Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-06

greater West than it is East Of the Blue Ridge.
Well. sir, dedua!iag one-eighlh from the o. GOO
you leave 47 600 slave owne,s East Of Inc Blae
Ridge.
Now, sir, have looked into the Auditors
report 10 ascertain another fact, and sn sorry
that there ure no data for the years 1857 OF
1850, from which We could infer the number
0i s!ayc-owncrs q mean tbs number ol tax.
payers Els: cf the Blue Ridge; but die lind
that ths humber Of tax payers according to
the Auditors report, in 1851 living East OF the
! Blue Ridge wss in round numbers 9O,0UU.
| Deduct from this the 1000 uwncrs Of slaves,
and you have IL, GG0 remlining, AZ the number
Of non-slaVe owning taxpayers East OF the
Blue Ridge. So that you have in Eastern Fir-
gnia, within four thousand of as many nom
| >!avchoding taxpayers as there are slave hol-
tl4rs And yrs, Mr.. President, it is said that
this is sectional question:; it is SAID thai this
is question brought here by Western men
| for Tie purpose OF sowing discussions and
strife in the deliberations q! this body. de-
maud to know whether the IL, 600 non slave.
holding taxpayers in Eastern Virginia have
not L right to b; heard upon this floor as much
as tho aun sEavcho'ding tax payers Wcst of the
isiue RiIse! Sir, Il Is nos sectional ques-
ton. GcHtlemen cannot make il L sectional
question. ], is question in which the peo-
| pie Of every section Of this CoEm lnweath arc
Interested, and think the p.roa is not far dis.
tan, when their voice will be heard from every
part Of The Commonwealth unless their gricT-
ances urr redresS;d
| Now, sir, what el- the :actS Developed il the
discussion Of this subjectY They are that
there is from Sl3v, ,00GuU0 to $20O 600, 900 OF
the most valuable property in Virginia wholly
exempt from tax ,LioH. | have only time to
refer 20 The circumstances under which this
fact is allowed 10 exist And what are they Z
Let it be remembered, sir, by this Convention
| aud let it be remembered by the people Of Fir-
siniu, that from Sl50, 600, 900 TO $500, 000, 600
| OF property in the Commonwealth ol Virgin
are wholly exempt from taxation, while we
have resting upou US ths crushing burden Of
| $40, 900, 0UU OF public debt Let It be reIn"m-
hercj, slr, that this debt is Annually increasing.
Let it bs remembered that our Legislature now
IN session, and the llst Legislature, have appro-
pr;ated-the former S309, 900, and .he present
Legislature Sl,0t0,0uJ Tor the parpOgs Of
| putting this State IL, condition Of defence and
| 10 redress grievances upon this Very property,
81 exempt from taxation in siIors, IL defend
| the Institution Of slavery.
admit, sir, that the North. " estern section
or Fi:gni1 is moro Interested in this question
ihln any other quarter Of the State; bu.
wish this fact 10 be poniirred upon; that this
vast amount o. property is allowed TO remain
exempt from taxation not only when our pub
lie debt i, increasing-uut only when We fad
it necessary 10 increase il to defend the honor
and the property o' Firgnl-but this fact is
al, ,-E liz n,
tcrioratng while our bonds are depreciatng
in the market, while they are at u discount Of
- to 50 per cent, while they are scolled ut in
the Exchanges abroad. aud have little credit al
home.
Why, sir, We of the West willingly pay our
quota Of Tie taxes; but if ! don't msread the
srgns of the times, there will be another kind
OF deruand male upon US; and take pride in
saying that whether you grant us this right or
not, this lev demand will bs met 10 the fullest
extent. Il these wurlike appropriations mean
auythins-if w- are to be involved in war, rs
| fear We snail be-where are you 10 find the
rlen TO fgb, your battles: Where will you
Ge: the strong arms to defend your slaves
From orr glorious mountains Of the West
rnere, Hi."l. The w1tu man lives with true
and loy& heart, you will tnd msn now, Us
uiorrtinc, 10 dcfoad your institutions and your
tiresiGes. | w,.i tu knov whether Eastern
gentlemen require lis 10 submit all Of our pro.
pcrty tu taxsIlon, end fight tho battles Of the
country too, while yoGr property, which We nre
defending, is to be exelnp: from taxationI
How is it again, sirt You are contending
here for the right 10 carry your slaves into
distant territories two thousand m;!tS away
territories 80 inhoSpitable that the very rain
aad dcwS refuse to fall upon them. They
would be practically us barren Of any benefits
II the STAKEHOLDER rs the soil is of vegetation.
y are appropr!ating millions upon millions
for III. viuiicaiion ol tins naked right, ~mle
wc have, without any figure OF speech, within
our own Commonwealth, what may be proper.
y termed 4 terra iGc,ynitl, rich in all the ele.
lneniary RESOURCES Of national wealth and pros.
-abounding in rivers and water falls
and wild cascades with echo undellned, with
power sufficient TO drive all the spindles and
machinery Of thousand Lowclls--abouud:ng
IN forests equal in valuo and beauty to those
which crowned tho SUBMITS, adorned the sides
OF misunderstanding in numerals, in illim
table fields Of coei, capable Of employing all
the slave labor i'll Virginia for centuries, with
oft exhaustion. ill these elements of wealth,
al these elements Of State power aud pros
par;ty, are within 200 ara ESQ miles of the
capital Of your Stats And yet you exempt
your slave property from taxation, and thus
suffer this great source Of internal wealth 10
lie undevelopcd and unavailng, because We
have not the means to c0mpletc our works Of
internal Improvement now partially accom-
plished, leading thitherward, which would
make available all these sources o! State wealth
and State power.
By our policy We arc not only grinding the
people do.n with the burdens Of heavy tuXa-
liou, in carrying on, in laggard way, our
, State Improvements; We are not only doing
that, sir, but we are allowing these improve.
ments 10 be stopped short Of completion, in
consequence Of the want Of the means 10 CON-
p:cto them. The eTer-increasing tide Of West.
ern wealth anL travel and traffic is coming
down against our Western mountains like the
waves Of the sea against the shore, seeking the
shortest way 10 tho ocean and TO Europe. Sir,
this tide Of travel, this tide OF traffic and
wealth, from the rich valleys and praires and
rivers Of the West, ;kul hearing down against
our Western m:ua;:,iu barrirrs for the want
Of the means Of direct outlet to it's natural
places o; deposit ut Richmond, Alexandra,
Norfolk, and on :he banks Of tho Chesapeake, is
diverted from Its natural channel aud IS turned
away through the Northern ice and SHOWS to
New York; down through the Swamps and mi
asrna of the South; thus securing Black Republi-
can power by tie diversion Of capital from our
State, concentrating il in the North, increasing
Northern population end power, and increas-
ing The ratio Of representation against US, de-
cade after decade, while we stand here with
this immense rm0uNt ol property unta1ed,
which If taxed, would be sufficient to obviate
all these evils Tue roar Of this great tide OF
Western wealth, rolling down against our
Western mountains. is falling upon our ears
daily ard yearly, demanding passage 10 our
Eastern shore cities and seapurts, while we
stand here i1,dlng our arms aud saying "lct
| no pro!ene commissioner Of the revenue lay
his in'pious bands upon our slaves. They
| shall not b. taxed ! submit, therefore, Mr.
President, whether under these circumstances,
i is not the true policy Of our Eastern friends to