Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-01-22
Taxes.

Taxes.
A most significant discussion is recorded
in the proceedings of the House, publish
cd this morning, i'll regard to taxes upon
real estate. This debate contains the out
groupings of tho war which yagabonds IN
tend to wage against the property of the
State. We have long felt that men who
represented mcndicants and adventurers'
and we're themselves mere waits upon the
surface, would legislate directly against
the men of substance and the true welfare
of the State. Unfortunately controhng
majority of our Legislature are of this char
acter, and we are prepared to see their e1-
travaoapt and corrupt schemes paid for by
property and unequal taxation upon the
lands of the State.
\ revenue bill has been introduced i'm
posing All Onerous tax upon land, and
adopting the assessment of 1860 as It's
value. The authors of the bill knew, and
its supporters know, that lands do not
command the samo prices now that they
did in 1860. We think we are safe IN
saying that there is not single acre OF
land in the State, used for agricultural
purposes only, which commands the same
price now, in deprecated currency, that 1t
did in 1860 in gold. How ridiculous, then,
for sapient legislators to discuss the prices
of labor and of produce of the advanta-
gcs of free over slave labor, and the
blessings of liberty and our glorious and
Happy country generally, to prove that
lands are, or ought to be, as high now as
then. If these windy and dishonest law
makers would provide purchasers for our
lands at the prices prevailing in 1860, they
might aftcrward tax them to their hearts
content; their injustice would then fall
upon the heads of their own friends.
No, the true secret OF such unjust legls-
IatiUn is to be found in tho hostility of
these fulIows 10 that portion Of our people
who OWL lands The fact that they COM
pose the very best class of our citizens Is
tho real foundation Of these attacks. One
of the members from New Hanover, who we
believe resides in Halifax county, let this
feeling out when he said that if men would
not allow lands to be sold, Z" let them pay
for it," Here is the principle which actu-
ates such men. The Constitution Of the
State declares that land shall be taxed ac-
cordipe to its true value in money and
yet men sworn to be guided by that fun
damental law disregard its true value and
only desire to make tho owners pay for
It" in order to force them to sell.
These men have already destroyed the
credit of the State by shameless extrava-
gancos and corruptions, and now desire to
involve in the ruin the owners of property.
They think this will tickle the poor ignor-
ant negroes, upon whose credullty their
political existence depends. But even the
laborers will soon find out. in the school of
dear experience. that burdens cannot be
placed upon 1.-The property OF the State
especially the lands-without falling with
equal weight upon them. If taxes and ex-
penses are increased, the price, Of labor must
proportionably decrease. Every man,
however humble and poor, must pay his
due proportion of the expenses of Govern
ment. The rich can pay out of their year
Iy income the poor in the " sweat of their
face" Tax may be levied upon one
species of property too high, but in the
adjustments Of commerce and of labor. the
surplus will be equalized. It may and
will work great and irreparable injury in
many instances, and ruin men who are
struggling to support their families but
too frequently it returns to torment its
authors. In this case, if the lands are
oyer-taxed, it will be the ruin OF many of
our best and most worthy citizens but it
will prove curse to the negroes, for whose
benefit this gross injustice isintended.