The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-10-21
-THE GEoRGA- CONVENTION And THE
COTTON TAX.
Mobile Register


The recently held Georgia Convention
appointed q committee to memorialize Gen.
gress as to the cotton tax which was COL
lected from our people just after the war.
Upon that committee were some Of the best
and ablest men of the State, Joshua Hill.
General j. Z. Lawton, General w. T. Wof..
ford, Hon. B. F. Burnett, and others equally
we'll known for high character and honesty,
This committee made o report to the Con.
vention which set cut the fact that in the
years 1865, 1866, 1867 and 1868, the people
of Georgia paid on account Of this illegal
tax no less q sum than twelve millions of
dollars. The amount paid here in Alabama
must have exceeded that Gum, "a Alabama
| had more cotton at the close of the war and
produced more just after the war than
Georgia. We would not be far out of the
Il way to say that the people of Alabama
The Georgia Committee set forth that this
tax was illegal, unjust and oppressive and
was gathered from q people lily able to
bear the burden-and that it was levied on
the product of the labor of whites and
blacks alike, the blacks at that time being
7 generally paid with one-third of the crop.
Z They conclude by asking the Federal Gov
erDmeut to retain the amount collected,
and that it be paid into the State Treasury;
that one third of it, the part which repre-.
. sents the labor of the tillers of the soil, be
set aside as a perpetual school fund for the
| eUuCAGaOH OF Luo ColOEou poVplo, anu tnAt
: the remainder be returned to the original
Q parties who paid the tax OF be devoted to
II the education of the white children of the
r State, 81 the General Assembly may deter
- mine. Although the whole subject was
. finally laid upon the table by close vote,
III as involving matters not germane to the
r, object of the Convention, it is interesting
le to notice the warm argument it ELECTED, and
q. the unanimous opinion of the Committee,
,s and of the Convention that the tax was
q illegal and oppressive and should be re-
funded to those who paid it, All of those
is who opposed the report, did 30 upon the
ground that it vas hopeless to expect relief
from Congress. Bot why is such an expec-
an tation hopeless Is there any reason why
money improperly collected by the Gov
s. eminent should not be returuedi W.
Is have known ofinstaDces In which merchant
I'll have had hundreds of thousands of dollar
returned to them by the Customs Depart
IT ment after illegal levies. If imposts, erro
I'll neously or illegally collected. can be re
=, stored to individuals, why cannot excise
Oh illegally imposed be returned as readily
Certainly the amount involved does no
alter the equities of the case. A silk 0
wine merchant Of New York is able t
employ Mr.. Evarts to sue and recover hi
,r; overpaid or Illegally collected duties, bI
the Impoverished cotton grower of ALI
.st bama is not able to prosecute his claim.
ieS does not comport with the dignity On
de honor of the Government to force eac
an petty cotton grower into court and the
nv plead the statute of limitations upon hin
les We hope Congress will meet this questio
,st inst as an honest guardian would meet
lst claim upon himself for money collecte
ms. erroneously or illegally from the estate
his ward,