Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-03-29


of Wilmington, Newbern and Morehead City offer fine
fields Tor the profitable employment Of mercantile capt.
tall" The Fayetteville Observer plainly takes the
ground that ad uaorem taxing negroes or rather
so amending the Constitution as be enabled to impose
heavier taxes that class of persons or property
However, if the cry for perfect equality OF taxation De
anything but humbug its application is general, and
applies to every species of property as the Register
claims that docs and it will thus under the speclous
pretex OF equal taxation, the actual burdens o.
such taxation fall where they will be felt most I'm
equally and oppressvey. The negro owner simply as
capitalist, be but little affected for if he hires out
bis negroes he will be to make the hrer pay the
taxes whatever they may be. In that way the capitals.
will not be the suffer. He take them out OF the
State and sell them higher in Mississippi or Alabama but
the burden will fall upon the farmer who desires to
such labor in the improvement and cultivation OF
the SOIL the contractor who hires such force to build
railroads, the mechanic other man of mod rate
who requires the labor of at least one servant IN
his family. 1t will these burdens to fall upon the
untaxed live stock and "plunder of the mountain
farmer who has little money wherewith to meet the de-
mands of the axgaherer sand mi ht we not add, many
hard working men the East too-farmers of limited
MEANS whose whole capital upon which to depend for
the support and education OF their families is their own
exertous in the management of live stock, etc,
now free.
TO respect the compromises of the Constitution found
ed alike upon sound policy and patriotic agreement
maintain the pghted faith OF the State and the obi
cation OF contracts between It's different parts and inter-
ests-to retain within the State labor necessary for
the development of her resources the improvement Of
boz #
her commerce-to bring the burdens OF taxation to bear
equally, not by any iron rule, but by an intelligent re-
gard to the interest and the circumstances of the State
and her people, these, and not any caprap issues form
the objects of the Democratic party That the Revenue
Bill OF the last Legislature is perfect or near it, we do
not pretend as remarked on former occasion,
the tax salaries and fees requires changeit requires
to be done away with so tar wages and incomes I'M
der certain amount concerned, and indeed, the
whole might we'll be spared. But if instead of pulling
together for practical reforms, the different sections OF
the State and the different interests Of her people to
be arrayed against each other, may bid farewell to
any beneficial legislation for long years.
Our mercantile community ought to recoect
that the I'D UalOremdes in their platform stick in
a proviso which will enable them to discriminate
in favour OF the native products of the State and
industrial pursuits of her ctzt convenient and pau
sble words of patriotic sound but which il fact
that under the guse Of this discrimination goods brought
into seaboard and other from outside OF the
State may be Disseminated against to any extent and
thus the merchant tax instead being ess are
fooled into thinking, would actually be greater This
idea of discrimination has kicked up the biggest sort of
fuss in Virginia, and threatens drive of her mer
chants to Baltimore and elsewhere.
But we have already far exceeded accustomed
length and doubt exhausted the patience of read
ers We will hereafter review the positions OF the East
ern and Western counties in regard to popuIaon land
taxes etc, Tor have all the Materials and vii! pro-
duce the figures duly tabulated