Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1863-04-08
/, High Taxes.


consideration bill imposing direct taxes.
for the support of the government. The
amount Of taxes to be raised by the bill, it
is estimated, will not fall below one hun
dred millions, and may reach one hundred
and forty or.two hundred smillions., The
passion for high taxes is become a perfect
rage. It is said that the people are beg
ging and entreating their; Representatives
to pile up the taxes mountains high-the
higher the better! We do not know who
these people are. We are quite certain
they are not tho people who will have to
pay the taxes. The outcry on the subject
may mislead Congress !; and it would be q
great national misfortune if, acting under
an erroneous Impression, it should impose
burdens too heavy to, be borne. Wise
statesman would never go off half.cocked
and under the impulse of the moment;
they may do more mischief in one day than
car, be repaired in years.
No doubt, the great mass of the people
are willing to pay taxes to their utmost ca
paoitY; but because they are patriotic and
liberal, that is no reason they should be
crushed at one blow.
The taxes to be imposed by this bill will
have to be paid by a portion only of ten
States. The narrow stripof country be.
tween the mountains and the head Of tide
water, stretching from the Rappahannock
to the Mississippi, viii have the chief bnr-
den to bear. Louisiana and Arkansas can
pay but little-and Texas not much more.
Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri cannot
be expected to contribute anything; and
this fact should suggest to the Representa-
tives from those States the propriety OF ab.
staining from q vote on aquestion in which
their constituents are not affected. This
leaves only seven of the Atlantic and Gulf
States to bear the brunt. And they are
subject to cnrtailment. Large portions OF
their territory-mountain and tide-water-i
have been oYerrun by the enemy aud desc:
lated. Those districts, of course, can pay
nothing. Thus leaving the narrow belt first
adverted to to pay all, and 1.-THE same time
to feed the army. With Major Rnfhn's or
the War Departments scale Of prices of
agricultural products, the thing will be sim
ply i,npossible-except at such sacrifice
of property by the farmers for the benefit
of spectators and extortioners as will be
intolerable.
The Congressional Tax bill, besides spe.
cial taxes, imposes q tax Of tyo per cent.
on every hundred dollars worth of property
personal and real. In addition, the State,
leyies q tax of one per cent.--and each
county's tax will be as much more-thps
making at least four per cent. This levied
on an assessment in depreoiated currency,
and paid by the sale Of products at the
Commissary's prices, will bring ruin on the
farming interest Of the country.
The bill 9eontemplates an army Of Con
federate officers, in the shape of Collectors;
vastly expensive, infinitely annoying, and 9
serious drawback on the army in the field.
This, which, in better times, would consti.
tute an insuperable, objection, may, we fear,
be one of the chief recommendations with
many gentlemen 10 the existing state of
things. There is an awful proneness among
too many of our politicians to the Yankee
model at Washington. As the willow to
the water, so do their hearts incline to that
corrupt system. z,-g
With view to avoid the waste and cor.
ruption of this system, we publish the sug;:
gestion Of correspondent, proposing that
the States assume their respective portions
of the tax, BY exchanging their own bonds
for Confederate Treasury notes. We hope
the suggestion may receive such considera-
ton as it merits.