Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-12-07
The Tax on Mercr. ANTS.

The following is the memorial agreed
on by the committee Of merchants from
the different cities of the State and pre-
sented to the Legislature:
To the Honorable Members Of the Legislature
OF the State of Tennessee:
The undersigned, your memorialists,
representatives of the merchants and
business men of the State, would state to
your honorable body that they feel
deep interest in the prosperity and credit
# their noble Commonwealth, and
therefore propose, in no spirit of crosk-
ing or complaining, to tender, as far as
in their power their friendly aid In
remedyiDg the financial burdens that
beset US on every hand in so far as they
relate to the common prosperity of the
State. aFsr
1t is we'll known to all, that the ques-
ton of taxes and revenue are the most
delicate which any statesman is ever
called upon to handle. The question of
taxation is one about which the people
are always particularly sensitive and
jealous, and, consequently, in order that
the public taxes may be fairly and
promptly collected upon the taxables of
the State, they must be levied in such
manner as that the people will feel to be
Just and honorable, and that the public
good demands that they shall be paid as
| levied. 1t must always be remembered,
too, that one species of business or cspi-
tai cannot safely be made to bear more
than its legitimate share of the public
burthens without engendering in the pub
lie mind disposition to evade the tax,
and that when man makes up his mind
to evade the public taxes he will devise
the means necessary to do it in all that
class of business usually done by mer-
chants and traders, for, sad as it may be,
we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that
| the grossest frauds are charged almost
daily upon the trading community,
who, from the force of circumstances,
are being educated to the opinion
that when the taxes are, in their view,
unequal and injurious to one class OF
business more than another, it is their
duty, in self-defense, to evade them and
defraud the State out of such excessive
levies. Your memorialists would further
state that all taxes imposed by the State
should be, and no doubt are, imposed
with an eye to the public benefit alone,
and consequently only such discrimina-
tions and distinctions should be made as
will be promotive Of the prosperity and
wealth of the State and its citizens; and,
in order to so adjust revenue law as
that it will in its operations be promo
tive of these ends, due regard must be
had to all. both internal and external,
surroundings. We must, of course, look
| n r. t-oJ 40 nd rnQ
aud the state of things surrounding 1t,
and be careful to throw nothing In the
way Of the freest intercourse, and to
always keep ourselves in condition to
be able to sell to those who wish to trade
with us-and who are our natural custo-
mers-upon at least as good terms as
|, they can get from other communities.
If our revenue system is not based
upon this idea, we must rely necessarily
alone upon the trade Of the State ss a
source Of revenue, which, we apprehend,
no one will dispute, would, 10 @ very
short time, greatly impair, if not totally
destroy our commercial prosperity, and
. with il the chief source of the State s
reveuue. They would further state,
While there have been ct all times great
difficulties in adjusting revenue bills, in
regard to all sources Of taxation, there
certainly never was time when greater
. consideration should be gwen the subject,
: 80 far as It relates to our mercantile IL
terest, than now, for the reason that our
trade relations were broken down aud
largely destroyed during the war, aud TO
considerable extent taken away from
! our merchants BY powerful rivals, IN 10
calities and communities, who, instead
Of losing, grew rich BY the war, while
Tennessee merchants grew poor. Your
memorialists would state that they
are well aware that il is much easier 10
; 6nd fault than TO point out remedies
vet they are persuaded that 10 the Wis
.. dom Of your bodies remedy can and
will be devised, 81 least 10 the extent oi