Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-12-10

ton the plan Of taxation reported by
the treasurer and auditor OF public ac .
counts, in response to a re action OF the
House of Delegates.
The proposed plan dispenses with
the present costly and cumbrous as
wen as uncertain mode Of assessing
personal property 1t is proposed to
fix the the taxation of personally in
such prQporsionte realty as experience
in other countries and careful calcula-
tions prove to be just. The plan will
rot increase existing bnrthens, but it is
expected to distribute them more fairly
among individual Taxpayers, while il
will save much of the expense Ut the
present system.
The report further proposes to supply
as far as possible the present deficiency
IN the treasury, by substituting, for the
present, new and additional taxes upon
wines and liquors. 10 other subject
bears taxation with such certainty, and
with so little Inconvenience to the
general public, as stimuauts and mar
coties. The taxation proposed would
be but slightly. # at all, felt in The
ordinary consumption OF spurious
liquors, while it would certainly go far
relieving the embarrassment
of the treasury.
In this connection, your attention ls
called to the necessity for giving, 10
whatever department may be proper,
the authority to enforce the due assess
ment and collection of taxes by local
officers. Experience shows that it is
not impossible for such officers to dis
regard, or even set at defiance, the IN
of the auditor of public ac'
counts. The collection of the revenue
might be suspended in district, and
the public business subjected to a
serious Inconvenience and confusion,
for want Of The needtul authority to en-
force due compliance with the law IN
such cases. Proceedings i'll the courts,
with view TO the removal Ct sucli
tiicers, afford no adequate remedy IN
cases OF this nature, which require
prompt action in order TO prevent
injury to the state The power should
he lodged in the proper department t"
suspend or remove the recusant otfic er
for causes to be reviewed by the Legis
ture.
CRIMINAL EXPENSES.
The question is worthy of consider
alton, whether the payment OF criminal
expenses out Of the general treasury
does not operate uneqnaliy aud unjuslly
hv causing the more orderly confu
mites to bear All undue share of those
bnrthens. Ii is believed if sucn charyes
were imposed upon the counties and
corporations respectively, they you'd
be reduced by more direct and ~ateh
ful economy, while increased interest
and vigilance would be directed to the
Suppression of crime II is also prob
a'le that fines, and other punishments
less costly than that OF Imprisonment,
would be more generally visited upon
the minor oiftnses Certainly, in the
embarrassed condition OF the general
treasury, it should be stripped Of every
charge which, without injustice, may
be either transferred or discontinued
PLAN FOR PROVIDING STATE CUR
The plan for providing constitu-
tional State currency, prepared by the
treasurer at my request, Is submitted
for vonr consideration 1t is believed
its carefully guarded enactment would
relieve one of the most grevions wants
Of our people.
II is in vain we are told that sup ~
OF national currency can be obtained
by first complying with the require
ments of the national banking law.
Such counsel is as Intellectual as the
advice to starving ard destitute man
to buy bread TO. cash. 1t is impossible
for a people. stripped of their means
ard loaded with debt, TO procure
national bonds, to he exchanged for
national currency. Among the people
of the interior in many portions OF the
State, the business of society Is trans
acted on the most primitive principles
of barter
If the State currency should have
less Tendency than national bank notes
to flow eff and be swallowed mp by
C. numerical centres, outside the Com
monwea,th, ii is supposed that inc"n-
venience might be successfully en-
dured.
1t may be safely asserted that the
proposed scheme intringes no law or
constitution. Federal or State. Less
skilfnlly Ina,ured plans have been
adopted 10y other States within the
past few years, and are said to have
worked heuefcially.
RAILROAD AND or,iLR TRANSPORTATION
COMPANIES.
Transportation companies afford in
cessant and Indispensable aids to al
most everv interest of society, and their
usefulness should he curtailed by IL"
unjust or harsh legi ,lation. But they
are under the law Of public sersitHde
md all persons both corporate and nat
ural. should he bound to know that,
while none are so weak as 10 be beneath
the protection of the Government, none
are SO strong as to be above Its power r
Frequent and general complaints al
lege gross inequalities in the charges
on s.,ule of the railroads. 1t would be
nnjas, to compel railroad companies to
charge the same rate per mile for long
and short distances, because one OF the
chief clements of cost to the railroad il
that of handling, Which ia the same for
short or long distances. And so as to
the transportation of passengers, the
cost of the facilities furnished for shnr;
distances would probably not be com
i r.t. r..ta oh 0r,yaG