Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-17
How TO Roast a Turkey.
THE MERCHANTS TAX.
FARMERS" Reply to MIR. Moore.

"EarmerS" heply 10 mr. MOORE.
To the Editors of the Union and American:
l notice an article in your issue of the
18th from the pen of my worthy friend, W.
r. Moore, a gentleman whom | admire,
and for this reason / regret the more to
differ with him on the most difficult subject
for our legislators to handle, viz: taxation.
He disclaims any intention of the mer-
chants to have additional tax put upon
the farmer; yet if the privilege
tax is taken from the merchants,
will Mr.. Moore inform me how sufficient
revenue for all the purposes of the State is
to be raised? Does it not follow er neceSSi-
tate rel, that it will have to be placed upon
the farmer? This seems clear to the ordi-
nary comprehension of farmers who are
generally asleep when they ought to be wide
awake. Again, this privilege tax upon
merchants is in accordance with the provis-
ions of our constitution, which provides
'that taxation shall be uniform, and that
all property, real, personal and mixed,
shall be subject to an dd UGloren
tax" but goes on further to say ''that the
Legislature may levy a tax upon privileges
and merchants" clearly showing that the
trainers of the Constitution, the eoncen-
trated wisdom of the State, thought that
this was a class who could best afford to
pay the privilege tax, since as / stated be-
fore, they construed it into the privilege of
adding to original cost a per centum
sufficient to cover this and other
taxes, which the farmers and consumers
have to paw. But if this tax is taken
from merchants and placed upon farmers,
and at the same time the merchant
:, dc I
am sure they will not, the farmer will be
crushed between the upper and neither mill
stone. Again, the commission merchants
often have capital of not more than s., 900,
and yet handle as much as 100000 during
a season, drawing their commissions there
on. With what prOpriety can you take
privilege tax from them2 If you do not
get this from them, they escape scott
free. Now it is a fact that the
merchants of Knoxville, Nashville and
Memphis and other points, assembled in
Nashville at the time when the Cons it'll
tional Convention and the Legislature vera
both in session, and, after bringing to
bear the heaviest sort of pressure upon the
members of the Convention to change
the organic law as regards this tax,
and, failing, did fix up the present law
as it now stands, viz, an Gd rGlorem
tax, and a like amount for privilege-tax.
Merchants in their memorial state that
with capital of $4,000 they lay in stock
of goods worth $4,000, the $4,000 being
credit upon which they should not be taxed.
Farmer buys a tract of land for $50, 200;
he pays $4,000 cash and executes his
notes for the balance of purchase money,
$4,000, and often never pays, and vendor
enforces his lien, and yet Farmer has to pay
taxes upon the $4,000 tract. Pray tell me
wherein consists the difference between
Merchant and Farmer in these two transac-
tons q? Why should not Merchant pay his
dd UdlOrIan tax upon his whole stock of
goods, no matter how he has obtained
them? BY parity of reasoning as that con-
tanned in the memorial, if some kind friend
should present Merchant with a stock of
goods, be ought not to be taxed upon them
at all, for this would be taxing ''good will"
Herein consists the sOphistry in that memo
rial.
The merchants feasted the members of
the Convention until they obtained change
in the law as regards goods sold to parties
out of the State by wholesale houses. But
this clause is often taken advantage Of
merchants by their ability and means, and
the facility with which they come to call,
assemble in Nashville, and by system of
banquetting operations control legislation,
Just as do the railroad rings by
importing gentlemen of known position, in
tegrity and standing upon the floor of the
House to influence members in their con-
solidation measure by personal favor or APP
peals. This is all wrong. Delegates from
the mercantile class are now at the Max
well on high expense entertaining members
to carry their pet measure; and thus after
making the law, as a compromise measure,
they come back this session to still further
tighten taxation upon themselves.
A few facts in conclusion for our worthy
Legislators. The farmers, while they are
not speaking out, are Sgafching with in
tense anxiety to see whether you are going
to put additional burden upon them. If
you put more they will not pay it, because
they cannot. 1t was only few years since
that Pennsylvania relieved her landed es-
tates of all taxation. From that time dates
her agricultural prosperity, and per
consequence the prosperity and well
fare of all classes and vocations.
Suppose that agriculture in this State should
languish and die from high taxes or any
other cause would there not be bowling and
crashing of teeth by the merchants, pro-
fesSional men, and all classes? Then give
us, most worthy and considerable Legislators,
low taxes, just enough to Intricate the
machine and keep it in running order /:
at the same time preserve the credit of
the State and not let the railroad
rings buy up the bonds too cLelp,
and in this way assist them in their CON
solidation schemes; leaving out. for the
present the payment of bonds and the in
terest thereon, taking a little more time to
separate the pure ones from the spurious
and fraudulent,) when not only farmers
but others will be in better condition to
meet higher demands. Agriculture does
not pay one per cent; therefore let money
and trades, which are not satisfied with
less than ten per cent, pay their share.
fsE APafEP y