The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-09-10

, ~, tbe t.yns on either real, or personal
r ,,,.o ,,artv one cent. ALL will concede that
.he nnof,le of Virginia drink an average pro-
,,nrton OF the whiskey drank In tue entire
country, which was last year o. oUo,ooo Eau
ions. according to the report OF the CoiiI.nis-
s;oner OF Internal Revenue mt WashinStoh'
or fappallng as it may be- an average Oh heaI-
,n, nv woman. and child of the 40,O0O,O0O
- neonlc in the United States. There can
hc no. doubt about these figures, Tor the
quantity I have given above actually pd,d
lar. and was consequently consumed IN the
country: for exported liquors pay no tax.
Now. at the above average OF nearly one
and half gallons per head for the 1,3OO,O00
neople of Virginia, it would make nearly
| J. O0O. 900 gallons OF ,1hiskey alone consumed
in this State every year. Now, the Motlett-
register law imposes on whiskey two and
half cents drink, or about SLIGO per gallon
| on all sold by the drink, in which way
much the largest portion OF. whiskey Is
sold, and thirty-two cents per Saton "i,el
sold otherwise than by the drink; SO that
| to say the tax will average 81 per ga'lon IS
certainly not too much, when, on the
| 2.O00, 900 gallons consumed IN the STATE
would amount to S2,000,00O, from Which
deduct one half-an enormous per cent. for
|
iaw-and it would leave s1.000,000 net rev.
cn,,n to the State-enough not only to meet
the deficiency of 100000 claimed by the
Win but to create an annual sinking fund
az one Der cent on the entire debt Of $780,
| non ooO: besides. have not taken into con-
sideration the tax OF half cent glass on
beer which the Motlett law will produce
fonlv that on whiskey), nor the saving
OF 100000 per year which blcnnIal
sessions of the Legislature will make
feouaI to so much more rcvenue), the
additional revenue which prepayment
of the capitation tax before voting VIII pro-
ducc, nor the gradual increase OF the as
sesscd value Of the property OF the state
ami Observation-Disclosures OF revenue. Ihlls,
Messrs. Editors, it is perfectly plain that II
all the demagoguc politicians who are using
the State-dcbt question purely rs Il hoppy
to ride themselves into the Legislature on
would cease their clap-trap talk about the
oyer-taNed people-why Virginia Is really
one OF the very lightcst.taNed states IN the
Union, either North or Southland sllch pa
pers as the Wig would cease to encourage
opposition to carving out the laws already
passed TO meet the emergency, there would
be no more trouble about the State dcDt,
but the interest could all be paid ana the
principal gradually reduced without any
| increase whatever in the rate OF tax OIL the
real and personal property OF the people.
Let us all, therefore, cease to aSltate rcpu-
diation, forcible adj ustment, or anything OF
the kind, but aid in putting into operation
the laws already passed. And il the Monett
register is not patentable. then let the Le-
giSlature at its next session authorize the
auditor to use any other (there are plenty OF
others that can be gottcn), and we will won
der why we did not before try whiskey lis Il
subject Of taxation.
In conclusion. MeSSrs. Editors, / will say
that there was probably no man in Virginia
who was more opposed to the funding act
at the time it was passed than myself. L
did then, and do now, regard it as most
impolitic measure. and / would rejoice 10
see any honorable mot forciblc) re;tdiust-
mcnt of the State debt. But, right or
wrong, the funding act was passed. We
have tried to get rid OF its main feature,
have failed. and there is nothing left but to
do the best we can TO meet the requirements
OF the measure without expressing the peo-
pie. and this l think I have demonstrated
en- be done. ROANOKE.