Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-09-14
To the People of North Western Vir-
gimin.

tFrom the TNrkcr-Jurg Gazette
The most important question that ever
this people had to decide will come before
, them ON the fourth Thursday in October
next, viz the question whether they will
have Il new State or not. Whether they
will sever the cords which have for so long
time bound them to Il people who have
had the power to oppress them and nave
not SCrup.cd to use II upon every occasion.
Citizens .: Northwestern Virginia, now i
the time or ncvcr The roses OF Ppsium
may be gathered twice in season, bat
chance like this once suffered to go bv may
never return. The tide is at It's flood, and
invites you to lay your hand upon its wave
that it my bear you on It's crest to pros
pcrity-to Il naIuc and place in the bright
galaxy of stars which make up the gluri,
Gus constellation of the Union. Wi.l you
let it pass, or will you take advantage of
the only opportunity you may ever have OF
freeing yourselves and your posterity from
bondage? Look and see how the case
stands. Remember how long you have
groaned under bUrdOuSomc tnxcs-how
your property has been taxed while the
most aluabe-compHcd by dollars and
cents, and belonging TO those much more
able to pay than you-haS only hccn sub
jected to Il nominal sum. When you own
ed property to the value of three hundred
dollars, it has been taxed to the full
amout while he wh5 owned Il slave worth
81 800 paid no more than you. When you
owned bonds and claims to the amount of
S 1000, they have been taxed to the last
ccut. and he who possessed slaves worth
So 900. paid no more on that sum than you
did OIL one fifth of it. There being COM
pnratively but very few slaves in Western
Virginia. the result of this uni ust diScrim-
inltinn in favor of the East is that every
cents worth of property in the West is
taxed to its full value, while in the East
there are S2OO0O0,O0O of slave property
not taxed ut all.
1t has been urged by those opposed to
the division of the State, that the subject
ought not to be ngitated now in the time
of ncr sore trial. That as true sons of
Virginia, we should refrain from complica-
ting her troubles, and especially so, since 81
Willingness is now shown on the part of
the East TO have taxation equa!ized. Let
us beware of such appeals, for they are
merely "sugar-coated" secession. This
readiness of the East to equalize taxes
comes with bad grace uOw-the offer is
made from the same motive that induces
the horse-thief, when ovcrtaken, to restore
the stolen property; lie can't help himself.
Moved by sense of past injustice, this
equalization" was coudescendingIy offer
ed, as a kind of bait for the West, which
they doubtless thought would be eagerly
swallowed by us without our percciying
that subsequent legislation could at any
time destroy the equality.
Look how your salaries and incomes
have been taxed, hut where is the account
of the income arising from the labors of
slaves7 This would be bad enough, hut it
does not stop here. Look upon the map
of Virginia and see siupendous internal
improvements, in the way of railroads and
canals, and the immense appropriations of
mcaev tomake them. For whose benefit
were those improvements undertaken? For
yours? Everyone of them is on the other
side of the mountains. Look there and
YOU will see Il complete network of rail-
ways, aud taxes levied on you have paid
for them. Have you derived any benefit
from them? Look again on the West of
the mountains, and you see large expanse
of territory, as fruitful as the other, with
a population as intelligent and as good,
with but single railway, and that built
by foreign capital, except small proper
ton furnished by your subscriptions. Not
only was no money furnished for it by the