The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-11
CHI Es TON.
WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST II, 1sG
The Dise.se and tho Remedy.

Inc lrJuStlce Oh INC pTeSeut system VI
taxation in the State lies in the administrs
ton of the law and not in the principle upon
which the law is based. 1t is admitted on
all sides that every man shsuld be taxed
according to his wealth, and that ell prop
erty should be equally taxed at its &C.
tusl market value. The State Board Of
Equalization, however, in doubling and
trebling the assessments of the county as
SCISSORS, and taxpayers themselves, set at
naught the principle that all property
should be taxed at its actual value. In this
way the application Of the law has been
oppressive and unjust, and they who have
to pay taxes upon twice and three times
the amount for which they would sell their
property are more than ever convinced that
there is no hope Of justice for the honest
cit ssn while band Of needy carpet osg.
gers and scalawsgs control our public af-
fairs. But the action Of the State Board
of Equalization, bad as 1t is, is not the
grossest wrong Of which complaint is made.
It is hard enough to be forced to pay taxes
upon what we do not possess, butit Is harder
still when this is caused by deliberately
executed purpose Of freeing one class from
every kind Of tax stion. A letter from
santee planter, which we print this morn
ing, points out the glsring evils Of the pres
ent condition Of affairs, and hits the blet in
regard to the immunity Of negroes from
taxation.
Under the new State Constitution no poll
tax is permitted, except for educati onsl pur-
poses. The eject Of this is to prevent any
assessment for the general wants Of the
State upon negroes who pcssess NO proper
ty. But even the blindestnegro worship.
per in South Carolina will admit that near
ly every family Of colored people has some
property, real or personal. The merchant
pays taxes upon the capital employed in
his business, upon the money in the hands
Of his bankers, upon the stocks aud bonds
which he is 80 fortunate as to possess.
Every white man is compelled to pay taxes
upon every article Of his property, upon
every dollar that he has. There is tax
upon his daughters piano, his wife's watch,
and the very spoon with which his children
are fed. No complaint is made Of this. We
we're told that all our property was to be
taxed, and We know that pianos, watches
and spoons, as well as stocks and bonds,
horses, cattle and sheep, are articles Of prop
erty. But the same rule is not applied to
the negroes, and we have good reason 10
believe that the collectors in Santee are no
more careless in collecting taxes from the
oolored people than their fellow-collectors
are in the rest Of the State. We do not be.
lieve that ons-tenth Of the colored people
pay any tax whatever. They are allowed
to escape because they are Radical voters,
and the white people must make up for
their shortcomings.
In matter of this kind it is useless to
appeal to Governor Scott. de ID TOO an1'
ious for re- election to do aught that would
stir the bile Of the Union Lsague or set the
cheated freedmen against him. There is
no hope in that direction, and in one quar-
ter alone is relief to be found. These Radi-
cal rogues and thieves must be driven from
the seats which they usurp. It can be done
next year at the general elections. There
is NO other way out Of the woods. And
each fresh instance Of Radical injustice,
Radical tyranny and Radical wrong should
bind our people more firmly together, and
make them more determined to work man
fully when the time comes for the election
Of honest and Trustworthy men.