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allusion to the sad & pregnant facts cited above in addressing You, because your residence & travel in the region referred to for two years past must have made You personally cognizant of the condition and resources of the people- The Common Council of Fredericksburg, in addressing themselves to the work of laying taxes to meet the indispensable Municipal expenditures of the Town have been forced to have respect to the impoverished condition of the population of the Town-  The Corporation of Fredbg owed a debt exceeding $200,000 contracted before [[strikethrough]] before [[/strikethrough]] the War, in aid of Internal Improvement Schemes, nearly all of this debt is owned by the Citizens of this Town and Vicinity- A considerable part of it is held by Widows and Orphans of scanty means, Yet the Common Council, tho' feeling much solicitude to procure means to pay, at least partial instalments of interest upon this debt, have not felt, that the means of its citizens would enable them to pay a tax levied for that object, up to the present time, and the Council, have been forced to confine their taxation to the procurement of means for the carrying on and maintenance of the indespensable and current Municipal operations, such as the Maintenance of the Courts, of the Police, the repair of the Streets, of the Pumps etc and the support of the extremely indigent and suffering poor - 
It will be found by reference to the Records

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-10-20 10:55:14