $1,000.
"Mr. Heath, by his motion, proposed to
strike out the words italiciscd, and insert i'll
lien thereof the words forty cents on each
| $lhU 80 received.
This effort was to reduce the tax on receipts
and salaries of merchants and clerks, which
amounts to $3.50, from 81 80 to 81; Of $500,
from s. to 81; Of $1,000, from $50 to 81; Of
81 O0o. from $50 to $l2 Was this no effort
which entities the Democratic delegates to the
sunnort and confidence nf the merchants and
clerks Of Richmond?
Defeated in this effort to have justice done to
the merchants of Richmond and their clerks,
Mr.. Heath did not abatc his efforts but offered
an amendment to the fourtccnh section rcla-
ting TO the tax on merchants, by adding thereto
the following:
"proyidcd, that in no case shall the tax on
such license exceed forty cents on each hun
dr,d dollars of capital employed 10y the mcr'
chant or firm in the business for which such IL
ccnsc is sought. the amount OF such capital TO
he asccrtaincd bv the affidavit Of the party de-
string to obtain license.
.t,n the motion of Mr.. Heath the 18th sec
ton, relating to the license to 'auctioneerS,
was amended by striking out fifty dollars and
inserting thirtv-two' rs the tax on town w;tll
a population of 5000 or less.
The oath section is as follows:
"On every license to the proprietor Of dis
tillery if a beginner, and said dstillcry is TO be
kept in operation as much as two months III
the wear, the tax shall be ten dollars on eacii
still: If for four months, twenty dollars on cacll
still; il for six months, thirty dollars on cach
still; if for longer time than siN months thr'
ty-fye dollars on each still; and if such dist'i-
lcrv has been kept in operation as much as TWO
months in the year next preceding the time OF
obtaining such license, the proprietor thereof
shall pav, in addition to the tax imposed on
beginners, two cents per gallon on the quantity
manufactured by such diStillery for the twelve
months next preceding the time oil obtaining
such license.
4 motion was made by Mr.. Heath TO aihe'iu'
bv substituting the section relating to the same
subject at the session of lSj5-'6; which Is as
follows:
On every license to the proprietor of dis
tillery. if beginner" Gt is printed by error
ylrrinianl and SAID diStillery is TO be kept
in oncration as much as four months IN the
wear, the tax shall be twenty dollars; IL for SIN
months forty dollars; if for longer time thar
six months. one hundred dollars; and if such
distillcry has been kept in operation as much
nc c,,r months in the wear next preceding tn,
til time ,c Of obtaining such license. the proprietor
thereof Shall nav, in addition to the tax i'm
nosc1 On hcrinncrS. onc.half of one per centun
On the amount of such distillcry, for the twelve
months next preceding the time of obtaining