Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-04-02

rac,,oa, Politics..

As the Californian found, when he
proposed 70 supply San Francisco with
water from Lake Tahoe, theory is one
thing and practice another. Men often
hold and advocate theories which they
sepudiste the moment they have an OPP
portunity to carry them into effect.
There was IN the Dispatch Of yester-
day istier from Hsrrisonburg which
called our attention to the facts men,
toned in the above paragraph. In that
town ground has just been broken for
The erection Of fouring-mill, which,
when completed. will surpass anything
in the Valley. II is TO cost thirty
thousand dollars and the corporation
Of Hsrrisonburg has agreed that
no taxes shall be levied for the
next Ave years upon the new mill.
IL We suppose the taxes in that
town to be iive-sevenths as high
ss they are In Richmond, the corpora
ton Of Harrisonburg has agreed TO give
the owner Of the mill three hundred
dollars q year for five years, or fifteen
hundred dollars in ali. To state the
fact differently, the corporation afore-
said he's decided TO make JONES,
SMITH, R0BERTsON, and the other
taxpayers in lIarrisonburg, pay during
the next Ave years fifteen hundred dol
lars TO THoMPsoN--that is, to pay
fifteen hundred dollars into the town
treasury which otherwise THOMPSON
would have had to pay into it himself.
The State Constitution provides that
taxation except as in that instrument
otherwise provided, whether imposed
by the State or by towns, shall be equal
and uniform, and that all property shall
be taxed in proportion to its value.
But this is not the point we wish to
have cleared up just now. What we
wish to know is whether any person
who fayors the. exemption Of the new
mill from taxation is on principle OPP
posed to the protection of domestic in
dustries by revenue TARIFF And
especially would We be pleased to
know whether our contemporary of the
Rockingham Register has sanctioned
the sort Of protection which the cor
poration Of Harrisonburg has deter
mined to extend on its own account to
domesti: industries?
II does not need any argument to
convince us that the town authorities
of Harrisonburg considered that there
were good and sufficient reasons moving
them 10 adopt the ordinance Of exemp-
ton Tor protection) of which we are
speaking. We waive also the question
Of the power Of the town authorities
to extend such protection to their do
mestic industries. What we desire is
that our Rockingham contemporary
aforesaid shall explain to us and to the
world how it can possibly be right to
let one industry be carried on free of
customs duties, or rather from taxes,
whilst all other industries are
taxed? We might consistently advocate
such an exemption from taxation
such protection Of domestic indus
try--by claiming that it would benefit
the whole community and much more
than compensate the other taxpayers
for the little addition that it would
cause TO be made to their taxes. We
take that ground when we claim that
the Tredegar-w Works, and the Old Do
minion Nail Company, and the Tanner
1 Delaney Company, and all other
such companies, ought to be pro-
tected by . tariff from foreign COM
petition calculated to destroy such
works. Indeed. we don't know what
Richmond and Virginia would do if
al such manufacturing establishments
were LEFT to the tender mercies Of what
the Democratic national platform al