New-York tribune., 1868-02-03
1HE SOuTHERN CONVENTIONS.
VIRGINIA.
PROCEEDINGS OF TIE RECONSTRUCTION CoNVEN-
TON, HARD TIMES, ETC.
VIRGINIA.

ppocFrDIYGs OF TIE RECONSTRUCTION CONyEN-
TON, HARD TIMES, ETC.
Prom Our Special Correspondent
RICHMOND. Jan. 27, 1868.
A resolution was to-day offered in the Con-
yenon and referred TO a committee, that all woodland
swamps marshes creeks, rivers lakes and bays IN THIS
state all be free for all persons to hunt gum and fish on
and n az the case may be- provided that they do not dc
.troy any private property in so doing" The law at
nresout forbds hunting and fishing the lands snd IN
be creeks surrounded by the lands Of another without
the owners permission, but 1t is to all ntents dead let
ter being never enforced 10 the penalty; and IN proper
tiOn to the amount OF game IL may he safely asser,eo
that there are day In the woods and fields OF Virginia
larger number OF hunters than In any portion glohe
A resolution THAT no person not registered voter
shonld he allowed seat In the Convention" was. amer
dscusson indefinitely postponed. This question has
already been settled by the Convention In the case oi
sonthnl the member from Charlottesville, who, though
not registered voter has been declared entitled to md
allowed 10 take his seat In the Convention
rcsOlui declaring that the Hon. John Minor Bolts
was entitled to seat in the Convention now occupied
by Mauzy the latter having held STATE once auh
subsequently, cnaged In the Rebellion was referred to
committee II will be seen that unless ie Convention
reverse their previous decision the question raised ny
this resolution Is also settled by the case OF N.Y.
southall.
Pending the discussion Of resolution to allow The con
esant for the seat OF southa mileage ana per di,l vi
o the day Of the decision OF the Convention against iin
the hour ~ O'Clock p IA arrived ana tle tnFenllGh
proceeded 10 the consideraiion ~ Atlce IL n Ire
and Finance The first section. providing mat taxation
shall be equal and uniform, ard MI property real ana
personal. shall bc taxed IN proportion 10 It's NHn' 10 be
ascerianed as prescribed by law wa. adopted. section
was then considered II provides That 70 tax
shall bo levied any citizen Of the state i"g
catching oysters, nor snail any tunnagc tax be
LEVIED on vessels engaged IN transporung OYSTER;
but planted may be taxed az portion of thr per
s0al property W the This section gave rise 10
spirited debate. the question Of taxing oysters hr'
from time inmcmoril IN legislative halls III virginia.
FINALLY. the further consideration or the section was
postponed, alG II lengthy amendment ordered 10 bc
printed.
Section was then taken up. which provides that tic
general Assembly may tax incomes exceeding $1,000 per
annum, aud licenses FOR all business which cunol ~
reached by the nd vaOrem system 10 wus objected to
tire section that wordcd, many kinds 81 business. 70"
requiring u HccIse would escape taxation, ahd Mr.
Thomas offered an amendment by way of % sn,itu;r.
intended. lee stid 10 obyatc the existing disparity ia re-
Mr. CURTIS said that capitalists and landowners IN tli,
State had heretofore imposed upon The poor and audr
the greathurlcn of taxation, and labor had paid the
taxes which should have beer paid by capital. lie WANT
cd to tax capital ana not labor AID ncsh nud blood
wise aud Just system Of taxation would double cur pop
Mr. IIaw xlurst of Alexandra opposed Mr.. Thoma1s
amendment Oi tax on sales the most oppressive o. l
taxation by II the same capital, say 5000, invested in
trade aud turned over four times year was made 20
pay the tax Of 5000 The taxes ~ virginia I1d itil9
been Laid upon enterprise upon the brains He blood and
bones Of tie people, aud business had been Oppressed
ana crushed out thereby III consequence W iht 'nl"n'
~ stem of taxation, for example Norfolk which with It's
magnificent harbor might have been tc equal iiy1l OF
NoW-NOrk, was stlll small aud ii.signihcalt io"m
Mr. Wilson said there having been revolution Of idcn,
It proposed Ia revoluonilc our sysi,n of
taxation Because they had great cities ana nt"i"r-
turing towns North ana East, he did not Lnt u c,cIi-
tial or desirable 10 have them Virginia. Like s fore
fthcrs, ne preferred rural population 10 f"n'g W.
great cities aud manufacturing ccLt'rs; raising hc ahd
women 10 making money and building up sr,nt wilder
OF wee. He favored taxing agriculture eaily
MI UuniCutt surprised Ht -'h clilgihg !" niHl'H
Obsolete ideas. TIC same taste should induce ichc
I" REJECT improvements III agriculture nhu '7' '.l.u
implements, and se the rcaphook ana othcr tid im r
menis of their forefathcrs In former times Wh'n Er-
Eid farmers owned thousands o! tttcs "i Il. "u w
labor Ia cultivate hcm they cared niue Tor nai itet~n
OF the State. But DOW maIkeis were httdtd' hhl TO
build them up enterprise and business must be- Protected
In Massachusetts the cost of preparing one acre o and
for me pow would purchase lwcnl) helrs III bL,li
and In Connecticut land was worth nom go 10 sOl lrI
farms raised the hay, the butter, ara alpcs' "" lp
toes, which supplied the South fOin the lui0hdc RIVER
to Florida. The land covered with cilicsaid lowEs
The result OF thcSyStcn which gave 10 each b"y ny tc
time he was fourteen years OF axe good Ds 90 =, 't'
tion with all the anaticisin and folIes 81 Ne" - Elih
ne SHOULD De glad 10 sec NIlGlnh cqnhi 10 ~ @@ @@ ~ I
had Leeh put in motion, aud NirHula would YET he i!e
Mas-nchuselis ana Richmond tIr bus,on M on le S'h.
Onr system cf taxation must be changed o man "nrh
go must not be taxed 100 per cent while tr Wr" ny
on Tie land and owners would then id tOthcf lrfcsl
up aud sell such of their lauds ~ they could rot
cultivate Hitherto labor had been Degrading ~ me
South and The poor man stood no chance 81 ccvHtlon !"
Office The time has come when this was 10 he charged
DI Baync. eoorcd Of Portsmouth, favored dong away
with license taxes that ciusb,n lhr I""I i"D' "Hu
' touching the iald heavily The hyi mh" b' 90 hp'
Tho coDred men did not intend 10 rent lands afi longer
because II they dId land 0Nntir would l@ .'. iai,,s -
should be Obliged To hre them. "r a. sen mem iaH Ole
dollar poll tax was enough: all the res' oi tne taxes
should be paid by real estate.
Mr.. Thoinass substitute rejected. aud the C"nvon.
he subject resumed As the arguments were nni an
elaboration and ampiinCation OF those gwen above Is
not Necessary repeat them: number 81 amsdmeni'
were proposed and rejected, and the Convention al
ipurucd pruding the consideration q: the stciloh
mentioned Ia my last the dc-ibte condition ot largo
numbers Of the poorer Cussc-. white uLd tooie Ia iS
city. | am Informed by persons IN positions 10 hr cor
rccfiy inf rmcd, that there l. now nOr huhtllng amor"
the poor OF the city than diflng even the last N'l Z"
the war The Winter thus far has been an unusually 49,
we're one for tins climate and the lack Oi Sufficient iuc
has borne propOriOnably hard upon the tcsutuic Iho
number of applicants VINO daily Dcsicec tie doors OF iho
house on Ninihsi south Of MAN, Whoc bread ana soup
are Issued by the Bureau agents. may lc 'ouhtcd ny
hundreds ard This morning, Throughout bllruing SLOW
STORM trsc people, comprising fctdinch 81 ahra ana
scxes might be standing iu line awaiting hcir tlhs
60 bc served.
have heretofore noticed the great falling of n The
receipts of wheat IN this city since the war a. compared
with the years aud i5C0 Tho reverse = The ease "a
Though The crOpoi Virginia or i -
probably not tlau tird great - that oi ltn
yet the receipts hrTe this more tndh Guhc
those OF any previous year. Three causes operate q
bring about this result Tho shO tn,ss Of jic Western
crop has sent Northern buyers 10 This market. Tho
establishment IN and near The cy Of number ~ largo
dStcrics has greatly Increased the local dcudud Wllg
the extreme scarcely Of money forces the ft,Is A.
In and sell their corn. DAILY o1rIips "I ,o.h Ia -
market this month hp"" .""-od iIOih SV.o 10 'OO0