New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-28
COLLECTION OF THE CorroN TAX,

We are glad to say that the representations
of the gentlemen sent to Washington to ask {
remission of the onerous regulations concern
ing the collection of the cotton tax, have no.
been without effect. Trustworthy informa
ton has reached us that the government, I'M
pressed with the justice of the memorial ad
dressed to them, have consented to make Ger
tain notifications of the regulations which
will be felt as great relief by large portion
of our agriculturalists. In the first place one
of the three collection districts into which this
State was divided, is to be forthwith abolished
by an order to be issued by the commissioner
of internal revenue, and, henceforth there will
be but two such districts. But what will be
really relief to the planter is the remission
of the duty to have his cotton weighed on
plantation or at remote stations to which it
would have to be hauled at great expense and
with great trouble. The gentlemen were prob
ably right who declared that this system, if
PERSISTED in, would render it impracticable to
get even the actual limited crop to market,
within twelve months The consequences OF
so great delay would have been not only
embarrassing but disastrous Every cent that
planters can realize from their crop this year
will be needed, at an early period, to enable
them to make preparation for next years
planting on even small SCALE If they should
be delayed until spring in getting their re-
oeipts, they would not be able to do anything
at all in the way of raising crop next year. 1t
is only surprising that these considerations did
not suggest themselves to the trainers of the
regulations in the first place. 1t really did
seem as if the object of those regulations, as
it appears unquestionably to have been the
object of Congress in imposing the tax, was
utterly to ruin and impoverish the Southern
States. So far as the executive branch of the
government is concerned of course, any such
suspicion must be unfounded and we are
delighted to find that there has been exhib-
tied SO ready an appreciation of our necessi-
ties, and SO frank an acknowledgment of
error
Hereafter the taxes on cotton will be paid,
and the weighing of the article will be done
in New Orleans-that is to say. cotton which
is the product of the State of Louisiana. We
presume that similar regulations will be made
in other States. We had hoped that the cot
ton of Arkansas and Mississippi, at least, and
of the other districts which have their natural
outlet at New Orleans, might be suffered to
come here for weighing and payment of
taxes but We suppose that some insuperable
legal objection to this concession must have
been discovered to exist. At all events, the
planters q Louisiana have gained great
deal and they owe much to the enlightened
zeal and energy Of the merchants of New Or
leans, and to the prompt action and kindly
OF the government at Washington.
For such other reforms as are needed we can
wait with hopeful anticipation Of the time
when even radical majorities will discover
That oppressive taxation and onerous restric-
lions imposed on the industry Of one section
If the country are sure to react with PERM
,ious effect on the other