The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-01-30
A Rural LaSnentation.

A Rural Lainentation.
We publish this morning the con,munica'
tion signed "Rus," which presents the
Jews, we conjecture, of a great many coun.
~ people on the subject Of taxation. Avow-
ng a sincere sympathy with the farmer, we
nevertheless repudiate all idea OF class-par.,
isanry in this question of taxation. We
concur with Rus" that every citizen should
pay his proper share towards supporting the
government, no matter what his occupation
may be. -
aRus," as the partisan OF the farmer, as.
umes that the merchants tax is imposed
upon his "profts" after stating that the
merchant pays tax upon his whole capital
nd upon every reiuvestmeut of that CAPT.
alp This should De sufficient to answer
his assertion. Does every investment" of
merchant turn out profitable? Look at
he great number Of failures In the mercan-
i community and answer the question.
The msjority Of those who embark in mer.
ptile life die poor.
The farmer, on the other hand. pays on
bis land, but not upon his crop--his reid
estmeut as 1t were. If A makes ten thou.
and dollars worth of tobacco he Is not re-
uired to pay tax upon it. ..aH a> 80
The case cited by "Rus," OF farmer
wnipg a thousand acres of land and only
ultivating one or two hundred acres of 1t,
ould not be allowed to bear upon the ques.
ION Of taxing land. Land is the best basis
o taxation for a rural population. Tax Is
assessed upon presumed fair valuation of
and. 1t Is for every man to consider how
much he Is able to hold and pay for. The
State cannot enter into such question as
hat concerning any individual bardships
which may occur in the administration of u
ust law.
"Rus" devotes much of bis letter to CON-
planning of the charges upon the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad. He asserts that the dis
examination CD that road in favor of through
reghts Is for the benefit of Richmond. BY
no means. Through freights are controlled
by competition. The Chesapeake and Ohio
abroad must have low through rates or it
will get no such freights, and must give up
he competition. Nor are these freights all
or Richmond. The majority Of them go
9 lsewhere. So that Rus" is mistaken in
his assertion.
"Rus" seems to be under the impression
hat railroads are built chiefly for other peo-
pie than the farming community. They
were, indeed, built for the benefit of every
lass, and they have been built generally by
he commercial classes. They have been of
ncaiculable benefit to the farmer. Local
hsrges are in many cases unquestiouaby
unreasonable; but the worst Of them hardly
c yer equal the expenses Of transportation to
market by old modes. A farmer In western
State has a reminiscence bearing on this point
hat Is quite interesting. He stated that
he once carried load of grain to Chicago in
his own wagon, and his expenses not only
absorbed all that he got for the grain, but he
had to sell bis boots to get back home. Now
he has railroad near him, and his grain is
transported and sold, giving him many times
as much as.he got for it before, and saving
him oil trouble. A fair sample. Men will
always grumble. But we know no class Of
the community that is more benefited by
ailroads than agricuturists.
With regard to all that our correspondent
says concerning the waste of the State pro-
perry in railroads aud the injudicious legis-
] ation on the subject, we have to say that all
he says affords no reason why the class of far
mers particularly should be relieved from their
air share Of the public burthens. The agrlcul-
wrists Of Virginia have always ruled the Leg
stature. Their voice has decided all questions
of State policy; they chartered railroads !;
borrowed money to pay the States share of
heir cost did SO, much more for the farm
er's benefit than for anybody clse's; man
aged the States Interests in railroads; and no
portion of the people Is more identified with
he whole State policy on the subject, and
more justly acc ountable for it, than they
arc.
But all are responsible; and the public
debt will have to- be paid. 1t can't be
avoided, and We shall all see It.
As for the impraoticable suggestion that
he Legislature shall take the lands of the
f armers, cultivate them, and pay the farmers
2 reasonable profit on their assessed value,
we may say the same thing for all classes.
II the Legislature will take in hand the mer.
camille business OF the State, and pay the
merchants fair profit on their capital, We
imagine 1t could soon become the merchant
and trader for the whole State. But, Of
curse, this is idle talk. It is as essential for
one class as another.
We repeat, we are not partisan of any of
he classes. The farmer and the merchant
re mutually interested in the prosperity of
each other. The farmer has the Legislature.
He may tax The merchant out of existence if
he will. But what would be gained by that
We have demonstrated against partial dis.
tribution Of burthens and the onerous taxa
tion of commerce, because by reason of the
close competition In trade and the facilitated
commerce Of these days, our merchants, I'M
reasonably burthened, cannot successfully
ompete with those of other States. |
Theagricutural community is deeply inter.
sted in the rapid growth of cities in the State:
because these furnish near and profitable
markets for all the products of agricultural
Industry. The greater they are the more
ourishing the country near them. They
are reservoirs from which flow streams that
rrlgate the country around them and cause
them to flourish and bloom In contentment
and thrift.
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