Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-07-20
For the Enquirer.
Commercial, Agricultural and intSuee.
tuai independence Oh virginia IL" 'ho
I,yoyrn, May sd, 1S6i.

DAS'L Ii. LONDON, ESQ.,:
rr,,isra,;on Of hearing your very Instructive speech on the
commercial, agricultural and inieilec.ua, muep NUN .,
rr,nmn The novel and startling facts With which you IL
Iuslra,c,l and enforced your theme, opsneu our eyeslor
IN. first time 10 the clear perception OF VA nueersc hhu
.e W. 49, nnsra,;on of many Of our laws-.o many rs TO
indicate a settled policy In their cnaSline.a a,. n ine W.
rec, trade and general commerce ni 'ts az, -" W ne
c.ssnrv consequence upon al tie staple producuons OF our
,rrIrrj,ur. In ihrIr marketable values. lheS understand
that YOU have still further prosecuted your snqul'es, ana
have gathered many ra!uanie 'ngs "ao ~ Sorc;hIv m,iin ~, .inai
In ropr sp.ech, and that you propose such 4 remedial
"onrs- Of legislation as, II adopted, VIII release virginia
ami ,Sr South from their present unnatural rassaiage 10 The
Wi, in nd counteryaal the burdens Imposed an Southern
commerce Ivy federal Legislation.
. nnc mi only IS 4 personal favor TO ourselves, hut US a
cc,,rM,,, uarrinc to lie agricultural interests OF Virginia,
Inn, YOU will at nn enr!y dag g:Tc publicity 10 your Views,
through, such medium rs you may seicc', 1T u VIII SECURE
To ,hcrn.a d;Gusi"c circulation.
We are, dear sir, most respectfully and ;irly y"irs.
/, < Fox. PETER TiSsL.-,
CHARLES C. TAYLOR.
We rGi nc, hca- The address reierreu 10, bai ""u'" lee
very clad 10 see your views in published form.
TIos. DoswsLL, ELLa'So Mn,II,
Tuaa. IL. FOX, I'm ~ no~aso
ST. e. TrcERE, NJ. >. nooLpNipGt,
WILLIAM TIUMTSoS, JOBS w. MITCHELL
HIRAM JAMES, ,oh' :. SAMLa,
WV. II. Fox, i"hhhi f-LLE''.
EIcMucSr, July eth. 1850.
Gen,!crnen:-Iu replying 10 your letter OF The "Sd May, We
cn,rr a, once into the discussion OF The question,
Are the people 9th: Southern states inEnical Ia II Direct
Foreign Commerce., independent oi The Northern states;
In forming a correct opinion upon the sentiments OF \ IA.
,;nn we take ,l,Ir ac,inns as expressed in their laws, as the
surrst, and, Indeed, rs conclusive cvideli:e OF Their purpe-
ses-any expressions a opinions Which are Lo' evidenced
rs laws. are worthless in Tie intercourse 81 such nation or
Stat. with nil others. This is too clear to be disputed; AMI
in answer 10 the question which is nov under discussion, We
mus; look. into the laws OF the Southern s,ates, with IIIcir
oiT.r,s and opera,ions, for evidence Of The oI,inioas and
sentiments If their people. II We shall lind evidence Of
hostility In the e&!steIic. u public hc:s. al any CONTINUANCE,
which arc no, friendly, az least Indifferent, 10 Il d!rec: for.
eIrp commerce, We s!ull be obliged tn conclude that they
are p~o6iiirf!y hostile 10 all independent direct foreign coEi.
mcrcc, and that all professions OF dileren, sentiments are
bottotacl urcn Ignorance, or are IueAnt TO deceive and mis-
lead.
Virginia Will he first examined. Sieiaycs on each of'he
sales Of her merchants. and increases the per cent. rs tire
sales dec rras In amount. This scale tax ofours has no pRrui.
lei In any of the States, and Is in the teeth directly q! The coll.
s,itutinnYl rccuisition Which says taxation shHllhe equal ard
uniform throughout the Commonwealth; and surely " PR
cent. On one and 1 per cent on another, sSoT EQUAL or rSI-
FORM TOR SELLING, and We Issue no merchants Licenses ron
ANY THING ELSE. (Truc, We 10 except goods MADE III
Virginia and goods in the hands Of the importers IN their
first sale.j The exemption 10 the importers: although dr
clared by a State las, y WORTHLESS; -: The feIrfai Con:i'
tuition would exempt the Importer il he sol! ny tle pace
ace: and We can only, therefore, conclude 'ha. Virginia
MAS friendly 10 Virginia productions to the extent OF th's
eyemyt:on. But 4 few words only are necessary to dis
rIos,' even under this plausible apparent %iriend:h!p,
rather ndirercncc,th the dcadliest hostility 10 = foreign direct
commerce. The regular usage ta' every merchant knowsl;a
nr trade in all mercazti!" communities 10 pass oil goous
through IT least three hands, 10 VII: The Importer ar PACK.
Hre man, the jobber or piece man, AMI the retailer or yard
man. H. then, the nTtIci: pc IdScu U III iN siicf H'" tItnci ~
mus: result that he who can so manage Ills affairs as that no
article shall be sold hut oncein Virginia, will escape al ias
10 the State hut wia, he himself phys. The law, then, must
operate alranlagrously 10 him who sells articles Hh'""
can bs hdr,d only once in Virginia, and, by consequence,
against nay operations of IL friendly character between our
own merchants. The Law has been almost completely SUE
crssfuI i'm expelIing all wholesale or package merchants, IA
there are but rew, Il any, exclusively foreign traders, or,
prope.ly speaking, Wholesale merchants IN Virginia: me
iobicr Is truly permitted 10 purchase Of The Virginia
importer in conformity with the provisions ni law,
without tax, hat The retailer who buys Of the
Virginia jolGer; must pay r, = ' o. 1iT.c.iy iopor,.
ed, for certainly this disadvantage exists; but upon 81! Other
articles the rrtailerin Virginia, II lie buys in Virginia, Iays
the tax of both the jobher and Wholesale merchant; because
the State takes 4 tax on each sa!e-,tus delivering III: goous'
bought and sold III Virginia, three fitncs 10 The CONSUMER,
with three separate STATE taxes. enge" only " rf:er !"
The sales OF goods In Virginia, on which Il TAX u cnl-
lected, lit being al, $4,000 10 see tia, The s'htc co'lee's
lis three. fourths Of one per cent. on this 'um-ihr sum
being s3ls, 1868 Is, which passes into The revenue d. inc o'ate
from his source. If, then, as may be seen by the license act
itself, that the largest dealers pay the very least per
| centa.e upon their sales, and the smaller dealers more,
rs their operations decrease, then the plain consequence
must he, tha, the exemption TO foreign commerce, WIN
which the action Is sought TO be moduiateh. IS III inva,
too insignificant 10 overcome the harsl'nesS o! 'he tea9uIr
In o,I,-r RESPECTS; and as II can only confer q benefit IN any
event 10 the extent Of the tax which the Importer ESCAPES
mon his sales of articles directly imported, We can "hiS
SrI unnn The most liberal basis, that it will reach one
fourth Of one per cent, as the Auditors report IIsc'o'es
that to he the highest sum winch iie average OF n a'T IS
merchants Of the State would pay. We then a!lrm tla'' III
the license act Of the last General Assembly, mere Is at
o,Lrr announcement Of warfare upon all independent com
| rnprcc, rs the tax bill specially OHtlHurs 'i '.St go
Is 10 the jobEers and retailers Of the state OF from mr.,
Quarters 10 two per cent. Oh cac!l :lG0 OF their Operations
To go oft Of the state, and, OF coursc, INTO SONY TO- Wv" ",
NAV trace In the action Of The Corporations oil H"riolh
and Alexandria and Petersburg, the hand n' aSiaas'1h'
;ion, I'm their action o:c Fees The same ontr!gm an" uhnis'
ruised assault or the Foreign and Domestic trader, ana IN
| 90 far as they can drive OIL and prevent coNhmereihl lh'Gr'
course anunsst their. own citizens they - u "s NV
sales only, und that upon each sale al !he sanIc
article il taxed about OF per cent; TIE cravings oelbs
slightly different from tina! adopted By the state h: SUPER,
added 10 all this, these Corporations tax al MONIES anu
personal property about the SANE win re"i e,ta'": ~ :"
Richmond 4 ciuss scale tax Of IN cents Oh t'r si"',
one time l lUl has been adhl'tch ~ Hl u s"ss.
besides, there l. . tax nn incomes. Gnt u c"c!I "nl
ul of the other towns the most unqualified evidence
l. furnished OF Il determination by These lornora''ohs,
IN FAR as ,heir action j. concerned, that Hey will prevent
the wholesaler + ION residing At Norfolk, Alexandra or re-
trrshurs, for the johher cannoi escape HE 'ay o! me eny
WHICH Is pa:d BIZ the wholesaler; and II he does. 'hat MS
few iohbe.s rs possible shall buy Of them; anG ihrh AGAIN
thai The retailer shall 10; buy OF The jobbcf, Tor they o,ler
lin, tYo city taxes 10 60 into some other town, IN announcer
state ana Iuy there, so that We have State and ciy toge'
ge,her, saying TO the johber: we viii release you rom one
city and one state tax together Al iehst t!set eatn,nS ~ ~, ymr
they hold out iwo taxes e"ch-tEai l., lhe slh'e VIII s'se
YOU the wholesalers TAX, -. ,,.' 20
The civ will do about half as well IL each case. -
Wholesale ~
! JobbcrS Tax. .......''r''..''''"
Il 10
that Is. xc will release The retailers lhe.e four taxes OF
| about 81 10 on paCH = " "a iiI. h"' up - -
y;rg son.hodv other Than one OF orr own citizens. But irt
III. retailer buy, and what Is the condition Of the c"ilsu;ier;
Why, he absolutely pays six taxeS-three 10 'Me S.a,f o
Virginia and three 70 The corpoFa''o" VI ''''"'H nv
andrta, or Petersburg.
But this is no, aloac the case with this STATE ana
IN. Virginia cities. 0uT Southern friends in other
States come up ike Iarn 10 the same WORK. Lei us
sec how Charleston, the chief port 81 Son'h Carolina, acts
in this most unworthy warfare on an Independent foreign
trade. Fl % on The stock Of gonds on hand averaged, il her
demand; and this erectuaHy Kills any deposit oil Goots 'hete
for Il Just amounts TO Il storage charge, OF one dollar ana
Ihir,v cents to the city government. Every one familiar
with commerce, must know that, In most articles, IN exam
inn,ioa nf the article itself is required by the purchaser
and by CONSEQUENCE, ir the city defeats u deposit Oh Inc
article She cuts OF totha: extent this prerequisite, and sends
OF her customers 10 PORTS where the gonds nay pc seen
and inspected before purchase. liis' thcn, IS nos'Ihay 10
purchases By her merchants; a1d, by consequence, no ar
tiIcIe waiting a lnarke. will he lc. in Charleston by the
owner, rs y less inhospitable poin: VIII he ionnd ior 4 de.
mi mill nurchasers present themselves. But the State OF
South Carolina cones forward with = dtTlaild, al'0, oil
ten cents on ench hundred dollars, on eash sa'r upon
ber soil in which We discover many OF the ndious
features OF the Virginia SYSTEM 20 wit demanding ian on
each sale. And having demonstrated the virginia license
lax 10 nc. rs 4 premium or 4 bounty TO every merchant In
the State 10 make MI his purchases out ithc stare we nave
ouly TO hpply the same genera! remarks 10 South Carolina.
In Georgia We haze ~ Ike SAFE al! so""S, ware or naGr-
chandise treated as personal property, ana taxed at lhe
same raic rs other property. The Corporation OF saran.
nall, her chief seaport, leTtes her city tax on all
goods, wares, and merchandise md stock In trn'le, a. well
as capital nj one per cent: the same with real property;
in other words, she charges, like Charleston, a storage " one
per cent oil all merc!laliis". AMI, having Sho"h ls elects
l IN IHnTlesIUH, w Nt't '"'f -" -
spec,Iur Savannah. There Is i,Irec-cighths Of one per cent.
levied on all the groS. sales hy commission, which must he
intended TO catch the caItnn. WHIT fOllr In Il city seeking
INV amount OF trade in this or any other article, IN tax il
because IL passes through the town. II will lind some
other outlet IL possible, sunner or later.
The State Of Alabama taxes each sac made on her soil,
20 cents on the hundred dollars Except foreign cargo Salesl
Mt auction; but all other auction sales, one dollar on the
hundred dollars, with permission to extend 1t to ~ per
cent, nv the charter, In Mobile, where The tax IL OIL Licenses,
dividing her merchants into retail and wholesale; bu. capt.
tai Is taxed by The corporation. Tie same observations 10
..- -.AL., ,pl.ul 20 thn NIruitIn CI stAt MI n th.
South Carolina one, are true respecting 'hr Alabama State
tax.
Louisiana taxes capital nj nns 9Th Of one per cent, !ht
adds the discrimination On licenses; wholesalers paying
SSu. retailers iii.
The state taxes Of Mes Orleans are, by H.: report Of the
Auditor Of Louisiana for ne year l>a9, on trades, professions
api Gccnpations in The Parish OF Orleans, S~!i9.lSli auction
taxes $3s, lis u; in al. the rest o. the state NJ Louisiana,
ssh 3Sl -, Wills. tn. whole ci the State taxes propr: on
other subjects in every district WAS iGi|,irL9 81 or, in
other words, more than unc-innrtf .! the entire Stale r.vc.
nuc Is taken from the Use Of capital in merchandise, OF in
- x.i.- ,,r~,i. p-It,l, i Ir..s,I "a, he p.liaI In ;tts