Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-12-22
SPEECH OF COL. w. A. ALLEN,
On tic Subject OF the Public Debt of
the State, Delivered in the Senate
of North Carolina, on the Iffla
December. 1871.

NJ. PrcYiIeM - rcgrel 10 tcel COM
PEELED to take different yigW Of this most
important subject from many Of my friends
who have already addressed the Senate. l
always regret to tel compelled to differ
with my friends on any .hinct. / am as
anxious to adjust the tiara .fde debt of
North Carolina upon just and proper Oa-
sis-One that will enable the people Of the
State in their present impoverished condi-
ton to discharge their obligations to the full
extent Of their ability as any Senator on
this floor. l will most chcCrfully support
any measure that | consider practicable to
effect a compromise Of the real subsisting
bona file debt Of the State 30 as to reduce
it within the means Of the people Of the
State to provide for and pay off. But
cannot, Mr.. President, go fol any measure
at this time looking to a lcvying of the tax
to pay the interest upon the public debt
| do not propose to discuss the merits Of the
particular question before tho Senate at
this time i'll its full. L only propose to give
my reasons why l cannot levy tax at this
time, to pay the interest upon the public
debt Of the State.
19t. | shall oppose .I.y lii proposing to
levy lax to'pay TIC interest OH the public
debt at this time, because the condition Of
our people is not such d. 10 enable them to
pay ii. The people OF our State have been
reduced to comparative poverty, and L may
say distress, and to collect out Of them at
this time the necessary amt unit to pay the
interest OH the public debt, in addition to
the taxa iitC~o5a.y a. %itYiD.i :hG govern
ment ~ the State. Wonld Impose upon them
a burden too heavy for thom to bear. That
the tax is more than can be borne by our
people, seems to be admitted on all sides. -
The sat ~ Ofthe people is Il paramount law
to us, the representatives Of tie people. We
are simply tllc agents Of the people, and as
their agGnta, ought MOI II ~ What viii be
ruinous to iiIeir Interest and the genera,
prosperity OF the State. If The people are
not In condition to pay the tax, it is fool
lsh to talk about levyiug it, as no mere
paper legislative declarations will discharge
what some seem to regard as an imperative
constitutional duty.
Docs the constitution impose an impcra-
tlFe--a mandatory duty upon this General
Assembly to impose the necessity tax to
pay the interest OH the public debt +? have
no difficulty OH this subject The 10th sec
ton OF the 9TH article of the constitution is
as follows: The General Assembly shall
levy capitatiOn tax on every male inlabi-
tant OF the State over tWcntV-One and under
fifty years Of age, a1itich SIdU be rql,0I on
each, to tire tar on property r0jitcRW three
hundred dollars IN cash. The commits
sioners Of the several counties may exempt
from capitation tax i'll special cases, on
account of poverty and infirnity, oo,d tie
state and county cdpitation tar combined,
Shdu Meier erceed t,vO dollars on the hedd."
hold this LIST section to be a limitation
upon the entire power of the General AS
Sembly to levy taxes. All the other sections
III this article upon the subject OF taxation
are in subordination and within the limita-
lions of this LIST SpctiOn-fbat is restricted to
81 "on the head" and 81 on the ''three
hundred dollars in cash. value of the prop
erty of the State. If this is not so, L can
see no occasion for the LIST section, and
must regard the action of the convention as
unmeaning and foolish in inserting the sec