Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-03-23

3 inspection. 81
Observation-Disclosures oocoo6
CAPTAIN MUSHBACH'S LETTER.
Last week we published a defense of
the Tax Inquisitors law from the pen
of Capt. Geo. A. Mushbach, of Alex
andria, copied from the Alexandria
Gazette. Capt. Mushbach has now
written us direct an article defending
the law and in criticism Of our position
against the law. 1t appears in another
column. His defense, as we have said,
is the ablest we have seen, and in fact
about the only one. On one point in
issue we are agreed, and that Is our
desire to make taxation equal and
uniform. But we hold that the laws
of Virginia were already ample for
that, or a little extra power given our
commissioners of the revenue or a lit
tie prodding up of them would have
made them ample. We do not believe
a law which thrusts On Virginia 118
new officers at a cost to the State Of
$118.00O is defensible from any stand
point. If such law is essential it should
have occurred to somebody before the
State grew to be over 1875 years old,
and have passed many years ago. AS
usual Capt. Mushbach, while his arti
Gle fairly bristles with assumptions,
accuses us of ''substituting assump-
tions and guesses for conclusions"
yet he in terms says that the Legisla-
ture could be relied on, on account of
this law, to reduce taxes elsewhere,
and that this bill was intended to be a
preliminary step to that end. This is
assumption and guess work only. The
money which this bill will raise has
already been spent in increased sala-
ries, and in other wasteful legislation.
To see a reduction of taxes in the bill
is to look furGher into the ''grOunds of
the tea cup" and to have summoned
more "sublunary spirits" than We be-
lieve ourselves capable of, or anybody
is capable of, unless it be our friend
Capt. Mushbach. This law was pass
ed to meet the increased expenditure
OF the present Legislature, and not to
reduce taxation; the Legislature had
to do something. Taxation has a his
tory similar to that of Offices, and Off
GERS salaries, it never grows less, an6
range in prophesy, he will pardon us
for this one utterance, which is, that
he, nor his children, nor his children's
children, will live to see the day wher
taxes in Virginia will be reduced. We
are not against the objects of the law
they are just, but we are against THIS
LAW because it saddles on the State
lis new officials who were not needed
because it is the outcome of Legislative
extravaganza, because it gives no lie
lief to the lands which are already tot
heavily b%urdened, because unnecessary
taxation is unjust taxation, because
it will tend to keep capital out, ant
drive other capital out of the State
and if it be that it was not legally
passed we would oppose it on thai
ground, if no other. We oppose al
laws which are not laws. We regret
that Capt. Mushbach's argument il
q not OH the highest plane. He, we sub
NIT, but say it in the Kindest spirit
sirops to what he would call demagogy
n others, when he undertakes to array
class against class, as he does in the
following sentence: 1--WE do find
however, that the opposition is contin.
ed almost wholly to Chambers of Com
merce, Boards of Trade, Bank people
capitalists, aggregations of wealth
: generally, and persons who nave either
retired from trade with a competence
or were never obliged to engage il
trade; and no one sees more clearly
that such is the fact than the Mar
with the Hoe" If these scare or are
necessarily in the wrong, the gold
standard which we understand Capt
Mushbach favors, ought to be wrong
because Chambers of Commerce, &c.
all favor that. What is sauce for the
goose ought to be sauce for the gan.
der. He handles his subject well, not,
however, without assumption and by
pothesis, hence he does not dispeI
doubt. He sees no certain evidences
of reduced taxation, because be bases
this theory on his knowledge of the
average Virginia Legislator, and oul
knowledge and his or this point differ
We do not base anything on imaginary
people. 1t is safe to assume if this
controversy grows and the people dc
not become more reconciled to it, few
OF those who passed it will figure AGAR
in legislative halls. 1t does not follow
that because people cease to discuss
or denounce a law that it is not still
obnoxious. Our people are too busy
to STAY long in Il place, they pass
beyond all issues and do so quickly
as they did beyond the Land Grabbers
bill. 1t was odious and almost indie
feasible. No mar ia point now te
any material benefit to the State
growing out of it, but many can point
to where poor persons lost their homes
by it. Yet like murder, the murderer
lives and is honored, while the victim
is buried and forgotten.
A writer in the New York Journal
replying to ONE other writer in the
same paper who was telling how mucf
the English character was above tht
Boer character, stated that he wal
a mechanic, that he had done work 70,
Germans and English, and that his