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

indnsrious and enterprisng white man without capital
the chances Of remunerative employment anc OF even
tuay acquiring property are decidedly ntt'er I'D tne
Jrgely saveholdng sections than in the comparatively
non-slaveholding
We have thus shown that slave labor is not to be
garded merely as capital but also great laborpower
required for development and productionthat it is in
timatelv connected with commerce. with
cv and with our credit and that it furnishes the means
wherewih to purchase the products of the skilled labor
of the ingenious white Surely, in adjusting tax
ation policy enlightened regard for the interests
of the State would seem to indicate that this laborpower
should rather be regarded as industry than cap
ita-that nothing should be done to drive away that
paying as it now does poll tax four and half times
higher than any other labor might be regarded as suf
cient discrimination to mark its compound character
of property we'll personal service. 1t should also
be borne in mind that the black poll is subject to poor
taxa school taxa tax tor the deaf and dumb and
insane asylums from Of which taxes any benefit
be derived by the negro or his owner.
The tendency of this labor is to leave this State
we'll as Virginia for more profitable field of operations
farther to the South and South West This single class
of emigration fourishes contemplate item in the
passenger receipts of our Railroads.
Recently the attention of our farmers has been turned
in the direction of cotton-a disposition has been shown
to remain at home-reclaim our own swamps renew our
lands exhausted by improper tage-retain our popua-
tion and political power and increase our wealth and
comfort Is this the time which sound policy would
point out the most fitting to change the very fun
damenta law of the State in order to withdraw the pro-
ection or rather the constitutional guarantee against
imposition upon that class of labor necessary for the
accomplishment of the objects above referred toobects
the attainment of which every one truly devoted to the
interests of the State must so earnestly desire.
But it is contended that all property should pay
equal per cenage upon its value for the protection it
ceives from the State Waving, for the present all
guments founded upon Constitutional compromise, plight
ed faith and the sanctity of contracts must that
even then this argument is far from meeting the
sustaining the positions of the advocates of change 10
the Constitution Its apparent equity has little extent
and less force Of the $685. 432 g. constituting the
" Aggregate Amount Of State Taxes derived from the
various Subjects of Taxation in the State, during the
fiscal year ending Both September $685. every knows
that fully 100000 more, required to be raised
for other purposes than those of protection persons
or property-that fully that raised for the
purpose of paying interest upon the State debt incurred
in North Carolina. Now these works were constructed
with the view of afordng to different sections of the
State avenues to market-means OF dspOsing OF their
products and receiving goods wares and merchandise in
return. In many lands have been pretty largely
enhanced in value by the facilities afforded by railroads.
but little reflection will show that the effects of the
development Of by these improvements have
been little if at ALL felt in the enhancement OF the value
OF negro property, and this for obvious The
high price of negro property depends upon
side of the State and with which movements here have
little to do. Negroes have gone up totally independent
of the causes that might operate to raise the price of
real estate for in fact far from any demand in North
Carolina, occasloDed by railroads. affecting the price OF
negroes within her borders that price has depended upon
and waited tor the demand elsewhere, and indeed in
year do reoect when negroes have not been carried
South on account of the higher money value there at
tached to then. Really if negroes to be regarded
simply capital and OF at all industrial power
property and not at all persons it would be diff
cult to what benefit they property could derive
from the expenditures made for the benefit of real estate
since higher market open out of the State totally
independent of local home. Not 80 with land
no could carry that of. Common shows that
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local local improvements as immoveable real
estate must. Even admitting the argument founded upon
equality of protection, it goes only one-sixth of the
way, since in fact only about one-sxth Of present
taxes rendered necessary to the demands OF pro-
tection and u the other vesxths the amount raised
for local deveopemen negro property simply as prop
erty must from its nature, have little concern, be-
ing nearly if not altogether beyond and above the ope-
ration of such developement.
We have so far regarded this matter merely as ques
ton of political economy or pecunary interest to the
State. 1t has moral as we'll political aspect
1t is matter not alone OF constitutional compromise,
but apart from that there considerations of nat
ural right involving the sanctty of contracts and the
mutually of obligations. 1t would have looked more
like fair dealing had this change in the Constitution
been preached before present State debt had been
contracted, not preached until after it had been paid
Had the straightforward course been pursued at the
proper me the sections and interests now sought to be
sadded with proportion of the public debt for which
they bargained, might perhaps have been more
cautious, and projects that could not have succeeded
without the aid of the representatives Of the sections in
question might and most probably would have remained
in allegiance 1t is noticeable fact that the State is in
already for pretty much all the debt her people will
sanction for years. and indeed every penny of the exist
ing or prospective obligations of the State had been in
Cured before the agitation started for shifting por-
ton of partys responsibilities for such debts and
obligations to the shoulders Of Others contrary to the
existing constitutional provision known to all at the time
of contracting the debt and understood and recognized
by ali as part of the contract mutual guarantee.
Without referring at all to the proceedings in the Con-
vention of 1885 which adopted the present Constitution
of the State and submitted it to the people for ratca
ton, the antecedents of that Convention under
standing arrived at prior to its calling and without