Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-12-27
THE TAX.
What h Knoxville Press has TO Say
About il, and What the KnozviIIe
Merchants Will DO About

Upon the very important question OF the
merchants tax the Knoxville papers take
issue with our merchants, and notify us that
| their brethren Of that city will not cooperate
in the effort al resistance proposed by the
Memphis chamber OF commerce. The Press
and Herald (DemocraD says in its issue Of the
sd instant:
The spirit Of legislation, for the last two
terms AT least, has been friendly and favorable
TO the mercantile interests, and but for the
remarkable, and to some extent successful,
efforts of Memphis TO reduce the rate Of taxa
ton below a living figure, the last genereL
assembly would have been able, as 1t Vas
evidently disposed, TO grant to the merchants
OF the state an exemption from the priv ilege
tax altogether. At an early period IN me
session there was q manifest dispositioa 10 a.
this. But the extraordinary efforts Of Mem
phis, through It's representatives in die lobby
as well as on the door, to levy a thirty-cent
tax, had the effect OF so reducing the rate thai
any fu-her diminutiOn of the sources of reye-
nue. would haveb been suicidal. Had the clamor
Of Memphis for an Dsufi dent revenue been
less, the Dement'S OF the merchants OF Ter
ressee would ave been greater. The faiIp re
OF the bill a~bolishing the merchants privil eye
TAX Is due 10 the influence or Memphis IN
impairiug the general revenue Of the STATE
and the merchants OF Memphis. III their
appeal for a mercantile combination to still
further embarrass our s~traitensd State govern
ment, VIII command but little sympathy. we
apprehend, among the Of Ten
We are not authorized and do not pretend
70 sPehk 10 the merchants of Knoxville. We
VIII say however, that We have heard of no
Ition On the part of my Of them 10 re-
SIS The law. We feel sure that no respectable
pdmber Of them viii, for q moment, favor a
movement that would at once array the mer-
camille interests in hostility to all the other
interests Of the state. Each merchant for
himself viii, no doubt, determine his own
action in the premises, but we are much mis-
taken If any Of them are ready for a mercan-
tile confederation 10 resist the collection ofthe
states revenue, which is its LIES blood, and
without which not alone the public, but tndI-
vtdual, credit must seriously suffer. With
equal nUODrIefT might the galOOn-EnenHrS the
brokers, the hotel-keepers, the livery men n
ah who pay ancense tax, combine 10 resist the K
lawful demands OF the state. such asugges-
ton as that Of the Memphis chamber of CONF
merce is mischievOus, and My mischievous
10 the Interests Of merchants no less than 10
those Of the state.
b Chronicle Republican, says: Sometime
IA the winter Of ls70, the merchants of Nash
and Memphis gave banquet st the Max
well house in the city to the legislature Of
5000, as an appreciation Of the action Of thai.
in makin a material reduction of the
Of taxation In their favor. Because they
we're Tejotced In securing this concession, our
sotemporary proposes 20 hold them este pped
dlSpuung a n Of the principles upon
which the reduced tax was levied. Ar limo.
,ent prisoner released from jail might as well
De expected TO question the authoritg OF he /
turnkey 70 release him as a class of t~e.xpayeis |
o reject a reduction OF taxes Decar.se, in the |
reducing thems 8 principle they disputed !
vas Stu asserted. |
We should think il extreme folly for the /
OF the State 70 refuse TO pay their /
axes until protracted litigation corld be SET /
thereby further embarrassing the States
reditl as the Memphis merchants propose: 1
mt We can well understand why they should /
.ay under protest, a tax twice what they be- /
eve 70 be Just and legal VS. are advised
nat our merchants viii not take any steps TO i
the State credit, bat viii simply use \
very honorable means 10 impress upon the !
ublie aud Legislators what seems TO them a
unfair and partial law, and use every
roper endeavor to have the Discrimination a