The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-03-26
Tho Taxes,

There ia unrest. and, deep-rootede d;a.
content In the crowded city, in the uuiet
country village asid siadsf t6e Fo5f.tree
OF veeyIuprjght citizen Of the State.
The heart Of the, people is touched, |,
Their wives and Children are threatened
with starvation, or dependence upon
public charity. Aud the whole cause and
reason is expressed in one word, location
a taxation which is tantampunt to con-
fscah0n. The people have endured in
silence the oppression Of arbitrary and
unequal laws. They have seen the last
seEblance of, constitutional liberty melt
ingaway, ana havet not stricken down
the Official despots who would make a
GolRotha OF South Carolina. They have
been 'insulted and trampled upon by the
horde OF negroes and foreign adyen-
turers, whom reconstruction put in au-
thority over the State, and have con-
tented themselves with praying for de-.
Iverance. 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, 1t is proposed to wiring from the
people before next winter the enormous
sum Of 81, 100000. This is for State
and County taxes alone. The municipal
taxes would add another $1,000, 600 to
The sscocossss.
According to the last report of the
Comptroller General, the assessed value,
for taxation, OF all the real and persona!
property in the State is $1S3, ,913, 1867.
And, in all these calculations. it must be
borne in mind that, ID South Carolina,
real and personal property is everywhere
taxed at its tttN market palue, and is, in
many parts of the State, taxed upon an
assessment three and four times as oyeat
as the actual market value. The rate of
taxation for State purposes, for the fis-
cal 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, 1879, but, at the seq
sion just ended, the General Assembly
changed the time Of collection, and
made the tax Of 1871 payable in Novem-
ber next. The people, therefore, are
called upon to pay as State taxes, during
The current year, 9 mills on the dollar for
1870 and mills for 1871. The tax of
8 mills amounts to $1.647. 900, and the
tax of mills to 81, ,281, 900. The people
are required to pay for State taxes, be-
tween March and November of this year,
81, ,928, ,O00-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 1870is 8 mills on the dollar, with an
exception made in favor of seven Coun-
ties, which pay four mills, and of four
Counties which pay Jsoe mills. This
County taxation for 1870 amounts to
$619, ,047. For 1871 the County tax is 3
mills. or $549,O00 Adding the amounts
together. we find that the taxpayers are
called upon to pay, this year, the fol-
lowing amounts:
State tax, 1870. 81, ,647, 900
State tax. 1871. L, ,281, 900
County tax, 1870. .618.O47
County tax, 1871. .549, 900
4otaA. Sp4, UJ0, ,U4l
And even this amount is exclusive of
the poll tax of one dollar, which adds
$500, 600 to the general estimate.
The negroes pay no taxes-not even
the poll tax. Omitting from the calcu-
lation the taxes paid by State officials.