Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-01-13

tIlC ltbi 81 ~ tttilC, VI VSSs ~ Ia ~
amount done Of n particular kind and
not the sum of money employed b. a
given individual, nor the profit which he may
reap from his business, that is the item OF mo-
ment IN the estimation Of the burthen 10 be
borne BY the citizen for the use Of the protec'
ton and the laws OF the Commonwealth
What, then, is this very privilege IN our law
Il is tv sell goods, wares and merchandise Tor
ono wear or less. at 4 time, at some place IN
Virginia, of foreign or domestic growth, sub
jcct TO any and every rule or regulation the
State may think fit TO make and. surely,
where no hand but its own can protect, no
hand but that uf the State can be raised to dis
POSSES the State Of Virginia of the right Of
regulating all and every class OF merchants as
may Le thought jutliclous by the Legislature
or have We sunk so low, as that the State OF
Virginia is Il mere county in this national 30,
vcrnu:cnt, and your powers, like those OF Il
county cuur,, are not sovereign over any sub.
icct either Of policy or police? Having the
risG,. to alter, amend, change or abrogatc this
or any other ~svctiun Of our tax bill, may it be
! fairly changed, so 81 TO remove the obnoxious
features, aud ulade TO operate upon the COM
mcrciul. agricultural aud manufacturing iite-
rest OF Virginia advanta.couSly? To this qucS-
ton attention. is invited, based upon the tol-
lowing simple principles, namely that, no article
Of merchandise ought to pay more than one
.Stite tar on its site IN Virginia, and that no
merchant. no matter how wealthy " how large
his business. ought to b.. allowed TO prosecute
il, without contributing the same pr0 rata
upon his sales, that the poorest man Is MAIZE u
pay for a Ike Yrisiie9s. Our merchants are
engaged in The selling of gnolS, waic S and mcr.
cianuiZe under the following circumstances:
They make purchases iii some Other State or
Territory, and bring them into Virginia and
sell them. There are some jcw who import
their supplies from foreign countries, and then
there are others who Ito. their trading entirely
on the SOIL of Virginia. The principles sug-
gested above can br safely aud iudicioilsly eII,-
bodied in the provisions Of any act which may
bc passed upon tie subject Ul merchants IL
ccnSrs. From tin imniemorlal Virginia has
Disseminated in favor Of the agricultural pro-
ducts of her own people, and Of all tho other
States, and for many years, as Is shown by the
memorial now before the Legislature, FROM the
Central Southern Rights Association Of Nirgi-
nia. She did not tax any goods sold On her
! soil, except those from foreign countries. She
may now properly apply principles which
she has exercised 10 her own 1etrlmcnt Tor 50
long time, and make them Of great advantage
TO every interest. The ~t"lluwing articles are
worthy Of consideration, in the nunlber Of ar
ticleS TO bc sold. without any discrimination
against them, viz: 1tlw cotton. rlcr, brown
sugar, molaS>vs. wheat, flour, and all other
brcalstuiiS, tobacco, all products Of the forests
Of the Southern Slave States hemp, ilaS,
wool, indigo, maddcr, l~oswood, and aii other
dye stuil>; gypsum. guano, horses. mules, asses,
meat, cattle, hugs, sheep, and other i've stock;
beef, pork, lard, ~lHcals, oil Of all kinds, fishes,
minerals Of every kind obtained in any slave
State; and any goods, wares, or merchandise,
the product ul any slave Stale.
1t Is due to our pccnniaiy interests as il pco.
pie. that all direct inlporlations from abroad
should be exempt from every bnrthen. when
wc are advised oi the fact that one single vessel
Of 500 tons COMING to james river. from Liver
Inol with salt, even, dIscilarsing and taking in
Il cargo Of iinur aud tobacco Tor Europe, will dis
tribute AS ulucl money as almost every vessel
now engaged in the cua.tinE tiade distributes
in 4 wim!e year. This !act ran be shown by
competent testimony, but beyond this, another
fact lta, our ,,roduc,S find Il market III foreign
countries cilelIy, and not in the Northern
States. renders il too clear that or true inter
cS,S AUST indicate the most dirt CT ard u:.tram,
ellci intercourse with those who CONSUME
our products, but the fact that &c have been
deprived Of cur foreign commerce b. the laws
OF the Federal govern. tI.c!It, and our own State
government corub ned, must suggest the duty
Of using the rtscrred powers IF the State Tor
rr.aInipy that trade which has been driven away
from our o%n seaport t0whs. But, rs the ACTS
of our own STA : arc now before US, the pilot
laws If Virginia must constitute Il subject Of
remark, aud that the folly Of these measures
may be brought 10 view il, is Only necessary
70 state that it is made obligatory on ere'y
rtsar!, u"irw loaded with coal, engaged i'll
tie foreign trade 10 employ 4 pilot whether
he be needed or not when she approaches Our
waters; whereas no cnas,ins vessel is required
To cmpl"Y II pilot unless She cllorSes. The
charge on plaster Tor pilolage TO Richmond,
when brought directly from the ~;laces where
il is produced. is as much rs twice its cost fire.
quelt!y, aI:;l upon other articles in the same
ratio by the icot, according TO the draft OF the
vessel, upon no other lrctext as appears by the
law in III. Code. than that she is engaged IN
tie Foreign trude whether owned or i.ot in
this State Surely ali reasoning il At an end
with tue law-inaki"s power Of the State wien
il shall be necessary to argue that an agricnltu.
ial people ought not to burtilcn the vessels OF
their own citizens and others which are en-
gagged in bringing them articles Of prime ncccSsi-
" ard of general Use, whilst the TcSsclS 81
those ,cho hage S"nactimes been purleini"g Mei7
propCrfy III opcn violation Of the laws Of the
Statr are allowed TO enter our waters, %rarticl-
pate in or commerce antl come and 20 with
clrgoeS Of any size with no. 4 single tarthlr5
eXactcd Of them without tn. positive contract
Of the captain Of these vessels; and this, too,
whether the vessel Is owned or not by 4 Vir.
,ri,,i,r, Tia. ,,pt.isn 1i.crjp,iD ati ION AGAINST
our foreign commerce Is, as u measure Of State
policy, in no way dvieDsihlc. fits known that
upon many occasions efforts have been made to
amend the Pilot Laws, but in 1856 4 highly
respectable body, the Board Of Trade of
Richmond, asked that these Pilot Laws
should be adjusted upon equitable principles.
If the Pilots Of Virginia cannot subsiSt without
this measure in the shape in which ii now
slandS, then it will be better To make 4 direct
uphrorriation from the Treasury Of the State
for tLc,r benefit, and let the voluntary principle
be applied to them and their interests. When
4 cajlain wishes 10 employ a pilot, let him dn
it al such charges as may be thought rcaSona-
bic or make all T~psSelS, whether coastwiSe or
foreign, pay the same and be compelled 10
take the Ii ST pilot that offers his services when
the vessel aplr, aches the waters Of Virginia,
The elects Of these law upon the Foreign
Direct ua'lc Of Virginia have been SO dcstrnc.
live that no LAM nasv can he found to describe
their full force. Can any one doubt that if you
throw upon u cargo Of Plaster, Coffee, Sugar
or any thing else, charges of from one dollar
and fifty CENTS IT, two dollars and twenty-five
cents llcm sea In Hampton Roads, and Il fur !
thcr charge of four dollars and thirteen cents
to RlcImona, per foot. : making the average of
more than sir i"2ar~ tie .f""t up to our chiJ!
t"nH, and nearly as mWrh going out-togethrr
~:HuIE.-ifter The conclusion Of my remarks 10 the Hall
OF The House OF Delegates, some one approached the "hn
SAID he wds II plot. aud affirmed that no compnisi"n rested
OF Any vessel engaged IN the foreign trade TO employ n
iulo; nborr Hampton Roads, and cited section IL Of chapter
y: In the State Code, which j. MS follows:
40 masler shail Ire r. quirra 10 have n pilot 10 conduct
his rrss,l "r s,eambnH; above Hampton Roads, Yorktown,
Mvijitk hay, u:ha.au or Snilh's Point, on tile Potomac;
but il he q. re a r!lUi, he shall NOT eIMrlor any oihrr than !