Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-03-16
Legislative ProceedIngs--ThesP Special
License Bill.

from the reports In the Richmond papers.l
The Special License BIL.-Mr. Duckwall
moved the following amendment to come
| in before the enactment clause at the end
of the bill:
Be it further enacted, That the sale of
all goods, wares, and other mechandIse,
directly imported into this State from for
eign countries, and sold by resident mer-
| chants within the State, be, and they are
hereby, exempt from all taxation whatev'
Ter, levied by the State, county or munich.
pal authority; ard that the Auditor shan
prescribe the form and mode in which the
Commissioners of the Revenue shall ascer-
tain such goods, wares and merchandise
as are hereby exempted from taxation.
Be it further enacted, That the Governor
of this Commonwealth be directed TO COM
muuicate this act to che Legislatures OF the
slavehoIdtng States, through their respect
i've Executives, and that he be further di-
rected to appoint Commissioner to con-
fer with such Commissioners as may be
appointed BY other slavcholding States on
the subject of encouraging direct trade be-
tween the slaveholding States and foreign
countries, and securing the commercial
aud industrial independence of the South,
which Commissioner shall report at the
next session of the General Assembly of
such report shall have been SO made, the
operation of all the provisions of this act
except the next preceding, shall be suspen-
ded.
Mr. Watson of A., moved to amend the
amendment by adding as follows:
On the sales of such goods as are de-
scribcd under the provisions hereof, be-
tween the LIST July, 1861, and the LIST jan
uary, 1862, there shall not be assessed
more than two per cent on the sales of
those articles within the preceding six
months, and under the assessment of every
six months thereafter, there shall not be
assessed more than two per cent. above
the former assessment, until the tax upon
special licences shall reach the maximum
of ten per cent.
If the Governor shall consider it best
for the interest of the State, he may, by
proclamation, suspend the assessment of
tax upon special licences under this act
until the LIST of January, 1862.
The provisions of this act shall not be
enforced until ut least six of the Southern
States of this Union, North Carolina and
South Carolina, included, shall enact SINH
lar laws providing for the assessment of
tax upon special licences at least equal to
the amount herein named upon all ar
ticles imported from the non-slareholding
States, whether manufactured by them or
not.
The act shall be enforced from aud after
the lst July, 1861.
After some debate, the amendment and
the proposed addition were temporarily
withdrawn.
The principle of taxation, as reported in
the bill, being based upon the amount of
sales, Mr. Tomlin asserted the impossibili-
ty of accurately discriminating thereby,
and offered several amendments designed
to change the tax from sales to purchases.
The amendments were concurred in.
On motion of Mr.. Newton, the further
consideration of the subject was postponed
till o'clock, and the House ordered the
vote to be taken upon it at o'clock.