The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1865-11-17
C.H.AaR.L LE S +TlZ'uQz N.
{ sIg1YAIG.' Q. q aeoRNJEGs 9 NoYHf{BERH7F1sfs.;


dir @isizahs, fJresPhit, the rxs'ueat of
direct taxesito the; General nGoVernment,.T This
requisitioaa:: .eomes @ with. = charm Bf a.
surprise upon our people," They had 6ttcen
accustomcdis TO pay ant taxes to the Govern
meht;' they wore still ,less prepared to,ee4pect
o directatax on lands :Whenrthe act was
passed, there Was hb access tothe prdceedings
offGpngssfs;; saaRS whep. therefore; apthe close
of the war, and the resumption of .intercourse;l
that we were, charged, not only.
with tax, but interest Of ten per cent. thereon,
for three years. there. was surprise; and it
were, perhaps, hot too ,huoh-to say( that it was
not agfGbable.' s"a'iii;'iiI a.
It wdsN accepted, however, dis "a necessary
incident Of ouriCondition. Our citizens were
sadly without money, and are SO yet;; but the
Commission was courteous .ahd cbhsiderate-
the case was vital; Some, at painful sacrifi-
'teb, raised the funds; s6md, atl dny' possible
sacrifice. could pof;n, and convinced Of the fact,
the, Commission did not us ittwas' nnthorized
to dc, proceed and sell; but closed their Office,
and suspended operations to. the present time.
That was an act of inconvenience to some.
Many residents. sofSheeity who had failed, up
pAe time at aa Hg lfite Office closed, to get the
money, soon aftSassEit; many away, from the
perfect suspension of: Intercourse with the
country, soon after returned, and they find it
hard ito be charged with the ten per cent.
interest which was-not paid at the opening of
the office. But; ahquestionably, much good
fesdlted- from. the act il Much of the real es
tate Of the city must certainly have been sold;
and as there were no funds among our people,
it must have been sold to persons abroad at
to- give: i've. for it: n
he;provisions Of the act under which these
taxes are olfscted are not now, perhaps, gen.
orally understoo ood.~A An act was passed in Ap-
gust, 1861, imposing a direettax of $2O, ,OOO, 900
on the landed, property of the Union, of which
the portion falling to South. Carolina, was
$S6S,ooQ.. This was. not collected, of course;
butt to. facilitate the process, another act was
passed, in the. June following, to the effect
that this tax. SHOULD be lien on the lands of
the State, and that as fast! ds the territory Of
any State in in5urrecG6n should: como within
the military occupation, of the = rGoyerpmenii,
cQmpi is ssi onefs, appointed 'eos thas purpose,
should proceed to collect the M tax * ,:to that
end, should take The valu&t long p,tbbertyas
they had bsseenmade in State assessments
OF 1872 and from sach piece Of prosperity COLI
lect that portion of the AtaSa ;Si'h awhiehproperiy
fellrte IL FROM port d8h to
the whole value Of sRaAih the Chi S istft r. and, in
add tiq9n's penalty of fiftyper eens.of said tax
The owners "of said properly have ssSty days
from the atims' the tax was! assssssssed by said
C9mmissjogpcrs iTTithin YRicL, and, NOR
paying the amount, the 'comalhiifssiSshcrs were
to advertise and sell, for tho hx, penalty and
costs, with ten. per cent. per annum paid on
said tax and if that sum ahouih not be offered.
to essiEezlhs= =prpps be Governments
for such further disposition as it might see
proper to make Pitt. At1ansy;;tine. however
+ before actual salsa the owner mi ght redeem,
upon payment Rg charges; and, after sale,
within sixty days. upon the payment of prin-
oipal penalty ard intnrssf thereon, from the.
date nf the Presidents PfRelamation, at the.
rate of fifteen; perEent per annum, and ex
pensts:' TN" ~: ::"r 80, ;::yc7 .=Jr,} e
Such are the principal provisions, rnnd. ne
cessarily they Yet bear With !sssiSyerty ssasiye upon
M SYr eitiaens but yith gj @ore, of course, upon
those fof fof lfht 'bdIEt District. Their property,
*ds burned in DeSsAA Der. 1861, and this at, "a
thHdtiaf aiabtaBfhhed idkgaee;; 1861, was not
!, ttsrj j ;srse.s,,sss estinssps, sps
fffh fffhh III; Hi;rf ff5 sM ~