Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-09


Chattanooga are sold 10 citizens Of other
States, and are sent beFond the State Up
on this capital so employed in traffic, you
are prohibited by this clause from imposing
this unjust and discriminating license or
privilege tax. The consequence is
that the. merchant can and does
sell to the citizen of other States
the goods he wants at from one 70
two and half per cent cheaper than he can
sell the same goods to your own citizens.
This may seem like small item, but when
you add this one or two and half per cent
to the millions of goods necessarily pur-
chased and consumed by your own citizens
you will find that the difference in cost
greatly exceeds the amount collected from
the merchant by the privilege tax, And this
from the simplest reason imaginable. Ihs
one or one and half per cent extra tax paid
by the merchant is just so much addedto the
cost of his goods. Upon this addition the
wholesale merchant must make his legitl-
mate profit, and the retailer again, who has
paid it to the wholesale dealer, must add to
his prices not only this item, but must also
add the tax paid by himself, with his profit
on that. And tAas, as the merchandise
passes through more or less hands on its
way to the consumer, does its price increase.
Again, the total valuation OF taxable prop
erty in this State, as shown by the Comp
troller's report, amounts to $2S7, 905, 80.
In this amount the property of four OF your
great commercial counties-Shelby, David
son; Knox and Hamilton-are set down at
SIS, 336,039. These four counties contain
more than one-fourth of the whole taxable
wealth of the State and Of course pay more
than one-fourth of the tax. 1t needs no
argument to show that the commerce which
has built up the great cities of Memphis,
Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga is the
cause of this difference in valuation. Now
in proportion as this same commerce is left
free to develop itself, as our merchants use
theil capital in extending their traffic, will
these cities grow, increase their wealth and
ability to pay taxes. And if not crushed
by the tax. gatherer, in but few years these
cities will alone be able to pay as much tax
as is now paid by the whole State. And it
is easy to see that as they relatively increase
in value the burden of taxation upon other
parts of the State is lessened. If the policy
heretofore pursued of depressing commerce,
and consequently the growth OF our cities
and towns, is not mistaken one in tinan-
cial point of view, figures are unreliable and
the history of commercial countries is I'M
truthful. ....---......-.
We wish before closing to show you the
absurdity of your privilege tax. A farmer
raises and slaughters twenty hogs. He
brings their carcasses, together with his
wheat, corn and other produce, and sells the
whole to merchant. For the privilege"
of selling it he pays no tax. But before the
merchant can sell one pound Of that pork,
or one bushel of that wheat, to the con-
sumner, he must pay for the privilege. :"
Can anything be more absurd? Why
should one be made to pay for doing that
which the other is allowed TO do without
charge?
We think you will readily admit that the
discrimination against merchants is unjust.
Why, then, is it continued? Is it because
the merchants are in the minority? If so,
why discriminate against the merchants,
and not against other minorities The cot
ton-raisers of the State are a minority.
You may claim that too much cotton IS
raised, that it would be better if less cotton
and more corn and meat were raised; or,
you may say that the cotton-raisers make
greater profits than other farmers, and are
better able to pay taxes, and thus give a
show of justice to your proceedings. A tax
of five dollars bale on the 300, 900 bales OF
cotton ginned in the State, would give you
revenue of a million and half dollars,
or nearly as much as you need. The tobacco
farmers are a minority. Tobacco is a
useless weed at any rate, and the tobacco
farmers often get rich. A tax of ten dollars
a hogshead on the fifty thousand hogsheads
of tobacco raised would give you another
half million. The wheat raisers of East
! Tennessee are a minority. Wheat is an
exhausting crop, and land should not be
worn out by it, will be sufficient plea. A
| tax of twenty-five cents bushel on the two
million bushels raised will give you another
half million. You may say that the Con-
stitution prohibits these taxes. but it is easy
to change the Constitution. Why let such
a small matter stand in the way?
Understand us-we do not advocate these
measures. We only instance these to show
how injustice, once adopted as the policy OF
a people, may be inflicted on any desired
| class by despotic and tyrannical majOrities.
Either one would be as just as the policy
now pursued toward the merchant.
We think we have said enough to show
you the injustice of your present policy, and
that we seek nothing but equality and jus
tice. We leave many arguments and Illus
trations untouched, for fear that we may
weary you. We herewith present bill
which we have had prepared, and which
simply places us on an equality with other
classes as to rate of taxation and mode OF
assessment and collection. And we respect
fully ask the passage Of this bill, or of enc
embodying the same principles.
In making these calculations, not wishing
to complicate the argument, we have omit
ted all mention of the privilege or license
tax levied and collected by counties, which
| in some instances is equal to the State tax,
and which, it is easy to see, increases the
merchants burden and makes still greater
disproportion against him.
B. c. Brown, VIM. r. Moore, r. A. Pin
son, S. w. Green, n. J. Wiggin, Committee
from Memphis.
Benz. j. Lea, A. D. Bright, Committee
from Brownsville.
B. S. Rhea, r. B. Chatham, H. B
Buckner, J. F. Demoville, A. G. Adams, j
w. Terrass, H. G. Hensley, J. NJ. Hamilton
Thompson Anderson, Thomas Parkes.
The report was adopted.
Mr.. Rhea extended an invitation to the
gentlemen present to visit the Cotton Fac
tory at North Nashville.
Messrs. r. B. Cheatham, K. G.. Throne
and H. B. Buckner were appointed COM
mittee of three to correspond with the
merchants of the Slate and ask their co,
operation in the passage of this bill. Car
ried.
Col. Moore moved that this meeting re
quest the newspapers throughout the State
| to aid the movement. Carried.
The meeting then adjourned.