Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-04-18
III STANDARD.
For the Standard.
AID vALoREM AND THE OPPOSITION,


pose of framing bill of indictment against the Dem
ocratic party and so apportioning the spois I'm eX-
pectancy as to reconcile conflicting CLAIMS, we have
been waiting patiently for them TO make up their
issues, that the record may show where they stand.
By degrees the truth has leaked oat-so much at
least as was intended for Arson Aad counties west
of it
This unthropo-zoot,gica1 "happy family" with
venerable Ex-senator at its head after eNecratlng
the Democratic parity and casting out as evil INC
names Of the only North who respect OUT
rights-much less defend them-pnt iorth the foi-
fowing manifesto. on which they hope the coming
State elections Will turn and soSebod3 be enabled 10
mi e,reI,,dy eSse out of office and themselves in
ResoZued That we recommend Convention oil
the people of the State be called the federal tass
AS early as possible for the purpose Of so modifying
the State Constitution that every species OF property
may be taxed according to its value, with power to
discriminate only in favor of the native products OF
the State and the Industrial pursuits OF her cItl-
GEMS"
As soon as it was known that Mr.. Pool would
moaat the hobby notwithstanding his political life
had been at war with It, Democratic papers charged
that, under the system proposed, c'strict unbend-
ing ad Uatorem "" certain property of the poor man,
his horse and COW, his pigs and household furniture,
and the widow with her Unite" the contents of her
cupboard. her loom, &C., which the Legislature here
.ofore has wisely exempted from taxation, would
come in for their quota 1t was charged that in
stead of aualfzng the burdens of taxation, it would
Cypress class of people of all others most lily able
to bear it And is not this the only logical concu-
sion a sensible man can come tog The party rec
ommends that "every species Of property be taxed
according to its value" Will any op2ositionist say
that the articles mentioned above are not property?
imagine not.
But the Fayetteville Observer contends land the
Argus here does not deny it, that the object of the
proposed Convention is solely to compel the slave
holder to pay cd oalorem on his negroes! ESQ, a
round about way to come at it truly A ConVen-
ton of the peole to be called and the constitution so
modified that erery species of property may he taxed
according to its value order that negroes shall pay
I'D ralorem!
Why did not the patriotic gentlemen who concoct
ed the platform, and who had the interests of the
"dcar people" so much at heart, say what they
meant, instead of thus leaving the public blunder
ing in darkness and uncertainty?' Have we not
the secret of their tender manipulatons in the fact
that they knew they were handling sectional ques
ton which in times gone by threatened seriously to
disturb the quiet of people from the mountains
to the sea shorei They knew of course, for some
of them were present that the Convention of 1885,
was called for the purpose of adjusting this very
matter, and that sacred compact was entered into
by the high contracting parties that thereafter poll
tax should be equal Throughout the State"
1t was very we'll for the Opposition that they COW
cred up their design in mass of verbiage calcuat
ed to deceive the unwary. til we'll for their party
in the East where the negro is more popular, be-
productive taan here, that their presses
and stump-speakers Ego the whole hog " and clamOr
for an ad ralOrem tax upon all property owned by
man, woman or child among them And they no doubt
fiatter themselves that the O5serrer-negrO-rnlo
rem will be good card for them in the West. But
let them look to their laurels Democrats in the
habit of clearing both Sides" and coming to none
other than honest conclusions. The Obserrer'svery
taking title (tdke in would be more fitting orthog-
raphy,) of equal taxation, will seduce no Democrat
or anti-Know Nothing to the support of Pool, who
will read further than the captions of its articles.
What say the shareholders of AnSon? Are they
prepared to support party that would discriminate
against their negro property, under the guiSe of
equal taxation? Are they willing to be subjected
to practical working of the Helper doctrine 10
"tax slavery, make it Improbable, and drive it from
among them?'
But suppose the Observer does not "speak by the
book" and that the Echo here as matter of course
is misleading u.s. will the Opposition stand any airer
with the class of people whom they most desire to
concate? Let US whether they should Un-
der the system of every species of property bearing
its equal burden of taxation, the poor mans plough
horse worth 500, will pay much as the rich
mans buggy worth the same amount. There car
be no specific tax on luxuries and lower one on
the necessares of life as has always been the policy
of the Democratic party, but erery thing must be
taxed according to its value. Pleasure carriages
worth $780, which, under the present law, pay one
per cent, or So each, under the nd calorem system
will pay at most but 81. The same rule will apply
to pianos, silver plate, pistols sword canes bowie
knives, DC. The four-fifths land even mOre) rcduc-
ton in the revenue derived from these articles
must be raised some where else. Part of it. as we
have shown Will come from the poor aboring man,
tribute to the government for protecting his horse
his cow and calf his pigs his poultry, and the ef
fects of his household and this in addition to his poll
and land tax
But say the Opposition, the aggregate increase of
taxes on negroes under II and over so years ofage
(now untaxedO will quite compensate for the dimi-
mutton the system may work in other articles
Grant, for the sake of argument, that it will Does
not your principle of equal taxation on all kinds of
property compel you to impose part of the burden
on the poor mans live stock and other things so
necessary to his comfort? If then this "windfaIl"
from niger babies and their grand daddcs is likely
to supply deficiencies elsewhere, you must tighten
up a little on this kind of property and bear down
somewhere else in proportion. If You don't do this
your "equal taxation is a misnomer and YOUR par
ty cheat-undeserviDg the confidence of honest
men.
Again, are you very sure, gentlemen, that under
the system you propose, the revenue from negro
property will be permanently increased? Nav not
the broad cotton fields and high prices of the South
west dlsappoint you? To what do Won attribute the
present unparalleled high rates at which negroes
are selling among us Is it because their produc-
tyeness has increased at the rate of 100 per cent in
ten years? DO Shareholders realize twice as much
on a negro worth $1,000 now as they did on one of
the same quality ten years ago worth in the market
only $500? Do they realize any more? Do thew
in fact realize as much considering the increased
cost Of living and the out condition of our cot
ton lands? With the exception of occasional local
aemanas OF Railroad companies for laborers, ven.
ture the assertion the owners of negroes in North
Carolina clear no more money with them now than
they did few years ago when they were not worth
IN the market half so much. And yet we heard no.
thing of this inequality of taxation, and probably
never should have heard oft but for the hi Oh prices
OF negro labor consequent on the opening of fertile
cotton sections in Alabama, Mississipp Arkansas
and other South Western States Thither1card our
Stare property IS tending. Do not all see it, To