Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-09-12

giOn more of federation and charity.
our efforts, whether TO improve our
general condition, to devclOpe our re-
sources, to educate orr people, or to
throw off common yoke of tax
Cypress. On, would be more wise, more
patriotic and more effective. In mea-
sures of q non-political character,
| which pertain to tie common welfare
of all, would that there were nl0rn
union and harmony among all, 50 that
the pleasing and beneficial exhibition
could be made, as it is presented in
these public meetings of complaining
taxpayers, when the white man meets
with the colored man, the Republican
with the anti-Republican, the poor
man with the man of landed means,
the citizen from the North with the
| native of the South. Under the infiu-
ence OF this common feeling of har-
mony and resistance to une 1ual and
oppressive taxation, we can make COM
| mon cause, as we ought oftener to
make, in behalf of other measures
best promotive of improvement and
| reform, and which would rebound TO
| the best interest Of all and to the
highest good of our whole country
When such spirit, gradually on the
| increase, shall NOR generally prevail
in New Hanover, our genial climate,
| kind hearted citizens and great advan-
| tages of soil, markets, timber AMI
other resources, will make the
county not only more CON
| tented and prosperous home for
those already here, but more at
| tractive still to the immigrant IN search
| of better abode. But even with our
c-'eat attractions and advantages in all
these respects we cannot expect de
serving prosperity ourselves, nor a
| proportionate immigration, unless we
can offer in addition, that fair and
| equitable taxation only legitimately be
| longing to the county. It's the doctrine
of political economy, attested by the
| experience of the world, that taxation
| enters not alone into the rights and
| feelings but into the well-being, pros
perity, and progress Of any people.
| This is seen i'll the eagerness which the
| immigrant or capitalist, who meditates
| operations in 4 new section, ALWAYS
manifests in his first c1'g,ri,y as to the
amount of taxes to be paid. To res ST
| unequas and arbitrary taxation is Nc
! less Instructive III American manhood
than tr;ditionary in our people since
| the American revolution of 117G. The
principle of Justice and right which
| animated our revolutionary forefathers
| to enter Boston harbor, and from Eng
| lish ships to throw overheard English
| tea, because of obnoxious tax laws, is
| the same noble inheritance which now
actuates so many of our impoverished
| and struggling citizens in their com
plants and protests against the unfair
| and excessive assessments of ON
Board of County Commissioners Our
| people claim the right to make their
complaints and to utter their protests.
1t is but the exercise of that free
thought and action, and right to criti-
| else the conduct of public function
| aries inherent under our form of gov
| eminent, and which has survived the
| ruins and commissions of war. And if
should be done too, without that rdi-
Guile, sneers and reproaches so unbe-
| comingly melted out to them in prefer
| ence to that spirit of sympathy and
relief which their grievances demand
| from those who, while agents of the
law are still not on. masters but oar
| SERVANTS
Why then this general and deep
| dissatisfaction echoed and re-echoed
over the county ever since our Sheriff,
in his first rounds some weeks ago,
made upon the citizens of at least
eight townships by authority of the
Board, demands unprecedented in size
and amount, and astounding tax payers
wherever he went as his books dis
closed these arbitrary 1evies Why
these larger and spirited ontpourings
Mt SO many different points, immersed
as our people are in business and SO
engrOssed with the cares Of life that
they prefer t. remain at home, did
they not feel it high duty to
come forth in their power
and resist the. iron heel of
oppression sought to be imposed
upon their necks ? I this general and
spontaneous movement based upon no
higher grounds than to make querul-
Gus complaints because the Legisla-
ture increased the State tax from 3SI
cents to so! cents upon the hundred
dollars worth of property? Not at all.
No one denies the necessity for this,
and no people are more ready to pay
reasonable taxes than are the true
hearted men of New Hanover county.
They are not to be classed with those
chronic grumblers who are never sat
isfied however low the taxes.
Neither are these meetings held to
consider whether the Legislature
which made such increase is Conserya-
tive, or the Board of Commissioners
which made the eXorbitant assessments
is Republican. Such outside matters
are irrelevant to the questions at issue.
Any attempts made to throw dust into
the eyes of taxpayers ort rega]e them
with the usual sophistry Of politicians
and interested parties will be disre-
garded- Nor is any time wasted i'll
repeIling the gratt1itous and ground
upon those who, desiring to sympathy
with these oppressed taxpayers, have
in obedience to the popular call, be-
come more prominent than others in
moving along with the masses in the
pursuit. u tlleIf TlSutS. Iuo assertions
that those who thus stand by the peo-
pie against the encroachments of pow
er are office-seekers, selfish agitators,
whose object il this movement is the
formation of new county, &c, are
calumnies, which falling harmless at
our feet we pick up and hurI back at
those who make them. All this is but
a repetition of the old tale that those
who themselves in power or ambitious