Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-02-27
bort Gobdfco Qimes
PORT TOBACCO:
Friday Morning, February ......N, 1874


forth cheering words and helping hand
from all right minded people, how much
more should the spectacle of chivalrous
people, subjugated by the iron heel of
military conquest, seeking by every means
In their power to rehabilitate themselves.
inspire admiration in the truly brave and
magnanimous!
Yet, such is the rancor of Radical parti-
sanship, that we find the Baltimore Ameri-
can, making the memorial of the Tax-pay
ers' Convention of South Carolina to Con-
gress the occasion for exultation-that,i in
violation of their "States-rights" doctrines
these taxpayers had petitioned Congress
for protection. One would suppose that
the story there told of robbery and impov-
rishment was enough to silence our con-
temporary for once at least. The history
of the world, even in the darkest age of
oppression and military conquest, does
not afford an example SO full of mans in
humanity to man. Nations have hereto
fore been impoverished nations have be-
fore this been subjugated and robbed
but nowhere is there such and example of
an entire people so robbed, impoverished,
subjugated, and then handed over to the
absolute domination of an ignorant, brutal
and semi baFbarous race. And this too
by those Of the same blood and ancestry
as the conquered sons of sires who fought
side by side and freely shed their blood to
uphold the sacred right Of revolution :
When the history of the Southern States
since the war comes to be truthfully writ
ten, it cannot fail to call to the cheek OF
every lover of republican institutions a
blush of shame that such things could be
tolerated in the name of liberty and free
government.
The Convention, composed Of what is
left of the property holders and best men
of the State, set forth in plain unvarnish-
ed terms their deplorable condition; and
inasmuch'as the Federal Congress, under
the control of the Republican party, foist-
ed their present corrupt and iniquitous
government on them. properly, they appeal
to this same power for redress. They dis
close facts startling enough to challenge
the attention of any government DESTROYS
Of fostering the welfare of its people
They show that those owning property are
almost entirely without any voice in the
government, and that those imposing the
taxes bear no share in the burden thereof;
that literally they have taxation without
representation. In consequence of the vio-
,asien Of this great funa- --.zes have stea!
Oily increased year by year during the
seven years since the war, until now they
consume more than one half of the income
from the property taxed. The annual ex-
Penses of the State government have ad-
vanced from 100000 to 100000; and
it is openly threatened by prominent men,
bers Of the Legislature that the taxes shall
be 80 increased as to cause general sale
of all property in the hands of the former
owners. Thus is exhibited the spectacle
of State government arraying itself a
gainst the property of its citizens. The
result of this is that values of all kinds
have declined. Land is unavailable as Sc
eurity, and where money has been borrow
ed on it heretofore, nothing can be realiz-
ed on the mortgages-wages have declin-
ed-provisions are higher and the cost of
living, owing to increased taxation, is
much greater-the poor are made poorer,
and rendered less capable of rising above
the condition of laborers, living on the
merest pittance. Thus, whilst by oppres-
sive taxation the owners are driven to sell
their lands, others for the same reason are
prevented from buying. AS an evidence
of this the official statement of the Comp
troller shows that for default of the pay.
ment of taxes, amounting to $4,000 Tin.
creased by penalties to 3d., 00O in the veal
1872 alone, there was forfeited to the State
268, 523 acres of land. The State debt has
been increased from S., zoo, 900 to Sit, 900
900, and it is feared this is not all, for i
is found almost impossible to ascertain the
true amount of bonds outstanding. AnC
all this too without single work of pub
lie improvement having been undertaken
The appropriations for printing and pub
fishing the laws, &C., in one year, actually
amounted to $575,0OO! Whilst the tota
appropriations for the same purpose fol
sixty years, from 1900 to 1859, amounted
to only $271,1S These are few Of the
many facts set forth in this memorial. II
goes on to show other facts by which the
corruption Of the Executive Department
is equally demonstrated, and the admins
tration of Justice shown to be mere mat
ter of bargain and sale.
In the face of such facts as these, the tax
payers being without any hope of redress
from the State government, naturally e
nough appeal to a Republican Congress
for redress. And for doing SO the Ameri-
can sneers at them and taunts them with a
departure from their time-honored doc
trine of States rights and the non-inter-
arenoa of the Federal government in the