Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-07-09
THE TAX-QltESrIok.8 1

the State Equalization Board, ) 10
doubling and trebling the taxable
value of the property in tho various
Districts, and very strong disposition
to mako the question as to the author
ity of the Board in the matter. Tho
WHOLE, proceeding seems to bo wholly
'unconstitutional, illes gal, arbitrary and
unjust. .>-,se-~-~,.,.s-..s.. ,..
Unconstitutional: for tho State con-
stitution declares, that call property
suffice to taXation shall he taxed in
proportion TO its valuc"- H'egnl: for
the Tax law Of 1868, directs that, sall
real aud personal property shall DO
valued for taxation ut its true rutue j..
money, which in p!l cases not other
wise specially provided for in this act,
Shall be held to be the us.al selling
price Of similar property at tho place
where the return is to be n.adc."-ur-
ditr"ry: Since the State Board seem
to have acted not only without data,
but i'll the very teeth Of tl.c sworn re
turns made to the District usscssors
as provided by law--u,JHst: for what
could he more SO, than to subject the
whole property Of the District to one
general and unvarying rule Of in
creased taNa.ion-io turcc "a" to
make good the DEFICIENCIES Of ID" and
TO doublc-tax the property Of 90" be-
cause "r," has returned lis at one
half its value.
Tho whole proceeding seems to be
mons,roHs to our people who have
been SO long accustomed to the bencG-
ceut operation CT equal laws; but our
Radical rulers at Columbia scrupIc
very little at the means which they
adopt for the accomplishment of their
purposes. A certain amount Of taxes
mus: be raised by certain time, tLe
returns as given Ivy the District as
SCISSORS tail 70 pro:turc that amount !;
to direct new assessment would de-
lay the collection and perhaps not
change the result and what more
simple Or effective plan, than to adopt
the ''ru!e ..ot thumb" as it has been
cisi!cd-by few d;shcs Of the pen
add 500 per cent. TO the assessment of
OHangcburg, add geo per cent. to the
assessment OF hcrshaw and Marion
add $50 per cent. to the assessment
of Chesterfield and Edgcticld; 100
per cent. to the asscssmcn. of Able
willie, Grecnvillc and Spar:anbury ;
and Others in various proportions
and thus aggregate a total amount of
sl9, ,0iG,0G9 i'll addition to tho return
cd value of the real property of the
State, alone. Could anything be moro
siiGple or cfiectivc! Delicate con-
sciences might scrurlo as to the
means, but what business have State
oflcials-high public functionarcs -
to be troubled with conscienccs. "Cor-
porations have no SOULS why should
Ipublic officers have conscicnccs-havc
scruPlcs? Sulus I'cDuH suprcma icr.
Money must be raised, honestly if it
can, but at ell cvonts money, mrncy,
money! Otherwise low can the
wheels Of government no oiled, and
tho State machinery be kept in mo-
tion. These people have como for
sour goots" let them take our chattcls
also. -,
But is there no relief? Tho Spar.
tanburs Gazette says that perempto.
ry order has boon received from tho
State Auditor,to deduct from the assess
mcnt OF the real and personal proper
ty OF that District, the amount whic'
has been added. Cannot the same
pressure be brought to bear elsewhere
a rule illegal and invalid in one Dis
trict is equally SO in another-if tho
deduction DO made in Spartanburs
why not in Abbovillc or elsewhere?
Let the question be made, and the
, validity of tho law be tested. Orca
n'zed resistance would seem to be un
necessary and incxpedicnt. The
question can be as we'll made, the is
Euo as fairly presented in one case as
. in one hundred.
, TO adopt the view Of the Charles
ton Ners: "Sor should We hesitate tt
avail ourselves Of all the tricks ant
I turns Of the law in riddins oursclyc.
OF an unjust tax. Tho tax law (sec
ton 65) says that all taxes "shall bt
, payable annually, on or before the
first day of March after their assess
!, ment." 1t was intended TO make tn,
assessment early in tho year, so tha
the taxes might be due by March Is
: OF thepresent year. But the assess
), ment was not made until late in Ma,
l last, and the taxes under the law, ar,
not due until 1870. Thcro can be nj
r enforcement Of penalty, no distraint
no sale Of property for taxes, unit
J tho taxes are due, and VIC should, iik,
j to know under what section Of IN,