The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-24
The Taxes.

There is unrest and deep-rooted discon-
tent in the crowded city, in the quiet coun-
try village, and under the roof-tree OF every
upright citizen of the State. The heart OF
the people is touched. Their wives and
children are threatened with starvation, or a
dependence upon public charity. And the
whole cause aud reason is expressed in the
one word, TAxAT1oN-a taxation which is tan
tamount to CoNrIscAT1oN. The people have
endured in silence the oppression of arbi-
trary and Unequal laws. They have seen
the last semblance OF constitutional liberty
melting away, and have not stricken down
the official despots who would make Col.
gotha of South Carolina. They have been
insulted and trampled upon by the horde of
negroes, and foreign adventures, whom Re-
construction put in authority over the State,
and have contented themselves with praying
for deliverance This people have hoped
against hope, and have awaited with gloomy
dignity the relief which does not come.
Their reward is that our motley legislators
are encouraged to greater crimes against
the public good. As the fruit Of four years
of obedience and peace, it is proposed to
wiring from the people before next winter
the enormous sum of 100000 dollars.
This is for State and county taxes alone.
The municipal taxes would add another mil
lion to the score.
According to the last report Of the Comp
troller-General, the assessed value, for taxa
tion, OF all the real and personal property in
the State, is SlS3, 1885,. And, in all these
calculations, it must be borne in mind that,
in South Carolina, real and personal prop
erty is everywhere taxed at its full market
oaiue and is, in many parts of the State,
taxed upon an assessment three and Jour
times as great US the actual market value.
The rate Of taxation for State purposes, for
the fiscal year 1870, is nine mills on the dol
lar. This tax is now payable, and is, in
fact overdue. The tax for the year 1871 is
seven mills on the dollar. This tax, as the
law stood, would have been payable in
March, 1872, but, at the session just ended,
the General Assembly changed the time Of
collection, and made the tax OF 1871 payable
in November next. The people, therefore,
are called upon to pay as State taxes,
during tie current gear, 9 mills on the dol-
lar for 1870 and mills for 1871. The tax
Of mills amounts 10 Sl,647, 900, and the
tux OF Z mills to s1,2s1, 900. The people
are required to pay for State taxes, between
March and November Of this year 50, 1928, OOe
more than seven times as much as the
State taxation before the war, when the
State was prosperous and the people were
rich. But this is not all. To the State tax
must be added the county taxes for 1870 and
1871, which are, also, payable between March
and November. The rate of county taxes
for 1870 is mills on the dollar, with an ex-
ception made in favor of seven counties,
which pay four mills, and OF four counties
which pay .fue mills. This county taxation
for 1870 amounts to S618047. For 1871 the
county tax is 3 mills, or S549,000. Adding
the amounts together we find that the tax
payers are called upon to pay, this year, the