The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-10-20

and our State will enter on career OF pros
Derity as solid and as great as she ever
knew and, with credit restored, she will
be enabled to handle. provide for, and
finally absorb her debt without the addition
OF one single cent OF taxation. This she
can readily do, and carry on ut the same
time her grand system OF public free
schools Then let the Legislature author
fze the Board of Public Works to sell our
stocks and claims against the various inter-
nal improvement mpanies-many OF them
still vaIuable-and the States real estate
not in use; sell them for State bonds, or
invest the proceeds in State bonds, and thus
greatly reduce the debt.
One word on the present whiskey-law, or
Mofett-punch bill, as it is called. This,
you all know, was country measure. earn
estly advocated and pressed by the country
members, and most earnestly opposed and
fought by the members OF the Legislature
from the towns and cities. It is estimated
land this estimate is based on the actual re-
suits OF 4 weeks working OF the law IN
Richmond) that this law will produce from
nhiSEey at least 100000 OF revenue to the
State every year-more than enough to cover
any future deficiency that may arise under
our present taX-law. In other words, let
of taxation will bring revenue enough to
the State to carry on the State government,
carry on the public free-school system, and
nav all interest regularly on the public debt
This liuuor-taX is q voluntary tar. No
man in the State need pay one cent OF it
unless he chooses to do so. At least $780,
600 OF this revenue would come out OF non
residents of the State. The drummers from
the northern cities who swarm our State
from January to January seeking custom
for their mercantile houses, the visitors at
DIR sixty or seventy mountain and seaside
resorts, who come from Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North and
South Carolina, and who generally stay all
the summer, will contribute largely to our
State revenue under this law. Forty thou
sand citizens of Virginia, who enjoy the pro-
lection OF her laws, and most OF whom avail
themselves OF the privileges OF our free
schools, pay not one cent OF tnIeS-not even
the hedd-tar. This law will reach them,
and force them to contribute at least part
of their fair proportion to the public revc-
nue..
1t is true, of course, the law will be felt
mostly in the towns and cities, and that the
burden will be mostly on them, but to that
extent it will relieve the lands of the Com
monwealth and the laborers who till those
lands, fol, of course, the tax on land is
shared in part by the laborer who works
them, for his wages are unqueStionably de-
pendent on the burden the land has to
carry. II this law has tendency to stop
somewhat the consumption OF liquor in our
State, then it will DO good in that way also.
II is suggested that there will be great
cheating under it. | doubt this, for most
OF the dealers are honest and upright as a
class. certainly rs much so as any other
class in the community. But those who are
inclined to cheat will have to cheat one
thousand different times in order to make
the sum OF SO. They will have to cheat
one hundred different times in order to
make or save $3.50, and ten times to make
% cents. Will they run the risks OF detcc-
ton and punishment for this? think not.
II the grand iuries and the courts will do
| their duty, my word for it the law will exc
cute itself.
say, then, let the funding bill stand as Il
settlement OF so much OF our debt. It's pre-
sent working, as shown above. insurcs to
the benefit OF the State and taxpayers OF
over 100000 every gear. OF course, il
these bondholders will agree to give up
their bonds and take bonds OF the State at
| ID or ) per cent. we would most gladly make
| such an arrangement with them, and it is
not impossible that they might be induced
| to do so, as they do not now realize by the
sale OF their coupons or interest much over
| a. per cent. Certainly it is worth an effort
| to accomplish this, and it may be that we
might accomplish a full settlement with all
our creditors, giving them all alike A.
percent. bond-as suggested by some
writer recently in one OF the public Jour
mails. Our present tai bills, including the
Mofeu taoc, will produce ample revenue for
this purpose, with reasonable economy in
| other matters OF the State expenses.
But, my friends, suppose you don't choose
to continue the MotFett law-suppose it be
the Judgment and wish OF the people that
| this law be repealed-then our deficiency
will have to be raised by an increase OF
ten cents in the 800 value in property,
real and personal. Can the taxpayers stand
this !? Will the additional burden be too
great to be borne? / respectfully submit
| that they can, and that without any serious
| " perceptibIe increase Of burden. You
| have so long had your poverty and inability
to pay anything paraded and dwelt on that
you have nearly persuaded yourselves that
| it is so, and therefore you may feel little
surprise at my assertion to the contrary. l
do assert that the taxpayer who now
pays q tax OF $40 would not be greatly bur
dened il he had to pay S12, and the man
who pays So would not be crushed
in having to pay Sc. The large ma
jority OF Taxpayers pay now under
| $40; so that the average increase
would not be much above 81 in every
$40. or course the laboring man, who has
no property to pay OH, would not be effected
at all by this small increase. Now, put IL
| to YOUR candor and frankness, you gentle
men who own $4,000 worth OF property,
! would the payment OF IN additional 81 or
81 so during the whole year seriously in
con11aode YOU? Would you feel it in truth ?
DO YOU mean to say that the value OF one
turkey, six or eight chickens, or four or five
pounds of butter, in The course OF whole
year, would be felt by you one way or other
Candor will compel you to sayno. Apply to
your wives; tell them that you and the other
voters had determined to stop the tax on
,chiskeu, but it was necessary for the
| good name and fame Of the State,
and that you 1cished to raise an addi.
tional 81 or a1.j0 on your $4,000 worth
of property. Can any one doubt the an.
swer? No doubt they would almost unan.
imously say that you had done wrong not
to make whiskey pay it-but il it was you,
pleasure, and the State needed ii, don't you
think, don't you know, that she would
spare you, and that without feeling it, {
turkey, n goose, or six or eight chickens
or six or eight dozen eggs, two dozen cab
bages, or five or six pounds OF butter, in
the course OF whole year. / know yol
have many burdens and expenses, but will
them all, can't the ualue Of these small
things be spared ,oithoM hardly q perceptt
Die burden? Ny friends, three pecks o.
| wheat, one and half bushels OF corn, eigh