Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-12-31

tEey passed the resolution I'VE Will enl-
grate.' These two items square the ac-
count; but besides these we have the, Val
ley turnpike the Scottsville road, the Green
vile, Middlebrook and Howardsville roads
which give us another 100000. The State
expended 81 100000 in the railroad in Au-
gu ia, and 81, 100000 on the tunnel, OF
which half was spent in Augusta county.
So the aggregate Of the money spent by the
State in this county is $2,75O,oOO, which
our share in the debt is only $750,o00.
THE LEGISLATION OF LAST YEAR.
When 1 went to the Legislature last
year was placed at the head of the Com
mIttee of Finance. There was a general
gloom over the State, which also invaded
the legislative halls, and even our Cover
nor shared the Respondent feeling. Look
ing around, l saw we had various odds and
ends by which we could raise the money
to pay the expenses of the State. l knew
that the farms and personal property could
bear no more taxation, and l looked out
for new subjects. One Of the first things
that attracted my attention was tobacco,
which is luxury, and tax Of So only
was put upon the retail dealers, which one
meets with everywhere. The railroad,
telegraph and stage lines which had es-
capped taxation, were next brought under its
operation. I then saw another defect in
our system of taxation-such radical de-
feet that it required remedy. You could
L 20 Inrn in Gfor
could call their names if necessary, both
doing good business and building fine
houses. Yet one paid $50 tax and the 9TH
er not one cent: The man who did busi-
ness on capital paid tax and the man who
did it on credit pailsnothing. He enjoyed
all the benefits of the laws and didn't even
pay towards maintaining the Courts In
which those laws were enforced to secure
his debts. I introduced bill to correct
that. It was said to be one of my vision
airy views and it was carried to the Court
of Appeals to test it. The Court unani-
mously decided it constitutional.
AS the former bill had worked, a man
worth 100000 in real estate might if he
chose, do the whole produce business Of Au-
gusta without paying a cent of tax. He
might go to Richmond, arrange with one
of the Banks, by giving deed of trust on
his property and in consideration of his
keeping his balance there, to take his
checks, and he could then go to work ar,d
buy up and send to Richmond all the pro-
duce of the county doing million dollars
worth of business in one year. When tile
assessor came to assess him he could say
he had no capital invested which would
be true and thus escape paying a single
dollar tax having in the meantime driven
the ax-payins merchants out Of the mar.
ket. I ask the farmer if this is fair? I ask
the merchant if it is fair.
THE WHIsKEY TAX.
On another SUBJECT have been misun'
derstood. The Finance Committee pre-
pared a tax of > cents gallon on whiskey
wrote to the distillers of Augusta to
learn. what they thought and had
IT, say of it, They came to Rich.
mond and held a convention among them
selves and resolved that it would ruin
their business by giving other States the
advantage of competition without a tax
1t was then mainly through my instrumen.
| tally that it was reduced to cents on the
gallon. l was once distiller myself and
my brother conducted the distillery neal
Staunton. When we went to Richmond
we were met there by the great steam dis
| tillery of Stearns u Rrummell OF those
days which drove Augusta VIII iskey out o.
| the market. There was no market for it
Il you could find neither Bumgardner
Kindig, Clemmer nor any Of our county
brands in Richmond. Since the tax it il
different, and now you Can find "Summer
| DEAN whiskey advertised though Summer
dean was burnt five years ago. Mr.. Arm
strong of Rockingham, a far seeing mar
predicted that the 2 cents tax would in
crease the demand for Augusta Uhiskey
and predict that the time is not far of
when the distillers instead of opposing &
tax will ask for it. .. p. Beard. the pop
ular orator, who was here during the cleo
tions, was operating around the Legisla
ture to have even the cents tax removed
He contemplated starting anG immense
steam distillery in Richmond if tt at coulG
have been gotten off. regret that the TAI
was repealed, but had no disposition tt
press it and no one came tc consult ne
about it. | must pass on to the
CONDITION OF THE PUBLIC DEBT.
| When I went to the legislature the tota
of the public debt was 30,514,0Q0. 1t is
now $29,500.000 the principal having
| been reduced by the sum of 1858 ,O7O by the
operations Of the sinking fund. The sink
ing fund is now $500 0,OOO and is being ad
| ded to and the debt diminished every year
The operation is like the cut and fill of the
| railroad one is added to the other until q
| level is produced and the debt wiped out
| There was a large outstanding interest OF
the State to the amount of $275,O0O OF
.stock in the Fredericksburg r. r. which
don't bring in a dollar. 1t could have been
exchanged for Virg mia bonds last year at
the rate Of two for one, thus reducing the
State debt over half million of dollars
| and introduced bill to that end but it
was defeated.
l found that the State had $40, 400, 900 in
the stock of the James River Il Kanawha
Canal which is literally sunk. saw that
the reason of it's non-productivenes was
that the canal ended nowhere, only reach
ing as far as the little village of Buchanan.
proposed to take all the able bodied
white and black men in the penitentiary
| and put them to work extending the canal
to Clifton Forge. To show the effect of
the mere proposition, may say that my
letters on this subject was published in
August on Thursday when the stock was
s. share on the day before, but on the
Saturday following ran untn S. a share