Year: 1871

tax It proposed to impose was too Highland,
representing the wishes of his people, he


could not support it. Let the expenses of


carrying on the State Government be re-


duced as they ought to be, and there would


De 40 difficulty in meeting the liabilities of
the State, as they become due, at a much
lower figure Of taxation than that proposed
in the bill.


Mr.. FriersOn said he was not a high or
low tax man, but was in favor of such ajax
as would be sufficient to meet the States
liabilities. From careful investigation of
the whole subject he was fully convinced
that any figure less than fifty cents on every
hundred dollars worth of property would
tall below the actual requirements of the
State. He presented an array of official
facts and figures going to show that, with
the greatest economy in the way of cutting
down expenditures, to meet the States
liabilities, the tax could not be less
than fifty cents. The State,
like individuals, had TO pay her
debts. If she refused or showed a DISPOSE
ton to shirk them, she would simply be
compelled TO pay them. What with the
old issues of the Bank of Tennessee. out
standing warrants, the current expenses of
L.
State would be compelled to raise, in round
numbers, the sum Of three millions of dol
lars before the 1st of September, 1873. Ev-
cry consideration of duty, of state
pride, of sound political economy, demands
that the State should make provision for
paying her just debts.


MIR. EnlOe then took the floor in Opposi-
ton to the report of the majority of the
committee. He argued that tax of fifty
cents would raise surplus revenue of $780,
942.O6, and submitted table showing that
thirty cents would raise revenue entirely
sufficient to cover the outstanding indebted
ness Of the State and to defray the expenses
OF the current year, and he was unwilling to
support any proposition looking to higher
rate of taxation under existing circum-
stances. The people had not had time to re-
cover from the effects of disastrous civil war
and to adapt themselves to the changed,
condition of affairs produced by its results.
The present tax of sixty cents is depress-
ing and destroying the prosperity of the
country and the people demand a relief
more substantial than is afforded them BIZ
speciOus promises and loud expressions of
sympathy. They demand a radical reduc-
ton of taxes, and we as Representatives
and servants Of the people would be recre-
ant to the trust repOsed IN us by a
eoniding constituency, if we disre-
garded their cry for relief. We
should take into consideration the con-
dition of the eountry-the almost complete
failure of the wheat crop in the State
upon which the farming interests greatly
depend for their resources; and the unsat-
isfactOry result of the cotton crop in the
State, which furnishes the farmer with cash
to pay his taxes, and to purchase his family
supplies. He argued further, that the
proposition to levy a tax of fifty cents
looked very much like proposition to re-
sumo interest payments upon the bonded
debt at an early day. BE was opposed to
making any provision for the payment of
interest now or at any stated period
in the future, and thought it should
be left to our successors. who would be
better able to determine when the condition
Of the country would warrant it. The
bOndholder should not object to waiting for
the interest on his bonds, in view of the fact
that many of them were issued by unau-
thorized and irresponsible agents of the
State, in defiance of the known viii of the
people. While he was opposed to the repu-
diatiOn of dollar of the States Indebtedness,
he thought that the people should not be op-
pressed to meet obligations of such a charac-
ter. He was as desirous to preserve the
honor of Tennessee as any member on the
floor, but did not deem it inconsistent with
the highest honor to consult our own time
and convenience as to the payment of this
but warned members not to do
a thing which might dishonor them person
ally, viz: violate the well known andrepeat-
edly expressed viii of an intelligent constit-
uency.


At the conclusion of Mr.. EnlOe's remarks
the House adjourned until 10 o'clock to-
morrow.