The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-01-15
IN on STATE CONVENTION.
saturdays Proceedings.

Sth section, IN order TO add members
from the counties Of SEWER, Johnson
Carter Union, and o. her counties, not
now allowed a full representative,
making the whole number in the House
eighty After half hours discussion
during which many suggestions were
made, the following provisions were
added 0 the section, when it was
adopted unanimously
Provided. That said appointment be
so modified as to give 10 the counties
johnson, Carter, Campbell. Anderson,
Union Sewer Macon and Hancock,
each one member, and the district
composed Of the counties of Fentress,
Morgan. Scott and Cumberland, one
additional member in the House OF
Representatives
The 9th section was then taken up
and passed
The 10Th section was read, when Mr..
League offered the following amend
mcut
Nothing in this schedule shall be so
construed ~ 10 prevent the State from
continuing 10 collect tax OF one hall
of one per cent upon the invoice cost
Of all goods wares, or merchandise i'm
ported into the State for sale.
Mr.. l. advocated the passage Of his
amendment in a brief speech. He
showed the bardsbips of the original sec
ton, which was tax 70 the people Of
Memphis Of $4,000 per annum, and
Of the State Of 100000
Hon Horace Harrison moved 10
strike out the whole section, which, if
it did not positively violate the Consti
tuition Of the United States, which pro
hibited the leyying Of duties on i'm
posts by any State, at least had the APP
.pearance Of doing so. lie thought it
was, at least, ridiculous Mr. League was
willing to strike the whole thing out
MrFowler did not particularly object
20 striking out, but he believed we had
"a perfect right to collect the tax. If
cities collected q large sum and squan-
dered it, it was not his fault The State
had never yet received q dollar from
Memphis.
Mr Loague-There is $4,000 there
ready for you.
Mr. Fowler-So / have heard recent
", but we have seen none Of ityet.
Mr.. Hood did not know, till he read
the papers, that any protest had been
made against the section, by members
Of the business committee. The OBJ
iectious came from the mercantile in.
terest; they were not generally the
most loyal Of men Why don't the
people object, rather than the mer.
chants2 lie thought the merchants Of
both Memphis and Nashville were
making money enough to pay a little
tax he was for making them pay up
Certain members were blmnying East
Teuncsseans,w which showedthey wanted
something of the mountaineers Theil
tax would raise 100000, and that wa
As much money as we wanted If th'
merchants did not pay that. sum, th'
people would hayeit to pay lie there
fore favored the tax.
Mr. Harrison said he not only did not
represent the m ercautile interest, but be
despiscd the merchants Of Knoxville
Nashville and Memphis, who went into
the rebellion to avoid the payment o.
debts due the North, and who after
wards took the amnesty oath to save
their pro erty
he again referred 10 the provision O
the Constitution Of the United States
prohibiting the leyying, by State, o.
duties on imports He therefore ques
toned the ezpediency Of the proposed
provision ia uIe schedule
Mr. Fowler was severe on the rebe
merchants of Memphis aud Nashville
and said the commander Of the Post al
the first named place told him $1,000,
600 worth Of goods per month passed
through that town to the rebels, snC
no tax Was collected on them
Mr. Bingham wa- surprised to see the
tone and temper with which this grave
proposition was discussed by the gentle
man from Davidson The question wa.
not whether merchants were more dis
loyal, az class, than the great mass Of
the people Of the State but it was simp
ly whether It was wise and prudent TO
insert an amendment in the organic
law. We had now provided for the
converting OF the General Assembly IN
April, and there was the same law fol-
collecting the necessary taxes ia tn,
meantime that had already enabled th,
State officers TO extort the sum of $40,
900 from the greatly oppressed mer-
chants of Memphis. When the Legisia
ture assembled, which would be in
short time, it would have time to matur,
q SYSTEM Of taxation, which would beal
equally upon all the great interests il
the State. There was no necessity
therefore, for any action at the present
time upon the subject, and because
that was so and because a regularly or
gained legislature could better perforn,
the service than this body, he warmly
urged that the section under considers
ton should be stricken out. He was
panied to see that the Comptroller, in.
stead Of supporting his proposition by
valid arguments, had descended TO a
vehement appeal 10 the country people
against the merchants of the two prin-
ciple cities ia the State
He donied that all merchants we're
disloysl, and particularly that all of
that class in Memphis came under that
head Bat even if the charge we're as
true as it was unfounded. a financial
State Officer should have better rea-
sons for unjust and unequal taxation
than an appeal TO passion and prediu-
dice 1t might be tue that some Fed.
eral officer had confessed that he had
----..s~I 4. -, -, or,r go. Z, & - mo