The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-02-24
The Tobncco.Tax and Dark Tob"cc"

DANyTI.If, NA.- FtDIuhS - i'S~'
To the Editor Of the Dispatch;
| have noticed of late In the papers
articles designed to show that the present
tax on manufactured tobacco IL the chlei
cause OF the well-known want OF prosperity
among the growers OF shipping tobacco,
and therefore urging an immediate reduc-
tion or abolition OF this tax. l am heartily
In favor Of the abolition OF the tobacco-taX
for several good reasons, but not because
I think it, abolition will help the raisers OF
sbipping tobacco. take the deepest IN
terest in the shipping-to )acco region
was born and raised there, and would adj
vocate any and all measures tending to re-
store it, prosperity. But think that those
who lead these farmers to believe that the
tax is the great burden which brushes out
their life and prosperity do them great
wrong, but of course not an intcntionaI
one. They resemble the physician who
mistakes the disease OF the patient and
gives medicine either huItful OF useless.
WHY should the removal OF the tax on
manufactured tobacco help the raiserS OF
/ shipping tobacco. when almost none oil
their tobacco enters into domestic con-
sumption! All of II is either exported ~
leaf or Is manufactured for export, and III
neither ease pays any tax.
| Almost all the factories in Virginia when
supply the domestic trade work either
bright or western tobacco.
II is also worthy OF notice that both in
Virginia and the West, the shipping-tobacco
districts, whose product pays no tax, are
not prosperous on account Of the low price
of their tobacco, while those which raise IN
article suitable for the domestic trade are
| prosperous, rs is proved by the tremendous
increase in the production OF the bright To-
bacco Of Virginia and North Carolina. and
OF the White Burley Of the West.
While the production OF shipping tobac-
co has declined in Virginia, and Farmyille
and Petersburg probably do not now sell
as much tobacco as they sold thirty years
400, Danyilc. a bright tobacco market, has
/ in a few years increased its sales from
Loco, 900 or 100000 pounds to 30,0O0.0o0
per annum, and in North Carolina pros
/ porous markets have been established in
! durham. Winston. Henderson, oxford.
Reidsyile, Statewide, and AShyil'e, where
before the war the public sale Of tobacco
was unknown. There is not county in
North Carolina on a line from Warren i'm
/ the cast to BuncOmbe in the west which
does not raise bright tobacco. In my opin-
! ion, the main reason of the want OF pros
pcritv in the shipping-tobacco region is
that il continues 10 ri g IN article fer
which the demand decreases year by year
for in England and in the English colo
MES. TO large extent. and in Bremen, to
a limited extent, bright tobacco is super
ccding the old-iaShiOncd Cark tobacco Of
| Virginia.
The only countries OF Europe into which
bright tobacco has not found its way are
the regie States-France, Spain, Italy, and
| Austria-and TO these countries shipping
tobacco looks chiefly for a market. Now
all the contracts for supplying the regies
are let to the lowest bidder, and ii Is easy to
see the depressing effect OF such Il system
on the planter. The people OF the ship
ping-tobacco region will look vainiy for
| help to the abolition OF Il tax which does
not touch them. The true solution OF their
difficulties is TO cease raising an article
shown 10 be improbable, and by intelli-
gent experiment to find out something that
will pay-either some other type OF tobacco
or different crop altogether. When We
have such signal cases OF success in cXpc-
rimental agriculture rs the seed-leaf cul-
ture in Connecticut and PENNSYLVANIA and
bright-tobaccO culture in Western North
Carolina, | don't see that the farmers OF
Southside Virginia need despair Of finding
some more profitable crop than shipping
tobacco. DANNlLLE.