Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-10-03
State Taxes. IS e.

State Taxes. sc.
Extract from the address of the State Con
seryative Committee to the people Gl llr-
glnia.
Another important duty that devolvcs upon
the Legislature is the imposition of the taxes
and the disbursement OF the taxes when col
lected. The Legislature determines how much
monoy shall be raised and from what sources.
| This is most important duty. Can it be en-
trusted to the Radical party? Have they
| shown themselves worthy Of such confidence.
| Let us see how they managed the finances 10
those States where they have control. That
will furnish practical test Of their fitness.
They have rendered bankrupt every State
whose government ism their hands. Let US COM
pare the present Indebtedness of those States
with their Indebtedness when the Radicals came
into power. The table below will show the ~
debtedness of these States in 1867, before the
Radicals gained the asccudcncy, and their IN
debtedness 10 1871, after they had been four
wears under Radical rule:
Alabama, S1,9OO,pOO So, Ooo' Ww
| Arkansas, 4OOU,UU0 l9:u0O,oOO
Florida, 3OO,oOO 10 o0o'VVo
| South Carolina 4OUO.U0U 30 OuO,OOO
These figures are taken from the the report
| q
their Indebtedness has increased. From this table
il will be seen that the Indebtedness OF some OF
these States has increased telfo!d in others
eight, and in none less than four fold. And to
nav the interest on this vast Indebtedness, the
rate of taxation has increased in the same rato.
| The taxes are six or seven times higher than
formerly. 10 show the increased rate OF taxation,
look at the amount of taxes levied Oh one piece
of land in Arkansas, which is taken at random
from the tax books of the county. 1t Is a far
average representation
Taxes levied on said land for 1856. $ S 10
Taxes levied on said laud for 1861, Is 81
Taxes levied on said land for 1865, ll2 62
Taxes levied on said land for 1869, .46 IS
Taxes levied on said land for 1870, 2lO 90
Now suppose the Radical party should get
| the asccndency in Virginia. what would be our
condition? Our indebtedness is now about
S33, 900, 900, exclusive Of West Virginia Ger
tifcates, and if it should be Increased from
eight tie ten times this amount. as the Radicals
have increased it in the State just named, our
Indebtedness would then be upwards OF $500
DOC, 900, upon which we would have to pay the
interest. To do this our taxes would be III
creased 10 the same ratio tor eight to ten times
the present rate Now, as we pay fifty cents
on every hundred dollars worth OF property,
that is one halt of one per cent, on It's value. II
the taxation be increased eight or ten times the
present amount, we should have to pay from
four to five dollars on every one hundred dol
lars worth Of property instead OF fifty cents;
and as but little property IN Virginia yields
more than five or six per cent, on It's value, II
follows that il would tuko the entire income to
pay the taxes. and the owner would have to live
on his principal. And such is the condition cI
affairs in most of the Southern States where
the Radicals have possession OF the State gov
ernnent. We know how our people have COM
plained Of the present rate OF taxation. We
| know that the last Conservative Legislature re-
| fused to increase the taxes on the agricultural
| interest because it was admitted on all sides
that the farmers could not bear high rate Of
taxation. Are the people Of Virginia willing
to entrust this great taxing power to party
which where it has control of the State gov
ernments, has so increased the Indebtedness
and the rate of taxation as to render those
States bankrupt?
Now let us see how the Radical parry have
expended the money thus wGung trom an I'M
poverished people. Has it been wisely used IN
the development of the State and III the al,
yancement of its material Interests? Take
South Carolina as an example; The Lcglsla-
ture ordered the house in which they sat TO be
|
was mirror In the speaker room at the price
of $3.50. Each official has separate roOm for
himself most gorgeously fitted up, with toilet
Gets, and all the paraphernalia of dwelling
house; clocks at $3.50 q piece: chandeliers at
$3.50, and two hundred fine porcelain splttoons
at IS piece. Ard OF these men who thus
reckessly vote away the public money some OF
them pay 90 taxes. This is but one instance
of their reckless extravaganza; thousand like
II could be furnished. This large Indebtedness
has been created and this vast expenditure ln-
Cured in order to feed the vampires who are
eating the vitas of the people; and with like
view offices by the multitude have been created,
salaries have been increased, snecures have been
established and the ingenuity of the plunderers
has been taxed to discover new approaches
to the pockets of the people. People of Nlr-
GINA, will yon coDfde the taxing power OF the
State to such unworthy hands?
And what can the people Of Virginia expect
| from a Legislature controlled by party like
this? Does any one doubt that 1t will be hos
tile to the white people of the State Was
not that the course they pursued during the
short time they held power 10 the State? Look
at their course in the Underwood Convention.
Were they not governed by bitterness towards
the whites? In the constitution which they
framed they disfrauchiscd thousands and tens
ofthousands of our best men, and by their test
oaths would have excluded from office near
ly every white man iu the State. Their
Object was to retain the Offices for themselves,
and thus obtain control Of the State govern,
ment. And one of their most distinguished
leaders, when addressing them, said, If you
have not disfranchsed enough to give you the
control, disfranchisc more and continues to
distranchise until you secure possession
Of the government They adopted this add
vice, and inserted 10 the constitution dis
tranchisiug clauses and testoaths to secure
the mower to themselves if the constitution
had been adopted as they framed it. And when
these clauses we're submitted to separate vote
the colored Radicals voted with unbroken unan,
unity TO retain them. Speaking of their vote GU
this question. one OF their orators has express,
ed the hope that when the recording angel
came to write it dowu that he would drop tear
Of pity and blot it from the record: And well
he might ask that an act exhibiting so much