Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-07-04
IRs sfaqaato.
TiIE HoRsE-LEEcH 'sTon1.
CARD FROM GOV. ELLIS.

In the last issue os te Raleigh Register is to oe
,und card from Mr c. II. Foster one Of the ne
orters of the .Nscrsson between Mr.. Pool and my
elf at Gatr<vil.e, from which make the following
xtract:
Fl noticed a paragraph from the Charlotte Demo-
,.it a n,ner that do not exchange with, pronoun-
inc NV statement, that Gov. Ellis saFdAt Gainesville,
hat the Fast Maid her full mcasare Of taxation to
he State Treasury, pressed Hs&h and funning over,
MA t1,t eAe WcA IKE Vic horse-leech, still crisl
rfte, .tH6rti I'm ir,ttSGhTate account have heard
furthermore, that Gov. Ellis has himself publicly
denied On several occasions, that be ever made any
such re,nstss.
';.RsgEsrding as I do the indication of mans
personal honor and truthfulness, as consideration
.ssher than any demands Of partizan expectancy.
and knowing most positively, that Gov. Ellis did
make the remark imputed to him in my report
deem it my duty to re-affirm my statement in that
,.v.rd" &c IL regret that / am
now compelled to take issue with the Governor upon
4 matter of veracity"
Now if that gentleman had been correctly inform
ed as to my explanation Of the matter referred to,
which was made at Smithfeld, near two months
since, cannot conceive that he could have written
the card which appears in the Register. In that
explanation, no question was made OF his truth.
fataess" and no reflection cast upon his personal
honor;" nor did deny using certain figures OF
speech found in the reports. What l did say was
that the reporters had enormously represented me
as syply,ae these figures of speech to the WEST"
when an entire'y different application of them was
designed and made by me. That instead of apply
ing them to the people of the West majority of
whom believed then and believe now to he op-
pcsed to this new scheme of taxation, they were
applied to the politicians of the Opposition party.
who had proposed and were advocating system OF
taxation. the necessary results of which would be
to increase the inea alities of taxation exist
ing between the two sections Of the State, and to
revive sectional jealousies and controversies
I made no question then, nor do l now, of the
"truthfulness" Of any one. l have no doubt but
that the reporters presented my meaning to the
public, upon this point as they understood it. At
the same time, it is not claiming too much for my
self, that having prepared my argument upon an
important question with some care, | should have
some knowledge and recollection of what did
mean on the occasion referred to, and OF what
said.
1t would be strange indeed, had | applied often
siye epthets to large portion Of the voters Of the
State, the support of majority Of whom expect
ed to obtain-and that too, in the presence Of two
reporters of the Opposition party.
A reference to my notes used at that time, ena-
bles me to give the precise words employed, with
their proper connection.
laid down the proposition that the plan of taxa
ton proposed by the Opposition, would have the
effect to increase the burthen of taxes upon the
Eastern part of the State, as compared with the
West; and as a necessary consequence tie West
would lose q portion OF her representatives in the
Senate as taxation there was the basis of rcpresen-
taton result not to be desired by either section,
and one that would work dctriment to the general
welfare of the State, by exciting sectional contro
versies and retardng all useful improvements
In the argument used to prove this proposition,
that part of our Constitution proposed to be changed
was referred to as a compromise between the two
sections. when the following language was used:
"Such fellow citizens, was the origin of this COM
promise. Let us look for moment at its practical
working Like the covenant made between Abra-
ham and Abimelech, it brought instantaneous peace
to distracted people, and from that day forth we
went forward as one united people in the march of
prosperity and greatness. Now, gentlemen, you
will mark carefully one feature of this compromise
1t was not intended merely for day. The taxes
of North. Carolina were then only some $4,000,
and it would have been matter Of no great conse.
quence had slave property paid the whole Of them.
1t was made for the fuure-for this our time, when
railroads are to be constructed through the noun
tains, and when public debt must be contracted for
that purpose and public taxes increased to pay the
interest on that debt-a period and a condition of
affairs then clearly foreseen. Nor was it. on the
other hand intended to prevent the construction of
such works. The people of the East of that day
knew them to be useful, and knew that they ought
and would be built and that increased taxes on that
account would and must follow, of which they were
willing, cheerfully, to pay their just part They
only desired to lie protected against the payment
Of more than their just proportion. And now, gen.
tlemen, does not the East pay her just proportion
of the public burthens? Let US see how the &C.
count stands. The lst Congressional district pays
into the public Treasury, annually, $92, 64S-while
the 9Th district where these expenditures are main
ly to be made pays 1924
The small county of Gates, for instance, where
there is no expenditure of consequence for public
works, pays at this time s., 49l while the county
of Burke, larger and more populous, where some
$50 1000 are to be expended on public works, pays
$4,472. Now submit to you, aye, to all candid
men East and West, whether this is not the full
measure of your proportion of the public taxes?
Yet, there is an memorable demand for more
Though you pay your just measure,-full, heaped
up and running over, yet the cry is like the horse.
leech, give! give!-like the grave, more! more!"
The argument then goes on to show that this cry
for more is to be found in this proposition to change
the Constitution and the adoption of the ad ralosm
system, which would necessarily result in increas-
ing the disproporton Of taxes paid by the two Sec
tons, and thereby disturb the balance of represen.
tation in the Senate. That the East have more pro-
perty than the West-a consequence of her supe-
rior market facilities and being an older settled
country-and must necessarily, under the ad va-
loren system, pay more taxes. In which argument
the following language was used:
"But why this proposed change? Do the people
ask it? No! Why SIR, out of 30 Senator's, only
some 10 voted for the proposition at the last Legis
'tature. Who asks it then and for what purpose9
Mr. Badger asks it, Mr.. Pool asks it. the Opposi.
ton Convention ask it. as they say that system of
equal taxation may be adopted, but as say, and
expect to prove, that an Opposition Senator, and
Governor, and Opposition Judges may be made"
The foregoing extracts are the precise words used
by me in the discussion referred to- They were
written down among my notes Just as they are given
here. and l was particular to follow my notes very
closely as that the first discussion in the can.
ysss: They were written out at length because of
the figures appearing in them, about which wished
to be accurate, and because of the figure of speech
quoted Which was not clearly remembered by me,
and which desired to present correctly.
In these extracts, although an inequality of taxes
paid by the two sections is shown, and it is repre-
Al A. r