The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-07-30
.lFor the Dispatch.1
who Pays tho Tobacco Tax:

money for the plug, or cigars, or smoking
| tobacco goes, OF course the man who con-
sumes or buys the article pays that. But
upon whom does the burden OF such tax
fall? Some people seem to think the con-
sumner bears that, or at least imply rs mucn
by the Iangrge. they use: There IS very
high authority for the opinion that this bur-
den really falls upon the planter.
i. In the year 1867, at the time when Adam
Smith, in the University OF Glasgow, was
expounding political economy, Edmuna
Burke wrote and published work entitled
s. European Settlements in America. Anu !,
1 in the preface he says: "It was principal
view. in treating of the several settlements,
| TO draw everything towards their trade,
| which is the point that most concerns U.S.
r was about the time OF this examination
| that the means OF meeting the public debt or
! Great BRITAIN, then Of recent CT cation and OF
alarming growth, s!beSan to be discussed;
and the expediency Of imposing part OF 1t
| uDon the coIonies-the attempt to do winch
at q later time caused tkeir separation from
! the mother country-was engaging some at
teDtion. 1t was probably with this view
| that Mr.. Burke first undertook survey OF
the condition OF the British colonial settle
ments, both iusular and continental, though
his large mind afterwards took in the con-
ldltion Of all the European settlements III
America. s., 1ss rs ~
What he thought OF the ability of Virginia
TO hear share Of this new burden, in view
of what she already carried, will be found
| in volume H., PIP. 24S-'49, London edition
OF 1908, OF the above work, as follows:
- There is no commodity to which the reve-
nue., fof Great Brittany sis so much
obliged as this Tobacco. 8" 1t produces a
vast sum, and yet appears to lay but very
| inconsiderable burden upon the people Of
| England. All the weight really falls upon
the planter, who is kept down by the low
ness Of the original price.
! They have no prospect OF ever lettering
their condition, and they are less able to
endure il, as they live in general luXuriouSly
and to the full extent Of their fortunes.
Therefore any failure in the sale OF their
goods brings them in debt to The merchants
in London, who get mortgages on their es'
tates which are consumed to the bone with the
canker OF an eight.per-cent. interest. But,
however the planter may complain OF the.
tobacco trade, the revenue f1ourishes by 1t,
for it draws near three hundred thousands
sterling '-one and Il half million OF dol
lars-from this one article only; and the
exported tobacco, the far greater part OF
the profits OF which comes to the English
merchant, brings almost as great sum
annually into the Kingdom "
From us the Virglniaas take every article
for convenience or ornament which they
use. Their own manufacture does not de-
serve to be mentioned. The two colonies
Virginia and MarylanD export about So
600 hegsheads Of 5000 pounds weight"
The current home value of tobacco for
the year 1856, as stated by the Rev. James
Marcey fMemoirs of Huguenot Family,
page 402), was 26s. Virginia currency per
hundred weight; which gives S34.64 per
hogshead as the price to the planter, and
S1S7.50 as the duty to the Government, or,
as Mr.. Burke states it in another place, six
times the original value Of the tobacco. Ii
to this be added the merchants profit as
above, then the producer got only about
one twelfth part OF the market value OF
what he raised. The present United States
tax bears about the same relation to The
value OF the commodity as did the English
duty, with result to the Federal Gov
eminent which we all know. How
much profit has accrued to the purchaser
I cannot say, but we have seen large for
tunes made and powerful monopolies estab-
lshed in this way, and the strongest OF these
was able during the late agitation for repeal
of the tax to guarantee its army OF GUS
TONERS against harm or loss from that cause
which repeal, after having skirmished and
| wined and dined against it in the House, he
| did actually defeat by some means in the Sen
ate-the real battle-ground OF the measure
and did by this means beat Mr.. Tucker out
OF the field.
| As to the effect upon the poor planter,
and the resemblance between him and his
ancestor OF one hundred and twenty years
ago, il instead OF i"the merchants OF Lon
don VINO get mortgages on their estates
which are consumed to the bone with the
1 canker OF an eight-per-cent. usury" we read
".olIr own dometic merchants, who upon
a usury twice or thrice as great-and which
q defective currency forces them to adopt
make advances upon crops that sometimes
fail to pay their fertilizer bills" and then
instead OF C from us the Virginians take
every article for convenience or ornament
which they use-their own manufacture
does not deserve to be mentioned I've
read "from the Yankees, by the device Of a
high tariff, the Yirginians are made to
take nearly every article they use at two
prices instead Of one, and are prevented
from making proper efforts to relieve them
selves by an enforced scarcity OF money,
we may find the resemblance closer than
| might at first have been imagined" Indeed,
II we examine further we may concede an
advantage to those loyal subjects OF the
British crown, who, though they were
sorely put to it to pay for their Braddock
defeats and Point Pleasant victories, did
but plank down the price Of their security
in legal tenders Of their own creation
clumsy, perhaps, but sufficient. Whereas
We. forbidden to make any form OF cur
rency, are taxed to pay for our subjugation
by stamp duty, by excise. by impost, by
every form OF partial taxation which
tyranny chooses, to increas the oppression
OF a people it hates. Fl 1
It Is vain now to speculate on the faulty
which Influenced our noble ancestors to ieX-
change the constitutional government OF
England for the elective despotism OF the
Limited States. But 1t is not too late to form
combinations and alliances which will shift
our burden to the incomes which eighty
years OF pillage in peace and war has given
the capitalists OF the North. I: ttt
"A New GREESBACK sTHEoRy.-A green
back orator In Virginia has evolved q new
| financial scheme. He proposes that the
| Generate oyernments shall issue greenbacks,
which shall be loaned to the States at one
per cent, the States to loan the money to the
counties at two per cent, aud the counties
to the people at three per cent. We recon-
and this MAN To- tho Not;oxcl, - = q, =