The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-07-10
THE STATE TAXES.
THE STATE TAXES.
THE TEMPER AND PURPosEC OF TIE PEOPLE,
Spirit OF the Country Press.

Spirit OF the Country Press.
The following extracts from articles in the
State papers on the subject Of taxation justify
the anger of our people, while they shiver te
pieces the chief statements made by Governor
Scott in his last long letter.
f. FAIRFIELD ADVISES RESISTANCE.
The Wlnnsboro' News advises the people ''tc
nay only such q portion Of the tax as the
real value of the property calls for, and carry
the question to the courts" It says further:
There is not even The appearance Of justice
| in the present manner OF assessing the value
or property, The Board Of Equalization can
tax just as they see fit, If they can exercise any
| such power, as they have presumed to do IN
Orangeburg, as raising the assessment 800 per
cent, Under that decision the house OF gen.
tIeman returned by him at 5000. and surely
that is high value, will have to pay tax on
have been anxious to get 81 an acre, has been
assessed by the County Auditor at $6, to which
50 per cent, or g. has been added by the State
Board OF Equalization, making 20 per acre IN
all Is this Justice Another tract OF land
belonging to the estate OF N. Wrick, was re-
turned at 500, at which price it had been sold,
| and which those who are acquainted with the
naked old field say Is m )re than its real value,
has been assess I'd at $500.
And inst 40. there are thousands Of honest
men who have made fair return OF their pro-
perty, who forsooth, are to be doubly and
t1Iply taxed, because suspected it is that
many others, impoverished by misrule and
moDgrel state government. h.ve not u.Ias returned
Reuse to pay. Trust to the future for q
remedy.
SUMTER APPEALS TO THE coURTs.
In Sumter the feeling is very strong. The
News says: - -.
But the question is as to the remedy. Should
this tax, based upon q fictitious assessment,
be quietly paid-without effort to mitigate
tina vrongp We answer .emphaticallyl in:the
negative. Let this be quietly paid, and it
would but be accepted as license for the Inn
position Of yeSmore unrighteous and excessive
demands. ..a..... i,-siJ-rtj =,
. We believe that the proper course was de-
termined upon, go far as the present is CON-
cerned, by The meeting of taxpayers on Mon
lay last at the courthouse. A committee vas
appointed to wait upon the authorities, care,
fully and truthfully to represent the facts. and
AJAX An abatement. Should the committee fail,
however, in securing relief, then appeal to the
judiciary was determined upon. We believe
this TO be the true course. The opinion has
been expressed by legal gentleman thstf under
existing authority, the present tax cannet be
forcibly collected previous to March next, ana
dence, EXPRESSED. that the decision OF the ju-
dietary would be adverse to the legality OF the
present assessment. .a'
!, spARTANBuRa cLEARs FOB ACTION.
In Spartanburg there has been great excite
ment. The Gazstte shows the way that the
| tax muddIe works. 1t says:
Nowhere in the State, We believe, have the
people yielded more ready and cheerful COM
pliance with the changed state OF anairs than
I the people Of Spartanburg. Very few COM:
plants were made with the assessments.
Property generally was assessed OF its market
able value. For months our people have been
| preparing to meet the expected demands OF
| the County Treasurer. When 1t became known
that the etate Board Of Equalization lad
doubled the assessment OF real property, the
people cheerfully acquiesced in the decision,
and sought means to meet the additional de:
mand What each had to pay vas matter Of
simple calculation. He knew the amount OF bis
real property and its assessed value ne
knew the value Of his personal property which
he had returned under oath. With these data
the calculation was simple and the total amount
due was easily derived. ith this amount In hand
our farmers came to town in response to the call
of the County Treasurer. At the Treasurer's
office. however, they found their calculations
all at fault; their real property b ad been not
only doubled but in some instances quadru-
pied, while their personal property had mystic
riously increased in valuesince they made their
sworn returns. They found Themselves unex-
pectedly much better off in this worlds goods
than thew previously had any idea OF, though
unfortunately they were obliged to pay hand
somely for the pleasing discovery. For the
first few days much grumblmg Was heard upon
our streets, and payments made under protest.
O m fnnlh
seen soliciting our merchants to 20 over their
calculations and see wherein the error lay.
Grumbling soon gave way TO righteous lnd1gna-
ton, which threatened for time TO ter inmate
in something far more serious. Wiser coun-
sells, however, fortunately prevailed, aad now
our larger taxpayers aIe withholding payme
until some satlsf lctory solution OF the problem
can be given.
FIGURES do NOT LIE.
In the mountains the people are justly in
dienant. The Walaalia Courier has an inter-
esting article on the subject Of taxation, from
which we take the following:
We show by facts the fair valuation OF our
lands. The arabic lands in Oconee we're orlgl-
nalIy assessed at 50 per acre. IN Pickens 20 AZ,
IN anderson at $6 20. in Greenvlle at $5N IN
Spartanburg at S. 81, 10 Abbevllle at IS rs. IN
Laurens at $555. in Union at s. Al, and in
% NeWberrv st 1884. DO these tac,s exhibit an
uofair valuation OF the lands OF our county ?
II SO every one must admit that the valuation
| ia too high in Ocouee, instead OF too low. VIII
| n people who have returned their aTable land
above any Of the nine adjoining counties be
likely to depreciate their Wild lands Is the
doubling OF our lands under these circum-
stances fair and impartial equalizationp We
challenge the State for better record OF ad
uaiorern reiurus. But our average value IS
below all these counties, says the AUD tor.
Lat ns show why this is true. The proportion
of acres of arabic land in Plckens to the whole
number of acres is as one to seven, in Oconee
as one TO twelve, in Anderson as one to five. in
Abbevlle as one to tour, and 80 on. Again,
Oeopee is the northwest county Of
The State, bounded by and terminal;
ing in the mountains in a northerly and
westerly direction Three miles MOI no5t5 20 OF Wa
hala we strike the mountains, and for dis.