Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-12-13
RALEIGH, 9TH Dec. 1866.

RALEIGH, 7th Dec, 1866
My DEAR SIR 70 II letter Of the ODD, in
reply to mine OF the 18Th ult., was duly re-
ceived, and I avail myself OF the earliest
leisure afforded me from muti:aIiOus and
pressing engagements, to reply.
The earliest rebellion known to authentic
history, was the revolt of the Ten Tribes,
which resulted in their severance from the
Kingdom OF Solomon, the segregation and
union of two, the dispersion Of ten of the
twelve tribes OF Israel, ard the ultimate
ruin of all That like most Of the wars
which have scourged the earth IL subse
Quent age, was occasiOncd 10y oppressive
taxation. The American revolution hai is
origin from three penny tax upon tea I'M
posed by a parliament III which we had no
representation, and resulted, as we fOndly
supposed, in the establishment of the fun
damental principle that taxation and rep
resentation in ali future time would GO be
one and inseparabIe." The fifth of the Sc
ries Of resolutions adopted yesterday by the
Republican caucus at Washington calls for
the appointment OF 60 select committee
to investigate the proceedings, under the
laws for the collection of direct taxes in re-
bel States, and the securing and sale of
abandoned and confscated lands, and 9th
G. property" | suspect it would be in our
power to furnish information on this sub
ject in relation to the States Of North and
South Carolina, not readily obtainable in
Washington.
Direct taxes levied according to the rule
of appOrtionment prescribed by the first
great compromise of the Constitution, you
will rene mber were levied under the adj
ministratiOn of the elder Adams, who, when
we were in the midst Of financial difficult
-
sorted to again during the war of 1872, but
in both instances tolerated only from the
necessities Of the times, and in consequence
of the gross irregularity and oppression
produced by the system, were Of short du
ration.
On the 9th Of August 1861, Congress
ventured upon third experiment of this
system, and enacted & That direct tax of
twenty millions of dollars be and is hereby
annually Laid upon the United States, and
the same shall be and is hereby apportion-
ed to the States respectively in manner as
follows -
"To the State of North Carolina, five hun
dred and seventy six thousand one hundred
and ninety-four and two third dollars"
III tAe month of March last, [ visited Wash
ington at The instance of the Governor and
L POo\,
among other things, OF comforting with the
Secretary of the Treasury in relation to
this imposition. The Secretary could af-
ford no relief The House Ct Representa-
tives, few days previous to my arrival,
had refused to receive a communication
addressed by the Governor to the Speaker.
[ supposed, however, that if we hadnorlght
to representation, or, as IL State, to any
species of intercOmrnu cation with the
Federal Government, that the right OF
petition would be accorded to me as an
Individual. AS the only alternative afforded
me, [ prepared the following petition, which
Mr.. Johnson, the distinguished Senator
from Maryland, presented to the Senate
the day after my departure. The following
reference to it in the proceedings of the
Senate, as reported In the NCdi0nd LatelLi-
yenceJ', contains all the information [ pos
scss of the disposition made Of it Mr..
johnson presented the petition OF David l..
Swain, of Orange county, \. G., statlng
that the revenue officers of the Government
are collecting the tax imposed on land for
the year 1862, and claim the right to collect
80 cents on the 300, value as assessed for
State taxation In 1860, which the petitioner
states is ten times greater than the average
tax levied by the State since the adoption
of the Constitution in l77G, and he there
fore asks the repeal of the law under which
such authority is claimed. Referred to the
committee on Finance"
IS To the Sendts and House of Representatives
t-6f the Congress Of the United States:
''Ths petition Of David L. Swain, citi-