Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1891-03-26
The DIRECT TAX REFUR0.

kNt Ci4At- int NlkNth tGAFc ftAh
under the act Of Congress IN
1861, and the release Of that tax
not collected aud paid. that the
subject is not understood and
therefore state the following
facts IRON which il appears to
me that the people of Mississip
pi and especially the land own
ers have no right to complain a:
the act recently passed by Con
gress.
In the year 1861, Congress
passed an act levyiBg on the
lands in all the States a tax Of
twenty millions of dollars to de
fray the expenses Of the war,
which was in pursuance of the
Constitution If the United
States. provided in such eases,
divided among the States, ac-
cOrdiug to the population of
each. .ost If not all the nor
ihern states. paid this tax out of
the money in the treasury of
their States respectively. but in
the southern states il could only
be collected of of the land own
ere as the Federal government
obtained control Of;be couEtry.
la some states more and in 9TH
ers less was collected by the
commissioners OF the United
States appointed for the pur
pose None was collected in
Mississippi until after the close
o. the var. The amount assess
ell on the lands ia this state as
: remember, not having the act
Of Congress before me, was
s&St000.
Some time in the fan Of ,76-j,
the President appointed DR. g
4 Sykes of Aberdeen, Judge
Able Anderson Of Jefferson
eOunty aud a gentleman whose
name 10 not remember but
who was a General in the Fede
raj army from Pennsylvania,
commissioner to collect this
tar, and who commenced col
leeting the same IN some OF TIE
counties in the south western
portions of the state, bat who
as | remember had not made
any sales Ny recollection -
that they had collected some
thirty or forty Thousand dollars,
when the C election was stop
ped under the following circnm-
stances. 4 went to Washington
a few days before Congress met
on the LIST Monday ia Deeem-
Der lc6j. TO use what influence
I eOuld in getting such Iegisla-
iiOa from Congress as might re-
Iieve the people OF the state
from the embaTTaSsmeBts then
} surrounding Us, aud also in Sc
curing the Judicial position
which | have since held
| learned that the collection
OF this tax at that time would he
ruiz Gus on n large portion of
the citizens amt land holders.
To relieve them | drew up Pc
. ton ia my own name Ia their
! behalf. setting forth the eOndi
ton of the citizens of the state,
and stating that the collection
OF this tax at that time would
have the effect of transferring
large portion of the lands of the
state and especially that belong
ing to the many widows and or
plans. many Of whom had been
made so by the results OF the
war, to mercIless spectators.
aud the effect Of which would
; be to still further depress the
energies of our people, and be j
public cnrse. / also prepared a
bill to suspend the further col
lection of the tax for two years.
aud until further legislation by
Congress. | went berore the
!. Joint Committee having this
subject in charge, and made the
best presentation of our eOndi
ton that | could. Gov. Kirk
wood of the Senate. was chair
man who said he was i'm favor Of
the bill, ond wOuli oppose tax
ing from the state any part of
this tax. that If it ever should
be collected he would favor do
mating il TO the state for educa-
tIonal purposes, and in which
the other members of the CON-
mittee eoncurrad.
Gentlemen there looking after
the interests of other southern
states, Earning what vas being
done, requested the bill to be
so as to embrace all the uaeol
lected tax under tais assess
. mept The bill was SO framed
ana passed in june following,
but the collection was suspend
ed upon the presentation first
made on behalf of the people of
this State, since which time no
, part of this tax has been collect
ed Some time afterwards | 10
not remember the dote an act
was passed providing that what
ever sum WAS standing TO the
credit of any of the states de-
linquent in the payment of this
direct tax, should be placed as
credit on the direct tax due
from such state to the United
States.
The bill recently passed by
Congress, refunds 20 the states
respectively the tax Maid hV