The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-11-29
For the Banner.
Our. Taxes.


ton to the Banner published Nov.
5,h, 1852, | recommended tic levy.
ing Il poll tax and without again enter.
ing into the argument in rxtcnse
would rccapi,ulatc a portion Of it in
connection with other recommends.
tions for increasing the revenue Of the
State. The State is now building a
State House which, fits mngniliccncr
should correspond to its anticipated
cost will be the pride of the State and
rs each and every citizen is presumed
to take an equal inter est i'll it, tapprarS
to me to be but fair and just that each
should contribute his ynutum to It's
erection.
And further the Free Srhnols have
engaged the public mind t" s"nr
rxlrllt Iattcrll aud it is evident that t.,
render any system "i public inSiIu
tinn of general utility, - muc!l lang,
amount Of Innnay must nc apnropri;t
led for that purpose than AT rl,>enl
and n,osr gladly would hail The tim,
when prHt,ica education shall br
within the reach OF every chill din South
Clrolina
AS pecuiiAry resources are indi>
pcnsnJlc to t.e existence Of i stale.
the question naturally arises VIII"
should contribute to the support q!
government?
The proper answer, which | thinh
few will deny, appears TO me to be this
viz: That nll VIII" ENJOY h" blessings
and advantages oi good government
should contribute To its support.
My own opinion, Which have
formed after mature consideration, is
that poll tax should be paid by
"every free white man who is
entitled to that inestimah!e privilege
Of frecme,l, the right Of s.Brnge.--
There is Injustice in the principle
which is at present uc,ed upon in this
State that ulan because he oAis no
property or learned profession "
stock in trade or the like, should be
excmp, from cohtr' buting one centto
the support of that government under
Which he lives myd which govcrnIncu,
would "avcngc him upon his adversary
who should dare t" rolcst hitr III any
way though said adversary should
cast his thousands into the treasury of
2 the State and he none and yet
rejoice that t he poorest citizen is under
the especial care and protection Il
State sovereignty and ! hope the time
may never come when it will be other
wise.
Tho proceedings Of our Courrs prove
TO ihemost careless? observer that our
code ofJustice is no rcspectcr Of persons
but that the rich and thc.poo alike
resort thither for protectoR or redress
and that the rich cannot oppfcsss the
+ poor with impunty,-tlat the man
OF property and the pennylcss are
Z equals tn iatD under our well organized
institutions and yet the man of proper.
Sty or :" profession " and few others
ls support The ponderous burden of gov
d ernineEs while I've who has health and
a strength and perhaps learning and
capacity to realize handsomely from
Ills individual cxerlions is exempt from
any taxation at all.
sSsfS.ftAu ny huNlOSi VI JtSll III tIllS Otltc
3 W6o42gy ,no.ftaxes, at present is con.
siderable and rs the state grows Older
and advances in commerce and manu-.
Z fhcturos the number will continue to
z increase. The overscer, the school.
master, clerks, agents for men of bus:.
ness, public officers tho flnctionaties
both Of the State and general govern
melIts, and employers in general,
! whose incomes .nsy be hundreds or
thousands as he case may be and who
inay live in comfort. perhaps ailluence
and enjoy all the blessings Of a well
regulated government and yet they
meperpay one cent into the State treas
nry--arc never called upon to offer up
& one dime Of their incomes upon the
affairs of their State which secures
protection to dii and the rigAf Of SIT
,trage to all but the an who owns All
acre or acres Of land or Hnegro OF
ale5rocs no matter whether Ills proper
W supports itself or no, or whcll.c.