Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-04-17

In another part of this paper so that ou1
readers may judge for themselves. Indeed.
the Constitution itself declares, that g. the
General Assembly shall, by appropriate le-
glslation and by adequate taration, provide
for the prompt and regular payment of the
interest of the public debt" The Consti-
tuition further provides that the General
Assembly, " after the year 1880, shall lay a
specific annual tax" for the purpose OF
creating a SINKING FUND, i. e. the General
Assembly shall begin right away, prompt
ly, by 0tteQuate t0:c0ti0n to pay interest regu-
tO3'ty, and, after 1880, q td!c in addition shall
be levied to create Sinking Fund. Words
cannot be palmer.
Surely, Gen. Abbott was mapping terri
bly, when he said To correct tbs, Il. e..
| depreciation of our bonds( it was only ne
cessary to provide for the resumption of
! the interest. and this the Convention did,
| but did not direct Il tthc to be levied till
| 1880" Oh, General Abbott
COTTON TAN.
Gen. Abbott argues that our people can
pay all these Convention expenses Of over
81 600, 600, because in 1867, they paid ST.
800, 600 taxes on cotton, and " there has
been no extraordinary oppression from
taxation"
In the first place it is not true that there
has been no extraordinary oppression from
taxation. Many cotton planters were
ruined lastyear. All, except few, who have
held their cotton until now, lost IN 3ney.-
To many farmers the tax amounted to one
fifth Of tie gross proceeds Of their cr0pS.-
TINS is certainly extraordinary oppres-
sion"
Secondly, cotton planting does not exist
all over the State. Those who raise this
staple might manage to pay their share,
hnt 10 hn
really believe very many worthy people,
now hardly making both ends meet, will
be totally unable to pay their increased
taxes. Lands will be sacrificed at tax
sales, bought by capitalists and spectators,
and our good citizens, with whom we have
been raised, will give place to strangers.
Perhaps Gen. Abbott would like this. We
cannot think of it without horror. We
have North Carolina hearts
Gen. Abbott defends the Convention by
showing, at length, that certain prominent
Conservatives, Presidents of Railroad Com
panies, asked and obtained aid for their
Roads. Certainly and they did their duty
to their Roads by getting all they could
Railroad Presidents are generally sanguine
IN regard to the ability OF the State to bear
increase of debt in their favor, and nobody
blames them. We have not found fault
with their action. We might have voted
for their schemes, for they have extremely
winning ways" But we presume no one
of them asked the Convention to aid them
by giving the people a Constitution which
will cost over S., 600, 600, FOR STATE TAXES
alone. They would NOT be guilty of such
bad Railroading as this
GEN. ABBOTT JoCULAR.
The General is not only fnancier and
expOunder of Consultations, but he is
regular Joe Miller. Hear him 1.-The
people must remember that it will cost as
much to conduct the affairs of the State
uader The ne,o Constitution as ander the oId
By careful estimate it will be found that
there will be saving to the State of over
500 900 i"
Now think of it moment. Under the
new Constitution twenty new offices are
created, which will cost $40 900; the Com
mon Schools, to be opened Eor negroes and
whites, will cost $500 900 the Militia must
be armed, equipped and paid when in SER
vice, which costs old Browniow 100000
and will cost Holden the same ; the Univer-
sity is TO be made free for black and white,
which will cost $s25, 600 the Asylums to
be thrown open for all colors, rich and
poor, which will cost $50, 900 more, and
Penitentiary must be built By the first General
Assembly, which will cost 800, 900 the first
year, &c, sc. And all these things, &C
cordlng to Gen. Abbott. can be done for
500, 900 less than We have heretofore paid
for our State government. e. for less
than 100000. The General Assembly
alone will cost two-thirds of this
THE POLL TAX ARGUMENT
The General quotes the clause in the
Constitution which says the poll tax shall
be equal to tax on $500 worth of property,
as showing that the taxes cannot be very
high. Io this we reply 1st. That all the
provisions of the Constitution must be con-
strued together, and as, very clearly, other
clauses command O much higher taxation
than the words of this section, taken liter
ally, would warrant, the courts will be com
pelled to give them such meaning as will
make ali the provisions stand.
I'd. Or else, if the rate cannot be raised,
the Gauntity Of property taxed must he in
creased. Besides land and other property
heretofore taxed, it will then become the
duty Of the Assembly to levy on WEARING
APPAREL. horses, cattle, provisions, &c. All
these will have to be brought i'll the tax
list, as well Us CHURCHES, school books,
schools, mechanics aud tanners tools, &C.,
in order to raise what Shls Constitution pre-
scrlbes shall be raised
This last view derives plausibiIity from
| the following considerations
ISL. w lle CnO COnstlGuJ1OO IS 1ull OF u0-
tails. in fact being O. mere code of laws, NO
EXEMPTION from taxes is put into the Con
S.4.uton. The General Assembly shall hare
po,oey to make exemptions, but they are not
compelled to do 1t. And they couJa not 10
| ii, Ii thereby they woul: fail to raise money
| enough to carry out the directions of the
| Con tltutlUn.
| 81. The late Convention actually levied
a tax ON EVERYTHING on tie Ja6y's cradle,
the BIBLE, the clothes We wear, the food
we eat to pay the expenses of the Conven-
| tion-to pay negroes and others So per
| day. No doubt the Radical party, if elect
ed, will pass aLother Revenue act just like
this. In fact, if the section under cSnsid-
Grafton be interpreted literally, no other
| act can be passed.
Gen. Abbott is oblivious of the increased
county taxation under this abominable
| Constitution. He fails to notice the enor-
nous increase of taxes under his Yankee
| regime OF County Commissioners, salaried
| Justices of the Peace and townships. We
| have not space to eliminate this heavy ex-
pense.
The truth is, the extravaganza of this
t. iC 70