The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1867-01-22
city and County Taxation.

In the House yesterday, Jan y Nj Hill
yer from the city of Natchez, presented
memorial from the merchants and business
houses iu that city-sigued by ninety-Gve
firms, embracing at least one hundred and Gf-
Is business men; representing he believed the
views Of the entire mercantile, mechanical
and business interests Of the city. He ac-
compauied the memorial with a bill relative
10 the taxes imposed by the Board Of Police
Of Adams county, for county purposes.
Mr. Hillyer stated that Adams county con-
tributed more TO the taxes of the State than
any other county Her quota this year was
over So 900 surprising Kinds, (the next in
amount) by 1900; and Lowndes. the third
on the list, 10y nearly 5000. Her citizens,
merchants mechanics aud traders, had ever
been most liberal and ready to sustain the
credit ofthe State; to pay taxes promptly aud
never 20 refuse aid to worthy objects. But
they now felt themselves imposed upon. In
addition 10 the tax above mentioned, the
county Board of Police had levied, one Of
80 per ceut,on the State tax for county pur
poses, amounting to $4,000. The city tax
of Natchez for the past year was over SOL
collected With the L. : Internal Revenue
tax. the amount paid by the county of
Adams Of public burthens for the year past
was over ~35o0oo, OF nearly $1,000 day
aud this borne by community
whose white men, women and children,
from the youngest in the cradle to the
nearest to the grave, was only forty SIX hun
dred Apart from all taxes upon cotton the
estimated amount Of taxation borne by the
city of Natchez for the past year was sl57,-
30; and this by a community OF 3 800 white
people-young and old-male and female;
VIZ: for city purposes, sol 900: State tax
s45,5o0; L. : tax $1,000; County tax $50
7Jo Total Sl57,2
Mr. Hillyer sought TO solicit no sympathy,
but simpl, to ask for justice to his constit-
nency. The memorial presented two sub
jects-one the enormity Of $4,000 taxation
for county purposes, to be levied almost en-
tiTely upon the business interests of the
city. The land aud capital of the county
bore but trifling share Of this burden; the
business, the labor, the daily sweat and toll
of the city groaned under at least nine
tenths of it. To relieve this unequal load
be begged leave to introduce a bill restrain
ing the Board of Police from imposing or
collecting any tax for county purposes ex-
ceeding an amount for any one year equal to
the amount of State taxation, and applying
thlstprohibition to the levy recently made
rs there might be a legal question upon the
point. he desired the reference of this bill
10 the Committee on the Judiciary
Tho a her su biagf r4rasapt.I IN tI,o r,.,,,-
rial was the propriety of levying taxes upon
gross sales and receipts of business, instead
oflevying them upon capital employed or
income derived. An inve stment of s.. 600
capital may be turned over and made avail
able once or ten times year: if once the
receipts may be another - 600 if ten times
they may be $4,000; but at the end of the
wear the profits or increase for the one
turning over NAV be as great as from the
ten-times employment of the same amount
of capital Must the mechanic or merchant,
who from a small capital, and constant in
dustry and toll makes II, 900 profit although
his sales OF receipts may have been $4,000,
pay three-tcnths of one per cent. upon that
$4,000; when the more favored capitalist,
whose capital has been larger aud income
greater, but whose sales nave been smaller,
only pays upon his land The memorial he
had the honor 10 introduce was most numer-
ously and respectfully signed. 1t bore with
10 the weight of personal and business char
acter, such as was seldom presented to
Legislature; and such hitherto as Adams
county and Natchez had never asked to be
thrown into the scale for their own benefit
But business men there felt they suffered
wrong there was unequal taxation. and
the community had labored under it until
they felt they must appeal to the law-making
power for redress,
Mr. Hillyer moved the reference OF the
memorial TO the Committee on Ways and
Means