The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1868-07-15

ZetS Ill TulS'nR money 10 meet TINS uelnNnd
Of tho State. Whenever taxation I ccomes
thus oppressive upon q population its inau.
| cncc cannot bu: prove disastrous. because
II tends first to decentralization, TO dishon.
esiy, to the making Of false returns; and
secondly, IT. is calculated TO drive from the
State valuable portion Of the community,
| TO seek other localities where the remune.
| ration of labor and capital is not paralyzed
by such heavy burdens.
| The expenses Of the Convention, aud Of
| the present session of your Legislature
| whose )abors cannot. in justice to the yari.
GUS changes proposed in the new Constitu-
ton, be terminated short of four months
WILL of themselves, add to the expenses of
the State not less than / wo hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. The judiciary sys.
TEN, which you are required, under tho
Constitution, to put into operation, will
prove much more expensive thun that which
now exists, and add TO these burdens.
TO illustrate the expenses of grand
Jurors for the city Of Charleston, and for the
country, assuming that they arc occupied
by three days at each term, will be Sl3,32l.
For petit jurors for the Court Of Sessions
three terms of the city and country. assum.
ing average Of five days per term, $5l ,8i8.
For petit jurors for Courts of Common
Pleas, city and country, two terms, five days
per term, $34 $50 making q total cxpcndi.
ture for Jurors alone, under the new Consti-
tuition, Of $99.224.
The whole expense for jurors and consta-
blcs for the year ending lst October, 1867,
(Hnd this includes them for the District
| Courts,) amounted to only SI2, ,202 S8;
showing necessary increase of expense for
this service alone OF S5G,03l.l2.
This evil may be obviated to some extent
| fun IL, 4. r..
els not exceeding eighteen in number for
grand jurors, and twenty four petit Jurors,
with authority to supply the deficiency at
the term of tho court, should there be any
| by drawing tales Jurors.
| The expenses Of dieting prisoners will
not bc less than 500, 900; for continuing the
construction of tho Pcnitcntiary and for
guarding and sabsisting convicts, not less
than $50 1000; for salaries, according 10
estimates, $4,000; for contingent accounts,
$4,000; for public printing, $4,000 for
contingent fund of the Executive Depart.
mont, $4,000; for the Lunatic Asylum,
$50, 900; for the University, $4,000; for
-laims against the State, $4,000; for other
expenses, ordinary and extraordinary, $40
O0O; making sum total rf S476, 224 TO
which add for expenses, of the Legisla.
laturc, $l5O,OO0; for deficit the present
| y .
ing October /, 1863 100000 dollars; and
1891 ,414 4.59-being the Interest on tho
State debt duo lst October, 1868 the
amount 10 be raised by taxation will reach
the enormous sum Of 81 ,057, ,63S. 50, without
one dollar being appropriated for free
schools.
TO redeem tho Bills Receivable, which
may TIC outstanding on the lst day Of Octo.
Der next, to pay the interest upon the State
debt which may be duo at that limo, and to
furnish sufficient funds to carry on the opo
rations Of the State government until tho
taxes may be collected in the spring Of 1863,
recommend that 100000 dollars be Dor.
rowed by tho State upon bonds, provided
the bonds can be disposed of at no greater
discount than twenty per cent.
II is now believed by the financial officers
ofthe State, in which opinion concur, that
the tax order of Gen. Canby, together with
the tax levied by the Convention, will not
realize to the Treasury more than 1916, 900.
There is one striking and even alarming
fact with reference to the pcouniary anl
financial condition Of the State, to which it
is here proper to advert. Notwithstanding
the order of Gen. Canhy provided for moro
particular and accurate assessment ofrcal
estate the present year, than has been made
| heretofore, revision Of the assessments
shows very considerable declne in tho
value of all real estate and town property
Lands in the country are worth from fifty 10
ono hundred per cent less than they were
on tho lst of Septcmber, 1865 Nearly as
great depreciation exists in the villages,
town and cities of tho State, especially
where the lots are not yielding rcnts. The
above estimate. which it will be necessary
foryo to provide for, embraces only the
ordinary expenses Of ie State governments,
and docs not include the amount necessary
for free or public schools Ifthe taxes Of
the present year proved oppressive to all
branches of industry in the State, and yield.
ed but three hundred and seventy five thou
sand dollars, tho expenditures of the noxt
year should, if possible, be curailed by the
reduction Of salaries and otherwise, so as
not TO exceed that sum, exclusive of tic
interest on the public debt.
By the new Constitution tho poll tax Is
requi: ed to be appropriated exclusively N
educational purposes; and, under the cir
cumstances, it would be unwise, in my judg-
ment, to appropriate any other sum.
Tho taxing power is always delicate
one to manage, and is invariably regarded
by the tax payer with jealously. In tho
recent polit;ca! changes that hare occurred.
the fact cannot be denied that tho Goneral
| Assembly are the representative of O very
inoonsiderable proportion of the property
holders and Taxpayers of the State. Tie
colored population, who constitute tho largo
majority Of voters. have little property and
yet all the expensive machinery of courts,
juries, jails and the Penitentiary, isas much
to give protection TO their porsons and pro-
perty as to the taxpayer himself; and IL
would seem to be only right and proper that
some portion of this burden Of taxation
should be borno by this most numerous clase
Of society. If the General Assembly, re
gardless Of these views, should levy The
entire tax Of the State upon property, Il
would necessary lead to much dissatisfaction
and discomfort among the class thus taIec
very many of whom arenot only prohibi
ted from filling any official positions in th,
State, but are actually excluded from III,
privilege Of tho elective franchise.
/ 10 be Continued.
The Troy Times relates the following
instance Of longevity: A gentleman
who lives or Ida Hill informs US thai