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


The recently held Georgia Convention
appointed q committee to memorialize Cen
gress as to the cotton tax which was COL
iected 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. B. Lawton, General w. T. Wof..
ford, Hon. B. F. Burnett, and others equally
we'll known for high character and honesty.
This committee made q report to the Con.
vention which set cut the fact that in the
years 1865, 1866, 1867 and 1858, 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 sum, as 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
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 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
generally paid with one-third of the crop,
{ They conclude by asking the Federal Gov.
erDment 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
L set aside as q perpetual school fund for the
eOuChGlOB OF CH0 COlOTou pcUplos anu tnht
= the remainder be returned to the original
o parties who paid the tax or be devoted to
It the education of the white children of the
= State, as the General Assembly may deter
= mine. Although the whole subject was
% finally laid upon the table by close vote,
N as involving matters not germane to the
r, object of the Convention, it is interesting
10 to notice the warm argument it ELECTED, and
g. the unanimous opinion of the Committee,
aa and of the Convention that the tax was
a illegal and oppressive and should be re-
= funded to those who paid it. All of those
ID who opposed the report, did 30 upon the
ground that it was hopeless to expect relief
from Congress. But why is such an expec-
An tation hopeless Is there any reason why
money improperly collected by the Gov
Is have known ofinstapces in which merchant
ii have had hundreds of thousands of dollar
returned to them by the Customs Depart
# ment after Illegal levies. If imposts, erro
I'll neously or illegally collected, can be re
-. stored to individuals, why cannot excise
CHI illegally imposed be returned as readily
Certainly the amount involved does nc
alter the equities of the case. A silk G
wine merchant of New York is able I
employ Mr.. Evarts TO sue and recover b
,r; overpaid or Illegally collected duties, br
the Impoverished cotton grower of ALI
,ss bama is not able to prosecute his claim.
100 does not comport with the dignity an
de honor of the Government to force eat
an an petty cotton grower into court and the
nv plead the statute of limitations upon hin
les We hope Congress will meet this questio
nat Just as an honest guardian would meet
ust claim upon himself for money collecte
ns' erroneously or illegally from the estate o
his ward,