Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-06-03
For the Chronicle.
TAXATION AND REPUTATION,
Or Ways to Increase the Revenue.

When | sent you my two last com
municatIons upon the subject of the
States financial difficulty, / had fully
determined then to write no more upon
the subject, for the present at least
but wash my hands of politics or rath-
er wipe them from my pen, go to the
polls at election time and vote for such
candidates as / deemed the most suit
able, and otherwise attend exclusively
to my own business, and let that of
other people alone. But the spirit
hath moved me- to write again, and I
will write this once more upon the all
absorbing theme of taxation and repu-
diation, being again determined to quit
the subject after this, and leave your
valuable space ESQ far as l am con-
cernedl to be filed hereafter by the
pen of yourself or some correspondent
who may be able to interest your read
ers more than my humble self. Some
of your readers may think that | am
trying by writing TO gain notoriety, and
few I think, have gone SO far as to
insinuate that I was probably aspiring
to office. I would say to all such per-
sons that the subject in hand should
be matter of interest to every true
citizen of the State. and that though /
am private citizen am member of
republican government and feel that
I have right to think, say and write
what I please upon public affairs, pro-
vided am not personal, which I shall
not please to be.
So far as notoriety is concerned do
desire to be notoriously honest in rem
dering unto every man, woman and
child their just dues. and hope that
there are enough like me in that par
ticular, and ever will be, to make our
native county and State notorious for
the same thing.
As regards aspirations for Office, l
will ease the minds of those oficious
insinuators who do want Office, by in
forming them that my entire time is
occupied with my own private affairs,
and that do not need Office, do not
want office, and shall not in any way
seek it. lonce thought that it was an
honor to be member of Congress or.
President of the United States, but of
late years have changed my opinion
and am afraid that it will remain
changed for some time to come. |
will make an exhibition of my pride
enough to say that at present | hold
two positions of honor and trust, one
as boss laborer on my little farm and
the other as an officer of Montgomery
Grange. When l write, write for
my own pleasure, or because l feel an
interest in the subject upon which |
write, hoping that others may some
times derive small amount of pleas
ure or profit from the same. Hoping
to be excused for having said thus
much about myself, I will now proceed
to talk about something of much great
importance. " ~ s.
I think that quite a large number of
persons are under the impression that
the ONLY mode of increasing the rev.
enue of the State sufficiently to meet
all liabilities and thereby avoid repudi-
n
alton is to greatly increase the rate of
taxation on property and privileges
already taxed. In this | think that
they are mistaken for there is much
valuable property and many privileges
not now taxed from which consider
able revenue might be derived which
should be taxed before increasing the
rate on that now taxed. All church
property, all property of charitable in
stitutions, and the property of all in
stitutions of learning should be taxed,
and no real estate or personal proper
ty within the bounds of the State
should be exempt from taxation ex
cept cemeteries (the homes of our dead)
and State and county property, used
exclusively for State and county pur-
poses.
All State, county and corporation
bonds owned and held by persons eth
er in or out of the State should be
taxed as other property, and in order
to insure just and full collection on
them all, the tax should be deducted
from the second annual payment of
interest.
All lawyers and doctors should pay
an annual privilege tax for practicing
their professions. There is no good
reason why merchants, hotel keepers
and others should pay privilege tax,
and they not.
All public male professors of learn
ing should pay per centage upon their
salaries or fees. All State, county and
corporation officers receiving salary,
including the Governor, and all below
him, should pay a tax Of five per cent.
upon their salaries. All other public
officers, including clerks of courts,
sheriffs, constables, magistrates, trus-
tee, &C., who get their pay in fees,
should pay tax of five per cent. on
all monies received by them for public
services.
Members of the Legislature, Con-
gressmen and Senators should also be
taxed five per cent. upon their salaries.
Judging from the number of persons
who seek office, it must be desirable
privilege to hold Office, therefore, |
think it should be well taxed. All
spirituous or other intoxicating liquors
imported into or consumed within the
State should be taxed.
A little consideration might prob
ably cause me to think of many other
sources, not herein mentioned, from
which revenue might be raised, but
if any one will take the trouble upon
themselves to estimate the amount of
revenue that could be raised from the
property and privileges named above