Smyrna times., 1872-10-30

OUR BURDENS AND Our BLUNDERs.-
According to the Auditors Report the war
debt of this State is $I,llO,0OO. All this is
saddled upon US through the blindest prejudice
and the worst Of folly. Instead of passing
law in 1862 to raise bounties for volunteers. as
the other loyal States did, law was passed to
give $500 to drafted men who dill not 40 but
put in substitutes. Volunteers got mere
nominal sum while neighboring States were
Offering them large bounties-more than we
were paying drafted men to stay home Men who
wanted to enlist-many to avoid the draft
went to the other States, where they could get
better pay. Massachusetts established a re-
crulting office in our midst, and filled its quota
with our cOlored men a volunteers aud thereby
avoided draft throughout the whole war. and
every cent it paid for such volunteers. and all
volunteers, has been returned to il by the
General Government. So with the other
States. All the money they spent in raising
volunteers to Gil up the army was accented as
a loan by the Government and has been
returned to them. And this debt of sI,llO.O00
which stands reproach to our loyalty and
burden upon our people, had it been incurred
IN raising volunteers, as it ought to have been.
would have been assumed by the Government
long since. 1t is premium against the Gov
eminent and the State has to pay it. Instead
OF trying to avoid the draft, our law was such
as to render the draft the only alternative
Now we are reaping the fruits of our folly.
Every man who is doing enough business to
make living thereby has to pay $5 and up
wards as a State tax; and an inquisition is
established over him to find out his business.
Every man who owes debt on bond or mort
gage has to pay tax on that debt He pays
tax on his indebted real estate, and on the
mortgage that represents that real estate.
Every time we ride on the railroad in the State
We have to pay ten cents tax. A laboring man
living i'll the country aud working in Whining
ton, for instance has to pay Sl.20 per week
tax for his car rides to and from his daily toll
Our Loan Associations, nOtOriOusly the institu-
! tions that the laboring men intrust their small
savings with, are also taxed by this iniquitous
tax law, and in Wilmington alone, last year.
about $4,000 was paid by said institutions to
the State. In addition to this direct tax upon
them, every shareholder who borrows out hi.
share OF the funds has to pay tax on the bond
that he gives the Association. Like the man
who owes for his real estate, he pays two take,
ON the land itself and on the bond tha,
represents it.
, 1t is bad enough that we have such debt
contracted in such disgraceful manner it i
shameful that it should be 50 burdensomck
r assessed.
To remedy the evil that is upon us will b,
the aim Of the Republicans, should they get il
power in the State 1t is therefore to the in
terest of the people to help put tLem in power
+ Our burdens must be reduced and our take
e more judiciously levied.
j Nor is it the State debt alone that needs re
i ducing. In this county our taxes have bee
u increased since 1861 from $4,000 to abou
a $4,000, and for what reason is not manifest
In Sussex cOunty the taxes have been increased
- for county purposes, from $27.792, in 1868, I
o S55, ,962 in 1871. County orders are given
u pay debts against the county, and the "ring
. in Georgetown shave them.
's Elect the Republican ticket aud relieve .
e of our burdens.
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