The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-04-12
Our Washington Letter.
TO DEFEAT THE WISHES
OF THE PEoPLE-THE BILL TO REFUND
THE DIRECT TAX, AND HOW 1T AFFECTS
VIRGINIA.

Joshua's juggling with the sun has been
ecipsed by an Alabama statesman. The |
conqueror of Al was only enabled to hold |
back the course of time for single day, |
whilst the Alabamian is scarcely content |
with week. Through his efforts, aided |
by the active co operation Of several OF
his colleagues, the legislative day OF
Wednesday last continued throughout the
week, and at this writing it IS not certain
when it will end. Not since Wednesday
morning has the flag OYER the House of
Representatives been lowered. C0nstruc-
lively the House has been in session
night and day, and for awhile this was
literally the case. Some fifty Democrats,
headed by Mr.. Oates. of Ala, Mr.. Bleck
inridge. of Ark. and MIR. Weaver, of
Iowa. have undertaken to defy the ma
iority and obstruct all legislation. Under
the rules their fillibustering tactics have
been so successful that week has been
fritted away without a step forward bay-
ing been taken,
The fight came about in this way =
On Monday, the %, Mr.. Randall made a
report from the Committee on Rules set
ting apart Tuesday and Wednesday for
the consideration of the Senate Bill to
refund the direct tax levied in 1861, ard
thereafter the remainder OF the two days
was set apart for the consideration OF
other bill or bills designated by the Com
mittee on Judiciary. Under u suspension
of the rules, the report was adopted. The
| bill provides for the refunding of the tax
collected under the act OF Congress ap-
proved August A, 1861. That act levied
and apportioned among the inhabitants of
the several States and Territories direct
tax of $40, 600, 600, and provided machine
| nv for it's collection. Under that act
and amendments thereto subsequently
enacted, The Northern States, as a rule,
assumed the amounts apportioned to their
respective inha bitants, and paid such
amounts less Is per cent. allowed by law
to cover expenses of collection and losses
in making the same.
Where the States did not assume the
collection of the tax, and none of the
late Confederate States did. the tax APP
portioned to such State was charged upon
all the lands and lots Of ground. according
to their valuation as ascertained by the
assessment of 1861. A rule was pre-
scribed as TO the proportion of the tax
which each piece Of property should bear,
and commissioners were appointed to make
the collections, Virglnia's apportionment
was 1929, 071.72, and Of this amount over
| SAP, 00O, 600 were collected from individ-
uals, a large majority of whom lived in
the eastern counties. In many instances
the comm issioners made sales of private
property. and in others the collections
were made directly from the owners of the
land. OF the $40 900, 900 assessed over
ST. 100000 were collected, New York
having paid over s., 500 600; Pennsylvania
nearly 100000, and so on. Congress
passed acts suspending the collection of
the remaining s., 500 coo. the last of which
was approved in 1868, and caused the sus-
pension up to January 1st. 1862 since
which time no effort has been made to
collect any part of it except by set-off,
|
clared to be inadmissible in all cases
wherein the States did not assume the
tax: and none of the Southern States as
sumed it.
1t has long been contended that the tax
should either be collected in full, or aban-
I doned and restitution made those who
have paid The latter has been regarded
as the juster of the two methods. and to
carry it out the bill in question was pro-
posed.
The bill provides that where the States
assumed the payment, the amount paid
without interest should be Refunded
Where. as in the Southern States, collec-
tions were made from individuals, the
amounts shall be returned to the Govern
ors of the States to be held in trust for the
benefit of those persons or Inhabitants
from whom they were collected, or their
legal representatives. This fund must
be held for the parties who paid the tax
for six years, during which time all claims
must be presented and proven, or be for
ever barred; and after the six years all of
the trust money remaining in the hands OF
the Governor shall be turned over to the
State.
AS a matter of course the Northern
States are deeply interested in the bill,
they having paid full quota. The in3i-
vidual inhabitants of some of the South
ern States are also interested especially
yNai6 1nr CT
amount of any of the citizens of the late
Confederate States, and consequently will
be considerably benefited should the
amount be refunded. But there are some
Of the Southern States, notably Alabama,
from which the chief objection comes,
which paid scarcely thirtieth part of the
amount assessed, and would therefore re.
cieve but little-some $4,000 in all
should the bill pass. For this reason, Mr.
Oates and his sympathizers determined
that it should not become law. They
characterized it as a scheme to distribute
the surplus in the treasury, and thereby
! reduce the necessity for free trade
Not satisfied with entering their pro
test and placing the responsibility on the
majority of the House. they resorted to
the most bare. faced filIibustering. Under
the rules some fifty OF sixty members may
effectualy block legislation. Mr.. Oates
knew this and made the most Of it,
The contest commenced! in earnest on
Wednesday All day long motions to adj
journ and take a recess alternated, a rou-
call being had Oh each. The session lasted
until past midnight. A call of the House
was ordered and members taken from their
beds BY the sergeant alarms and brought
before the bar of the House, where they
were. numerically guyed and then ex-
cused. At 2:30 in the morning recess
was taken until Thursday. Thursday
i Friday and Saturday the same program
was repeated go men defyipg 1856, and de-
feating every effort at progress.
Saturday morning after the first roll
call, Mr.. Oates asked if the friends of the
bill would allow three hours debate upon
it without conditions Mr.. Reed replied
that the friends of the bill were ready to
grant any time which might be required
! fora full and complete debate, desiring
simnlv that the preyious uueStinp shnnld