The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-01-29

STAMPS ONCE MoRE.-The operation OF the
Stamp act in this community is onerous IN the
extreme, and unjust to the tradesman. First,
he is required to take out and pay for license,
and then he is hampered with the complex
machinery of Schedule G." of the Stamp act.
After having, at great expense OF time and Ia
bor. mastered the mysteries OF this law, he
goes to the Internal Revenue Office, and asking
for stamps, is told there are none there. This
is of constant occurrence. The writer Of this
paragraph, on Monday, went to Mr.. Sawyer's
Office o procure one hundred one cent proprl-
etary stamps. ''We have none" was the care
less answer. Yet, perhaps, in the very next
hour, detective will ferret out sardine box,
or a package of infant powder, without
stamp. The case is reported to the District
Attorney, presented to the grand jury, and,
if they refuse to find true bill,
MIR. Attorney threatens to put on tie inquisi-
torial thumbscrews of challenges and test
oaths. If the jury be compliant, and find bill,
the unfortunate victim Of the Stamp act is
compelled to undergo the vexation, tie trouble,
loss of time, anxiety and expense of trial,
which, even if the petit jury shall not find him
guilty, are, nevertheless, very considerable.
But he has no security whatever that he shall
80 escape. The detective swears he found the
Jar of pickles, without stamp, in A1r. Epicier's
store. The corpus dellcti is brought into court.
Is not this conclusive? What rebuiting testi-
mony can be adduced to clear the accused?
He may be fined and nlulcted in costs, and all,
not because he desired to evade the law, but
because Mr. Frederick A. Sawyer, Collector of
Internal Revenue, is not provided with stamps
A House AND LOT FOR ONE HUNDRED AND
ELEVEN DoLLARs.-The time was when real
estate was considered the most desirable
species of property, because the most secure,
and least liable to fluctuations in market value.
The income from this species of property was
usually less than from many other kinds of iu-
vestments, but the holders accepted this lower
rate of interest willingly, in consideration of
the greater security of the investment. This
is the case in normal state Of society, sup
piled with the normal amount of the circulat-
ing medium. 1t is the case, however, no longer
in our city and State. Real estate now brings
Il m6It 6OuSs WAOsiSA ehAS 10 OMIS w 1uO
scarcity of money, or a vague feeling of in
security, inseparable from our present state of
political transition, or to both these causes
combined, we will not stop to consider. Real
estate now represents no fixed value. If offer
ed at public yendue, it may bring twenty-five
per cent. of it's former value or perhaps not
even ten per cent. Yet the assessment in the
tax book has not been reduced. And we now
hear of anomalous cases where the taxes and
insurance amount to as much, and sometimes
more, than the purchase price of the property.
No one will say that this is q healthy state OF
things. Sales, of course, on such conditions,
only take place at the bidding of the officers OF
the law. The debtor is sacrificed while the
creditor receives little or no benefit. Some
third party comes in and reaps the spolls ans
ing from this unfortunate and abnormal condi-
tion of affairs. We want relief from some
quarter. 1t cannot be to tho interest OF the
community to have property sacrificed in this
manner, and pass in.o the hands of few NOR
CHESS Shylocks. We Will give case in point.
Yesterday the Master in Equity sold house
and lot in Mount Pleasant for $500. The lot