The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-03-06

guilt? Perish such a thought,
even If il does come from a South
ern Democratic Governor surely 4
these are MT tho sentiments OF tho
Southern Democracy; ~ so, ] have
never understood them. The war is
over, war issues and sectional pas
sions should he-dead. Whether-
tho Federal Government should
indemnify us or not for the dcstruc-
ton done by that Government du-
ring the war is a question between
our State and the Federal Govern
meni, and certainly not between our
creditors and Federal government.
II we claim indemnity for property
destroyed during the war. this in
lemnity should come ~ the indi-
vidual owners oil the property aud
not 10 the State in its corporate ca
mcity Ii the Federal army de-
s.rOyed 81 900 worth of property
tor me, for which / am entitled 10
receive indemnity, this should be
gwen ~ me AMI not applied in pay
ing the debt of the State. or In the
nature of a set Oh for the States
benefit. What good would IL do
me for some men. some OF whom
have grown rich during the war, TO
tie reli. we'd nom taxation by theap-
preparation on tie part of the
State of what belonged TO me, as AIN
lindividua, il il was due 60 hnyone2
| Bat, as ] said before, let all war is
sues be banished from our midst.
As we denounce those in the North
ern States who wave the ''bloody
shirt" let us scorn 10 untold 10 our
selves.
Gov. Marks asserti n--'that all
Of the property purchased with the
proceeds OF this vast debt, except
the Capitol and Hermitage. has
gone into the hands OF the Federal
Government, the bondholders and
the railroad companies, while the
State has nothing but the debt aud
the obloQuy resulting rom her lea.
pility u pay IT'S not sustained
by the facts What Is the pecunia-
~ condition OF Tennessee even now
,fter all our losses, compared with
what IL was in 1852 when the 6rst
NH granting State aid TO railroads
was passed, under which and its
amendments DOuAlb Mtit lh-Mth W
the amount of Sl4 263OOo. prior 70
the war; At that time the en-
tire taxable property of the state,
including slaves, vas Sls6,62I.ll9,
and 1t was in 1878, not including
slaves, $223,2l2. 1853. Although the
negroes are not included 10 the esti-
mate of taxable property they are
here as free laborers and contribute
TO the productions of the State and
that is why the productions, in
stead of being less now than they
were in 1852, ale so much greater,
as | will show hereafter. by the
influence OF the bonds issued from
1852 to 1860, Ivy Cows. Johnson
and Harris, AID the railroads huilt
by them, the taxable property OF
the State increased ia eight years e
from $IS6,G2l, ll9 TO $3.50. Ol sos.
which was more than two hun ired
millions of dollars. From 1886
until 1852, the property Of the
| State only increased 500 Ov0, 600, iu
GLIDING slaves aud other personal
property, whereas IL increased over
$500. 100000 within the eight years
after they commenced building The
railroads by the issuance and sale
OF State bombs, and even with all
our war losses, with the deprecia
ion of property caused by the re-
turn Of specie payments and with
the exemption OF $l 900 worth or
property IN the ha-ds OF eich man
rom taxation, the amount of the
taxahle property Of :he State IL
$3zOOO,OOO more than IL was 10
1852, and 64.O0O,0O0 more than II
1850. The value OF taxable prop
erty declined from the year 1886 10
1916, $4367. III. The value of
land was, in 1886, 81 per acre, la
1916. SO Oh, anG now il is $500.
The productions of Tennessee in
1860 amounted 20 $3.50 per head,
and in 1870 they were $50. The
true value OF property, a shown by
the census oil 1860 iuclud ng slaves,
was 100000 and n 1870 10 was
$49S, 100000 That was Ia flush
times, caused Dy the excess OF
greenbacks. Now IL has been re-
duced by return OF specie pay
ments and sound currency What
the true value Is. We have no
means of knowing, hut il is much
over the appraised value, which
does not include the $1,000 exemp
ton.
EFFECT OF Low TAXES AND REPUDIA-
TIoN.
Low taxes do not benefit men
who have no taxes 10 pay. Taxa
ton is paid by the property OF the
country, except what is raised from
privileges. IL a man owns property,
whether it yields any Income or
not. he has 10 pay taxes on IL
The taxes are paid out Of that por
ton of the productions belonging
TO the land owner or out OF the
rent coming to him. and not out OF
the productions belonging % the la.
borer The price Of landront apd the
price OF labor do not depend IN this
country upon tho rate Of taxation.
This is most conclosively shown by
the history of our own State within
the last five or six years. state
taxes are lower than they have been
IN 30 years, Except in ls6O). and
vet never we're laborers more poor
" paid and never did they find itso
difficult TO get employment, and, at
the same time, they have as much
TO pay for the rent OF land as when
taxes we're six times as high.
n all State taxes were removed the
poor man would not be benefited;
in fact, by the destruction Of conf
dence, times would be made much
harder and wages reduced In States
where the State taxes are MUCH
higher than in our State the labor
ing men are much better of and
are obtaining more rcmunerative
employment Reputation runs
poor men, and IL IL benefits any, p
which / deny, It can only be the
large taxpayer, and the apparent
benefit 70 him is delusivc The
poll-tax is not applied & the pay