The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-04-01

the public tnemiea Of both races
in this State-best described as
carpet-baggers of the Eggleston-
Stringer faction-are in the habit
of resorting, in order to create
discomfort among the blacks, and
TO torment discord between the
races, so that, in the excitement
of the quarrel, they may be en-
abled to seize the public offices
for their own plunder-is to mis-
represent the laws IN force for
the collection of taxes.
1t is fayorite device of the
Pilot, the organ of this faction i.
And we observe that Gen. Butler
has been SO far misled by these
misrepresentation, as to use
them in support Of the pending
bill to set aside the present Mill
tary Governor and establish the
odious Convention as the supreme
authority of the State.
We propose to expose these
misrepresentation. The sub
stance of them all is that the law
discriminates against the color
ed man." lie is the hobby on
which these cunning agents of
mischief hope to ride into office.
Says the Pilot:
For example, the colored man with
not dollars worth of property in the
world, save, perhaps. the few buds he
may have scraped together as house
hold stock, is taxed upon his head two
dollars by the State
Now, will it be believed, that
this is purely a fiction, and that
the law itself makes no mention
of, or discrimination, whatever.
concerning the colored MANI
1t treats all precisely alike. The
act of February 1867--the latest
passed-prescribes that "O'e each
and every male inhabitant Of
this State, between the ages Of
twenty-one and fifty-fveyears the
"sum of two dollars shall be col.
lected as poll tax applying to
white and black alike-and SC
the same rule is observed through
out. The poll is the same /; the
tax on property the same the
tax ON the production Of cotton
the same $50 cents a bale,) nc
| 7
matter who is the producer.
The Pilot continues:
"And by a convenient legerdemain
under the system we are considering
the poor mans tax of t,co dollars i:
multiplied for county purposes, etc.
untH in some counties it is knOrn to haU'
reached t,centy-sir dollars, and the MAI
did not own so much rs chicken, anC
nothing outside the scanty household
buds we have before named"
Now, we meet this statement
that " in some counties a tax Of
twenty-six dollars" is levied or
persons owning no property, witt
an emphatic denial. We NEAR
that no such tax is authorized BY
law and if it has been collected
the Collector has been guilty o.
malfeasance in Office. We, there
fore, challenge the proof. Give
us names and specifications :
Who arc the Collectors ? Who
are the persons wronged? AND
where the Counties ? We insist
on an answer to these interroga
tories. The charge has been made
repeatedly, and in the name Of
the public, we have a right to re-
quire the proof or retraxit.
The charge is contradicted by
the official records in the Audi
tors Office, accessible to the editor
of the Pilot if he desire to pub
lish correct information. The
highest tax on the poll, including
State and county, is collected in
Amite, and it amounts to $500.
which applies alike to white and
black. The average Of all the
counties he will learn by the same
authority, is about 81 so.
Again, says the Pilot:
And while, by the extreme vigilance
of the tax assessor, no colored man is
left off his books, by this convenient
legislation, and the law of exemption
tor having served in the Confederate
army, but comparatively few white
mems names find their way on the
the books, and therefore, pay no tax,
while the colored man is made to pay
to the last farthing.
1t is true there are some dis
abled persons exempt from poll
tax, but there are no exemptions
whatever from tax on property.
AS for the statement that the
names of but few white persons
are recorded on the Assessors
books, it is too absurd and too
positively contradicted by every
mans experience to require at
tention: Taking this absurdity
as the basis, the Pilot arrives at