The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-03-15
&iplmnan t9ispatrt.
THURSDAY xORNu1o, :, MARCH IS, lsso

MVyMulW (4SRaWyg..
THURSDAY MORNING.. ;, MARCH IS Issc
49, The fa1 BilI. 49, 80:
Tho House Of Delegates yesssrday intro
duced new feature Into the Tax Bin. which
,vnl attract the attention Of The mercantile
nv~t>e~itv. THE feature 10 q TAX Of one per tsxs
x,ss ssfss ~ ,nsyeAasfs, except articles Of di.
rect Importation 10 the ports OF Virginia from
sorAirn pcr.s. and articles manufactured with.
in The State; the measnre not to take efFec,
satii May, ls6i-.hs tax Of last year to prevail
until then.
During the discussion Of the proposition
Mr.. HAIAoxD. Of Marion, offered an amend
ment providing drawback for the remission
Of tax on sales In Virginia cities and border
towns, Of goods to be transported out Of the
State; bat this was voted down. The absence
Of some feature Of this sort TO protect the
trade Of our merchants with other Southern
States. will b ruinous to that trade should
Tits measure 60 into effect.
Under this tax, all foreign importation not
directly imported, would pay the one per cent.
and under 1t the imposition would iai upon
Ne,v Orleans sugar, while West India sugar
are correctly informed: very unjust dis
crimira,ion against our Southern sister States,
Louisiana and Texas.
Wecaunot SAY what the merchants generally
WIN think Of this important measure. II pro.
poses. indeed, a commercial revolution /; but il
Il should fail, what will become of our mer-
chants Of the cities-what Of our tradel The
tax is enormous. One house alone, in this city.
A
sale dry goods houses will pay enormous sums.
The grocers, too, will be most heavily bur-
thened, and as their trade is conducted for ex-
ceedingly small profits-we believe not more
than two and a half per cent.-the State and
city will take about half of them!
The question is. can these enormous sums be
assessed upon the goods without greatly cur.
failing our tradei Will the country merchart
standit? Will not a retail system Of indiyid.
nal purchases at the North be inaugurated -
Will not the heavy imposition invite fraud to
evade 1t? These. with many Others suggest
themselves; but the most dangerous conse.
quence which we have to fear is the removal
Of merchants from Virginia to Baltimore or
elsewhere. Many Of them can 60 to that city
and carry their whole trade with them. They
are already taxed out of all proportion to the
merchants of Baltimore and additions to
their burihens may induce them to make such
a movement as this. In answer to all this it
may be said that our remedy is direct importa-
tioss. The question is, can this State in one
year accomplish a commercial revolution such
a. this contemplates The merchant knows
better than We, and can answer more intelli.
gently. Again, should that revolution not be
accomplished by May, 81, miH the operation of
the tar give to the merchants additional power,
energy and means to effect that revolution p
Will 1t not weaken them!
If the revolution is achieved, then what
becomes of the revenue, SO large a part of
which has been paid by the merchants! Our
commerce will pay no tax, but to the federal
government
But there can be no such revolution in so
short time, and our merchants will become
tax gatherers for the State, paying down in
advance the enormous revenue they are 10
gather from the country. The burthen of this
duty will be heavy and depressing.
Direct trade and Domestic Manufactures are
things to be desired and encouraged but the
way Of ENCOCRAGEMENT is better than that Of
rORoE; and there is good reason to fear the
consequences of this heavy tax. Let the Sc
nate consider it well and calmly in all its
bearings. Let the members Of that body call
70 their aid the wisdom Of intelligent and
practical merchants. The interests involved
are of the deepest importance to the State, and
the subject should not be disposed OF without
the matnrest elaboration. Better that the
Legislature should 81. the year out, than that
it should be decided in hurry at SO late a
period OF the session; or, without that patient
and searching Investigation due TO the mo-
mentous character Of the question.