Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-23
THE FAX ON MERCHANDEsE
Meeting Of the Chamber of Conn
meFce.
R-esoIutions of the Merchants
Not to Pay the Tax.

The hall OF the Chamber OF was
filed yesterday evening with the m~erchaAso
the city, who assembled in response 10 the eau
ofMi. Humes, OF the hrm OF Humes, Poston 8
Webb, to hear mis- opinion and lake concerted
action on the matter of the tax on merchah-
disc as now levied by the state and coleotedoy
Mr.. League.
ATS O'Clock the meeting was called 70 0rder'
and Mr., Humes was called 10 the chair. Ar.
Humes. in LAYING before the meeting the object
In calling them together, made 3 short address
amounting 70 aboutthes same thing as the lstber
ppbushed ia the APPEAL yesterday morning.
IA stared that The action OF the state was IN
doubtedly Illegal, and that a recourse TO the
courts would relieve them of the burdens en-
tailed upon them.
By the Constitution OF the United States, the
power TO tax imports from foreign states, and
10 regulate Commerce between the States q the
Union, is entrusted 70 Congress. The supreme
Court or the United States decided many yeaTs
ago that this power 10 tax imports from other
states, Or nom foreign States, was exclusively
vestes in Congress, ana that no state OF tAs
Union could levy a tax on such imports, in the
hands Of the importer, or upon sales by the
importer in the original package. This declsloh
has been reafirmed several times by the same
court, ana has been unifOrnly acquiescsd IN Dy
the STATE courts. II is an established rule OF
law, beyond the danger of reversal.
This tax IS operating as . discrimination
against Memphis IN favCr or the cities OF ad-
Joining states. The repetition of The tax on
each successive sale is also Illegal, and operates
as an additional burden on the Memphis 1aer-
chants. II the merchants Of Memphis viii al
unite 20 resist this tax, We are satisfied 1t can De
stopped at once
VIM r. Moore. ESQ arose, and in a very
horcibje address urged q united effort on the
part oft the merchants 70 break oulous
Isw. and wound up by Offering a resolution
that hereafter no merchant Pay the tax 70 MT
Losgue Until the Legality OF the law be test5o
and a decision rendered by the courts.
lar. Moore's motion received several seconds
hut before a vote could be taken L III. Eli
ESQ, said that he would like TO be allowed q
1ew words on the subject. He JhOughttnat the
merchants were acting preIratureiy and to'
hastily, citing as a precedent the action OF bns
[ merchants OF this city some twenty years ago
Ne IS against the tax as mulh asany OF Them
but was opposed TO taking any such action II
the premises. Il was only p~astpun1ng the eVl
dsy, He knew it nom experience. twenty
odd wears before there was 2 tax MA per cent
laid on the merchants, and they reiusedt 70 pay
IL. and went to law about IL. Th5 courts All ae
cided against them, from the Iowes
n the highest. For his part he did rot want Il
buek against the State Of tennessee. IL was
Z BttIe expensive, he could tell them, and an
moving too. He thought they were going lnN
this thing rsshly, AMI the result would De tn'
same.
The Chair said he thought Mr. bill was ms
taken. He had studied the matter thoroughly
Sortwo months. and If any decision had beeI
rende, ed on this point, he die not know IT, III
Chair then vent on TO show that the case spo
ken Of by Mr.. Hi and the present one hAa u
.nalogy 70 each other. In The course OF his re
marks ne said that he did not want the I'M
preston to 20 abroad that he was coun
selling the merchants 70 defy or Sc
aide zuv Of the laws OF Tennessee. De wa
an eounseing them to try a LAWFUL means o
relieving themselves of what ne believed 70 D
an unlawful burden.
After some further discussion Capt. Aoon
offered the following resolution which wa
adopted, and the meeting a yourned
Resolved, That We, the merchants Memphis
having no disposition to d sobey CT sat at uen
sace sny ofthe laws Of Ten1esse9, IL, never
thsless, determine that tnasHlucn as we are op
Nessed beyond endurance Dy Jne present "a
privileges, and its construction by on
on clerk, We VII unsni aously refuse !
coLhs9 portion whish we believe TO DE ulega
pay Sna get a decision nom the courts a
10 is leg atty.