The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-11-04
FOR TIE JOURNAL. ..
The Wrong and the Remedy.

| AHe "rOuS ANU tAS AsChCuJs
Mr.. Editor AS taxes have; become,
by far, the most grave subject for con-
sideration among. all our people Of all
classes, it seems as thoughiE would
be good to review the fundamental prin-
ciples which control the taxing power,
as laid down by eminent Statesmen and
Jurists, and show where our wRoNos in
this particular spring from, and what is
the only REMEDY within our teach.-
From the time of Lord Coke, Taxes, or
"Talliage" as they were then called,
were defined to be "burdens, charges or
impositions put or set upon persons or
property, by the legislative power Of o
State, to raise money for public uses.
This definition is held to be correct by
writer's of the present day, and it con.
tains in its very terms, the indication
that the taxing power is the offspring of
government. 1t never could exist out
sida-uof, ,thn--us.lu...-,s-s-.'-.-7f..S.s..
into by the people for the pur
pose of protection to person and proper
ty. It is begotten of necessity! For
money is the vital principle of the body
polite. That which sustains its life,
and enables it to perform its most nc.
cessary functions. Therefore, there
should be complete and perfect power,
existing in every Constitution, whereby
the legislative body might raise money
for the purpose of government, as fur
as the resources of the community will
permit. Without it, ono Of. two evils
must necessarily follow; either the 60
vernmcut must fail for want Of revenue,
or else the people must be subject to
continual arbitrary plumber to supply
the wants of the government or the ra-
pacity of its agents.
1t is necessary then that thelcgis-
lature should be untrammellcd in its
power to levy taxes. Upon an exami..
nation Of most constitutions it will be
seen that there is no limitation upon the
power of the legislative body US to the
amounts or objects Of taxation. And as
the case really stands, to use the Ian
guase ofan eminent Lawyer now living,
"ho interest, visdom and justice of
the representative body and its rela-
tions with its constituents, furnish the
only security against unjust and execs-
sive taxation"
"The Interest, Wisdom aud Jastice
Of the Representative Body". What
an unrestrained power is that How
broad, and how necessary that the Re-
preventative body should be possessed
of "Wisdom," some sense of "Justicc"
and that their "Interests" should be
identical with those of the people re-
presented Have our citizens thought
of this ? It would seem not. For this
ESQ. called" representative body is not
only, no representative body at all, of
the people or property Of the State;
but in addition it sense of Justice is al.
together marketable virtue, and all of
the wisdom which the whole body con-
tains, and which resolves itself at. last
into q sort of CUNNING, is bent, not to-
wards the public interests as identified
with their own, but to each and every
of their individual interests without any
regard to the will or welfare of the peo-
pic. And their "relations with their
constituents" point their interests aleo
in direct opposition to that of the tax
payer. And herein is the real source
of the whole evil! WEhaue not a single
Representative in. the Legislature!!
1t becomes very appalling when VIC
reflect that, for four years at least, We