Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-17

surplus wealth which European cities have
taken 1000 years to gather. Mr.. Ensley
but panders 70 popular fallacy when he
holds out The hope that increased popula-
ton will tighten taxation, either in city,
county or State. Increased population
increases governmental expenses, and often
creates new ones. | defy any one to point
out single city, county or State on this
continent where this has not been the case.
OF course it might be otherwise if human
nature loved economy. Immigrants tciH
tighten our burdens, if wa sternly retrench
and set our face against that siren, "the spirit
of the age" that miscailed progress which
lures individuals, cities and States to COM
mon bankruptcy. Such is the only natural
relief for Memphis, Nashville, or lhe State
at large.
Just here, one great objection to relieving
the merchants is,-we want them to feel
the burden, so we may have their powerful,
conc9I trated and conservative influence
with US against the extravaganza in public
places to which the age is prone. We have
felt it. Both cities and the State stagger
under Radical debts. The officials who
made tham ought to have been punished
as q warning against future rascslities. But
the politicians have induced us to 'sccept
the situation;" and 60 no human is held re-
sponsible for these public calamities any
more than for the wreck of the hurricane
or the earthquake. We must bear them as
providential vistations on our own supine-
ness.
A MATTER OF INTEREST.
must beg pardon of Mr.. Ensley for
forgetting him. OF course the interest Of
real estate owner like him is identical with
that of the merchants to whom he looks
for his rentals. Nothing more natural.
But here are fifty millions of trade in
Nashville the past year, according to our
Chamber ofCommerce, and another fifty or
seventy-fvo million at Memphis, which he
wants to 90 scot free of taxes. How can
that be, without increasing the burthen of
others? Oh, says he, we will enhance the
value of land around Nashville. Suppose
he does. The increase ultimately comes
from the fertility of ths whole State; the
farmers create this increase after all, and
with it increase their taxes.
THE PIVOTAL PROPOSITION.
Mr.. Ensley's one argument is: Don't tax
movable merchandise, because it will run
AHdys Uub bdA 11iuONhDio IGhA CotAsCs w.
cause you have sure thing of it. This
proposition, If we accept MachiaVellian
standpoint, seems invulnerable. Yet let us
daily With it moment before demol-
ishiDg it. We have read of men who turn
ed their wealth into precious stones which
they could hide from the most inquisitorisl
1.-THE gstherer by simply swallowing them
Does Mr.. EnsleY desire to attract such
weslth? Does be deem any man q desir-
able citizen who would shirk his share Of
governmental expenses which were doubled
for his particular protection? Movable
property demands more pr ltection, simply
because it can be "TuD ofp' Its possessor
requires more protection, because his NOV
able property is temptation to violence
against his house and person. The real
estate owner whose property cannot be
''run off" and whose person needs less pro-
lection on that account, might well argue
that the man of money shout pay double
taxes. So much for nstural justice.
Don't tax what will run away from your
taxation, but tax what is obliged to grin
and tear it-says Mr.. Ensley. That looks
p,ausiLlo--as a Juggernaut machine. Now
for counter proposition, not merely plaus-
ible, but q notorious fact: Each cent of
tax you put on movable property enhances
its price; and each cent you put on immoVa-
BILE property depreSSeS its price. Pot tax
of 8 cents on box of matches, and prestoi
the price Jumps from cents to 10 cents;
so of every article of merchandise. But the
tax on real estate must be deducted from
its products, and the larger the tax the less
remains to pay interest on the investment.
Therefore movable property is not in the
habit Of running away from customers, from
whom it RECEIVERS the tax imposed. But the
fertility of land is not increased by taxa
tioD, and every cent he pays to government
leaves your customer less to buy with.
When taxes eat up all his surplus, then
your merchandise will run away for want
of buyers. ...r
SHALL WE DISCOURAGE PERMANENT IN
PROvENENTs2
Besides real estate, Mr.. Ensley consents
to tax "personalty that can't run sway-for
instance, bridge stock, turnpike stock, rail-
road and gas stock,'' etc. 1t really seems
that he wants to invite to Tennessee all the
nomads of creation, and discourage any
man who would take permanent interest
among US. If taxes frighten money from
merchandising, will it not be frightened the
more from investing in bridges, turnplkes,
railroads snd gas works. If money makes
bad venture in either, on which can it re-
alize more quickly? On merchandise? or
on gas.works, turnpikes, etc. Does Mr..
EDsley mean to discourage all public inn
provements in the future? We want i'm
mi ,rants who will buy homes-real estate
and invest their capital in permanent i'm
provements. We feel no need for addition
al Shylocks. rH .r
But enough for one sitting. When Money
bags and GIsN Nny-osgs ask ''pro'ection" at
the expense of farmers, am 70. the latter.
Money can generally hold its own.
MECHANIC.