Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-14

a Pian fer the Relief OF the People
Suggested.

n PUN kSs tkse lSel1ek Oh tHe People
Suggested.
To the Editors OF the Union and American.
Among the numerous measures demand
ing the attention Of the present Legislature
OF Tennessee, none are so important or
have such vital bearing upon the interest
of the State and her people as the several
bills introduced Of afnancial character, and
especially those on the subject Of taxation
How to increase taxes SO as to meet the
public necessities and defray the expenses
of government without imposing too heavy
a burden on the people, isthe question now
most urgently demanding the attention of
those called upon to legislate for the public
good. In Tennessee varions experiments
have been made upon the subject of taxa
ton, but as yet no method seems to have
been adopted which meets the public re-
quirements. We have experimental upon
the combined system of poll, school, rail
road and license taxes, and even resorted
to the outrageous two per cent merchant
tax, but all have failed to serve the purpose
intended by realizing money enough to de-
fray the pubic expenses, and the conse-
quence Is that we are still :. .'houndering
about in the vain effort to make all ends
meet. 10 raise the required amount OF
money without imposing too heavy
a tax upon the people Of the
State IN their present impover-
ished condition is the question di
rectly addressing itself to the people of
Tennessee, and especially to those vested
with the law-making power. For the pur-
pose OF providing for the public necessi.
| ties in this, emergency, it is certainly pos
sible to.suggest some plan which will not
bear so heavily upon the citizens of the
State as does our present system of taxa
| ton. More with the view Of eliciting light
upon the subject than in the hope Of see
ing the suggestion practically adopted, the
undersigned would propose a plan which
seems to him as Just and fair to all parties,
| and which, if carried into effect, would
greatly tighten the present system of taxa
ton, if indeed it did not yield the required
amount of public revenue. The geograph-
! ical position of Tennessee exposed her,
during the war between the North and
South, to peculiar hardships, traces OF
which yet exist in her devastated fields,
her idle factories, and crippled enterprise.
The railroads and other public highways
we're torn up and in some instances almost
totally DESTROYED. 1t of course required vast
l
these public highways, and make them
again fit for public use. As our geograph-
ical position exposed US during the war to
hardships Visited upon few other States,
may we not fairly and justly in time o.
peace seek to turn Our geographical posi-
tion to good account. Let us see how il
could be done: 1t is known that vast dea
of the travel between the North and South
passes through Tennessee, and it may be
taken for granted that moderate toll-taz
required of such travel would in a grea
measure assist in refunding to the State
and the people the money expended in re
building and repairing their railroad lines
A toll-tax of five or six cents per mile OF
railroad travel would make the reduction
of present taxation possible, and by NJ
means hardship upon the travelling com
munity. In this way we would be receiving
something like just compensation for tn
labor and expense of building and repair
ing railroad lines over and through
an almost impossible country. A singh
railroad in Georgia pays all her indebted
ness and yields dividend of per cent
Cannot all the railroads of Tennessee com
bined do asmuch? Believing the proposes
plan possible, and feeling assured that
would serve the purpose indicated, earn
estly hope that the members of the presen
Legislature will give the matter such con
sideration as it deserves.
Very respectfully, J. @. WANDs.
NASHVILLE, Jan. u, 1870.