The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-07-26

BRUTAL AND D1sGRAcEFUL.-We have seen a
| letter from G. H. Wolf, member of n. G. Regi-
ment, his father in this county which states that
the yankee soldiers. when at Lexington. Va. vio-
lated the grave of Stonewali jackson. breaking up,
and carrying off the stones and otherwise disfgur-
ing the premises. Mr.. Wolf says that the Confed-
crate troops marched around the grave, and
all saw the way the Yankee brutes had troubled the
resting place of the ustrious jackson. Can we
expect people who will not treat the dead with
common respect to show any mercy for the living.
A wild savage will not trouble the grave of dead
man. Lincolns soldiers are worse than savages-
they abuse the dead and living.
UNpATRIOfIC. learn from q correspondence
in the Salisbury Watchman that the Hon. Nathaniel
Boyden has refused to pay his 1.-THE of corn, wheat
wool and cotton He is willing pay the penalty
in money, but refuses to pay in kind. We must
say that surprised that Mr. Bnyden should
act in this way and set such perncious example.
We never admired his political course, but other
wise we had formed q better opinion of him than
many persons seemed to entertain for him. Our
soldiers cannot eat Mr. Boyden's money-they need
breadstufs-and if he does not pay his tax in kind
every true and respectable farmer in the Dis
| trct has done. he deserves the severest censure.
The 1.-THE tax is an easy and experience has
shown that 1t is wise measure-f a mun makes
nothing, he has nothing to pay. 1t bears equally
on all, and divides the burden fairly among all
classes. The rich farmer must pay in proportion to
his income. while the poor farmer does the
Mr. Bnyden is rich man and is able to pay much
He is the only respectable in the District who
has refused to pay his tax in kind We say to
the credit of our farmers generally that they have
acted noby-they deserve praise aud the thanks of
the Government and soldiers. Mr. Boyden's con-
duct Is an exception.
The correspondence alluded to. is between Mr.
Fraley, the 1.-THE agent at Salisbury, and Capt SM
Finger. the Post Quartermaster for this Congress
s;onal District. Mr. Fraley informs Capt. Finger
that Mr. Boyden refuses to pay his tax-in kind of
corn, wheat, cotton and WOOL but offers to pay the
penalty in money for this refusal Capt Finger re-
plies in the following plain and sensible letter:
OEFICE P. @ NJ, 8TH Conc. Dist,
Charlotte, n G., July 10, 1864.
W. r. Fraley, ESQ, Dear Sir Your favor Of
the 18th inst is at hand. In reply have to say,
that any one in the Confederate States has exactly
the same legal right to refuse to pay his Tax in
Kind that the murderer has to commit murder, tlse
thief to commit theft.
Penalties are attached to laws, and to the ttbe
law as well as others, because bad, law-breaking
persons refuse to comply with their requirements
ply with laws aud needs no penalty.
AS odlum always attaches to persons who arc
disobedlent to law much the more does it, and
everlasting disgrace attach to him now who refuses
to pay the Confederate Government his tithe
less circumstances beyond his control prevent him
SO doing l say this because the Tax in Kind has
been the very salvation Of the army for those who
have had charge of supplying the army since the
beginning of the acknowledge that for the last
year in other way not even by impressnlcnts,
which necessarily operates very unequaliy upon
the people, could the army have been supplied.
The produce could not have been secured at all,
and even if it could at schedule prices, at least one
hundred millions Of dollars would have been ex-
pended in payment IF produce collected under the
1.-THE law up to date, saying nothing about the ra-
pid advancement Of prices that this food of paper
money would have caused.
Besides its being indispensably necessary, the
law operates equally upon all classes Of the farm
ers, or at least as much so as any law that can be
made, especially under its amended form according
to which it will in the future be exacted.
At first | could account in some little degree for
the law being unpopular, but now that it has
operated so admraby-has enabled US to feed our
soldiers in the field who have kept our vandal foe
from plundering and making slaves of all,
and has in a measure fed the soldiers wives at
home, and when the cost of collection compared
with the value Of the produce collected is not above
one and half per cent, say with all this light of
years experience before him, he who opposes the
Tax in Kind law, wfully refuses to pay his just
tithes to the laborng Confederate Government is
either lamentably ignorant or has been deluded By
scheming, yes, I will say, taitorous politicians.
hope the good honest farmers will not suffer
themselves to be misguided by these bad men, for
they must remember that through my Office their
names will be handed down to posterity
You are at liberty to make any use Of this letter
you choose. I am very respectfully. &c,
s. M. FINGER,
Capt. and ?. @. NJ
P S.-If you have evidence that any one hiss
used language upon which can base action
we will try how strong this government is. will
take it as special favor to be Informed upon this
subject . d. FlS'Eh'