The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1869-06-26
even on these terms" BY reference to

/
pamphlet (supplement No. ID of the
Coz missioner Of E.p;gg Emigration ggrss:5a .s ss: 9lss?
one may getSsomc idea Of the valuation
of lands in orangeburg county at that
time. No SO from the COMMISSIONER
Register is Mr.. L. w. Dash, who offers
'twelve hundred acres, sixteen miles
from Orangeburg G. H., for five dollars
per acre in cash, or FIVE dollars and fifty
cents half cash, remainder in one year"
No. 80, Mrs. Susan Keitt, of Grunge
burg, offers "to lease for term of five
or eight years, plantation of $500
acres, l.S00 acres. of which are cleared,
rcscrving one hundred acres for home
stead, at ten ihousuud dollars per year in
gold" No. "a, MIR. S. G. Jamison offers
500 acres, 800 cleared, three miles from
Orangeburg c. H., at five thousand dol
lars" No. IS, l.. A. Wright, of Bam-
berg, offers ga lot of land in Orangeburg
county, at ten dollars per acre, cut up to
suit purchasers, or at six dollars per acre
cash for the whole, or eight dollars per
acre on time of one or two years we'll
secured" We might quote further, but
tl:is suffice to show that if lands in
Orangcburg county have appreciated
33! per cent since 1867, and no one
doubts that they have done so, then even
with the addition of 300 per cent by the
State Board, they are still much below
their full value.
Now let us sec how it is with Marion
County, which is suffering terribly at the
hands of "thc tools OF the degraded and
disgraccfal Ring at Columbia, which
calls itself the Government Of South
Carolina The best lands of M;rion
county, as returned by the County Audi
tor aud the County Board Of Equalza-
thion, averaged S327-lO0 per acre; its
meadow lands S1.9S, and its wood lands
S1.G1 per acre.
From the pamphlet cited above We
take the following: No, 81, Mr.. II. B.
Brady, Of Little Rock, Marion. offers
$50 acres, including buildings, at So 900;
also 600 acres Of unimprovcd land ut
So per acre" These lands, of course,
comprise improved and unimprovcd.
good and bad lands. A still better way
of getting Mt the valuation of Marion
county will be to compare it with the
adjoining county of Darlington
The arabic lands Of Darlington county
were returned at an average OF SG.S3-1OO
per acre; meadow lands sc, and wood
lands S4.3S 100 per acre. Surely no
other statement is needed to show that
the State Board did Marion no injustice
as compared with its nei.hbor. The
charge is made that the State Board act
ed without authority in raising the assess
mcnt. TAose who make this charge, il
they believe what they say, arc entirely
ignorant of the law. The State Board
has just as grave and responsible (, duty
to perform in the assessment of property
as the District Assessors have If the
latter neglect or fail from whutcvcr cause
to perform their duty. it is the duty of
the County Board to correct their errors.
Ii the County Boa'd fails, then the
State board must act and its action is
a Legitimate part of the assessment, and
cannot be set aside or disobcycd. 1t
does not follow by any means that there
has been in Marion or in any other
county Il wholesale system of perjury;
but there certainly has been great in,
competency on the part of Assessors.
Nor does it follow that the tax payer is
without remedy; if there is in Marion
or Orangcburg counties tax payer whose
property has been put above its true
value, let him send his statement to that
effect to the State Auditor. and we have
no doubt that the remedy will be ap-
piled. But dcnunciatioD, coarse abuse.
absurd threats of non.paymcnt of taxes,
&C are equally certain will accomplish
nothing.
Another consideration VIC would urge
upon the people Of South Carolina The
State has debt now ofover six millions.
If her taxable property is allowed to
remain at Sl15,O0OOOO, what will be
the fate of her bonds? What security
will the bondholdcr feel, that with such
basis for taxation she will be able to
meet her interest? If there has been
extravaganza on the part of the present
State government We have no defence to