The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-09-16
THE DRUMMER TAX.

1 Va O<s$A VA
ma demand the repeal of the drum
mers license tax and declare it to be
barbarious import upon trade.
Its unconstitutionality is plainly
apparent when once the subject has I'M
dergone the necessary investigation
end consideration.
The federal guarantee ofequal priv
ileges and immunities in each State
of the Union to any other State is the
clear and comprehensive exposition
of the principle which found effective
instance is the veto of interstate GUS
tom houses, while the State and Cong
ress are alike prevented from levying
export duties, establishing slavery,
disarming the people or otherwise
encroaching upon their reserved
rights. The States were to be pre-
vented from practicing serious injus-
tice, especially upon those not repre-
sented in them, and from building up
| local or sectional walls which would
prevent the American people from
growing together with equal rights
everywhere.
This troublesome guard against
State sectionalism, local monopoly, GU
pidity and possible bigotry has not
yet been challenged in everything,
and perhaps there are directions in
which its force has yet to find original
exemplifcation.
State Constitutions are uniformly
liberal in some matters, but were one
or more of them otherwise the immu-
mites of citizens OF other States would
not necessarily be limited by the rule
ola State bill of rights. They might
claim to carry with them degree
of immunity enjoyed in their own
State in any matter not detrimental
to the peace and security Of their new
neighbors, and then surely in such
matters the home citizens might claim
the immunities enjoyed by the sojourn-
ing citizens on the principle that ev-
cry intendment of the constitution is
in favor of freedom. But whatever
obscurity there may be as to the radi-
ating power of liberal institutions and
personal rights under the federal
constitution, the material point of at
tempts to obstruct interstate commerce
by tax discrimination has been reach
ed and passed upon a number of
times in such forms as to make a strong
chain of decisions. About these deci-
sions The SENTINEL may have more
to say at another time, and we are
content to refer briefly to the lesson
last year given to the Michigan au-
thorit1es, which case was called to the
attention of The SENTINEL's readers
at the time.
The decision of the United
States Supreme Court goes further
than most similar decisions ,and affords
hope that not merely actual discrimi-
nation between citizens of the State
and other citizens will upset an inn
port, but that no power exists in the
State to prevent citizens of other States
for reasonable exercise Of their bust
ness under the sham of taxation, pur-
posely made oppressively high to have
prohibitary effect, even if such OPP
pressive taxation be uniform upon res
idents and travellers
1t is settled that States cannot regu-
late interstate commerce even if the
regulation conforms to the lowest
rate ofany Of the States through which
the commerce extends.
When the question is finally argued
out it cannot fail from being discover
ed that the States can not in any way
whatever, tax drummers from other
States. If it shall come to that, the
States will consent to let their domes-
tic drummers go free and that will
be indeed happy consummation, the
removal of what is now a barbarious
import upon trade, veritable ratchet
wheel to impede the growth of our Gin
FAINT industries . which if encouraged
by all the means in the power of oul
legislative law makers, would become
in every case large manufacturing
concerns, giving employment to hun
dreds of men, women and children VIII
otherwise might remain in squalo