Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-03-02
Railg Hiraiaiau.
FOR THE ViReINIAN.
The Special License Law,

The Special License Law,
NJ. Editor.-I presume but few Of your gead-
ers have sceu the Special License Law, now unders
discussion in our Legislature. and. which should
it pass and becelne q law ol the State. for one
would regard As 8 most in famous, outrageous and
tyrannical usnrpasion Of power. the exercise of
which involves Ito my mind) doubtful right, or
il the right does exist. then the exercise Of such
right is bnt an evidence Of the oppression and ty
ranny which tho Legislature as the acknowledged
supreme power ot the State, may impose upon
the people in their unmitga,ed folly, when passion
and prejudice arc allowed to control them in their
deliberations, than the real interests Of those,
whose servants they are. and whom they profess
TO represent In fact the order Of things isw wholly
reversed, and instead Of of'Logisators being tho
servants of The people, they become our tyrans
and dictators. Hero are tho lst aud 4th sections
of the proposed law
BE IL enecfed Iy the General Assembly, That no
person who has obtained license shall receive,
sell or offer to sell at his store pnce Of business.
or purchase or cause TO be purchased, within or
without the limits of this State, any goods wares
or merchandise coming within any Of the follow.
ing olasses or descriptions Leather, boots and
shoes and other manufactures OF leather in whole
or in part ready made clothing, furniture los
parts thereof carriages or other wheeled vehicles
Tor parts thereby WOODEN manufactures and mix
lures thereof, candles nnd soap. stoves and iron
castings, wooden, tin. iron. brass aud copper
ware, scythcs, axes, shovels, plows, and agricul-
,ural implements, coal, oil. guano aud other for
tilizers, clocks, writing. wrapping and printing
paper, glass and glassware, lexcept for furniture,
pig AMI bar iron and nails, lumber hay, lime,
salt, brooms aud broom cora-wthout first hav-
ing obtained special license to tniy and sell such
goods, wares and merchandise. But this Prohi-
bition shall not apply to such goods, wares and
merchandise, Ne may have been purchased by the
merchant offering to sell them before tho passage
of this act. or to such goods, wares and merchan-
dize MS may be grown produced or manufactured
in this State by the seller, or to any hay. lime,
lumber. bar and pig iron, brooms and broom corn,
which may be purchased before the LIST day OF
January. 1861. Any person who shall violate
this section shall pay fine Tor each offence, not
less than twenty nor moro than five hundred dol
lars.
4. No person who has not obtained n license
under this act shall receive buy or cause to be
bought, any goods wares or merchandise falling
within any of the classes descriptions designa-
ted in tho first section of this act, except from
some person who has obtained such license, or
who has grown, produced or manufactnred' such
goods, wares and merchandise within this or some
other slavchoding States, or from some person
who has derived his title to such goods, wares or
mcrchandize from such licensed person or manu-
iacturer. ANY person who shall violate this sec
ton shall be fined not less than twenty nor more
than two hundred dollars.
Now we submit. woult not such law be sub
versve Of the rights Of n free peopeH Indeed
we doubt whether our Legislators have examined
the Federal Constitution, which they have sworn
to support in order to If those rights do really
belong to them, which they would thus nadly and
injudiciously exercise. In article first sec. 9th
clause 9Th Of the Constitution, we find mo tax or
du shall be laid articles exported from any
State" The evident object Of this clause says.
one is TO prevent Congress from iriuring the in
terest Of any one of States, hy laying a tax upon
the exports OF its staple productions Ii then
Congress has no right under the Constitution to
impose such tax surely the right does not exist in
any seperate State 10 impose such tax or duty,
which is sought to be done. by the law now uudcr
consideration by our Legislature. Such
else of power l,y the State. would claim for her
tho powers WHICH each srperate State had or
claimed to have, under the confederation. when
the Continental Con ,ress had m delegated power
as now to regulate Commerce. md when the con-
flicting Claims VI tie several States had almost
brought them to civil war. But since Congress
has now the right, and Congress alone, "to regu-
late commerce with Foreign Nations and among
the secerat States" article lst 9Th clause Bird,
we cannot see how the Legislature Of State can
impose such tax or duty. if this right exists, then
the Legislature has the right to prohlhit together
the traffic, or interchangeof commodities between
this State and any or all Of the other States which
right Of prohibition for cannot concedc.
But admitting there Ia nothing in the objections
already made, and conceding this right to the Le-
gisaure, We are not of that class Of persons who
are willing "to cut off our u spite our face"
Surely the people Of Virginia are already taxed
enough; tho taxes paid by our merchants are now
in oil conscience sufficiently enormous, but by
this law it is obvious that their taxes are to be
increased to what extent docs not yet appear it
may be to that extent which will place beyond the
reach Of many farmers. mechanics and other In.
boring portions of tho community those articles
without which they cannot live. and for which
they have already to pay enough. Under the op.
erations Of such law, tho merchant of course,
would not be able to sell SO cheap, for the higher
his taxes, the higher his goods-all things else
being equal. No, sir, this is not true policy.
We cannot exiricate ourselves from commercial
vassnlage by restricting merchants to certain
markets If this is done we who buy of them,
pay the piper" Competition is the life of
trade" The worst commercial vassange know
of is to force me to buy my goods Of A., when
could buy them of b. on better terms
Much more might be said upon this subject,
but find this article growing in length much
more than | intended.
JUSTICE.