The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-25
The People and the Taxes.

l The People and the Taxes.
! There are twenty or twenty-five members
i OF the General Assembly Of the State who
strive earnestly to cut down expenditures,
to defeat jobs, and to secure the passage oil
just and equal laws. But the Radicals hav:
an overwhelming preponderance, and, con-
1 scious Of their power as the representatives
OF the negro majority, they sell their votes
to th; highest bidder, and, as in the case
tof the Consolidation Bill and the Legislative
EAppropriation Bill pass every measure
which enriches them while it impoverishe.'
the white people Of the State. These Radi-
c1ls-natIve born, or foreign importations-
have, nearly without exception, no property
Esave what has been stolen. under the forms
of law, from the unrepresented taxpayers.
lis not surprising, then, that they should de-
tdrmIne to collect, in this year OF grace,
State and county taxes amounting to over
Flour MILL IN dollars. These taxes do not
fall upol the needy adventures who
make the laws, nor upon the greedy
officials who execute them. The citi-
..Jns OF South Carolina. Who own nine
iy-nine one hundredths Of the prop
erty in the State, who possess nearly all the
virtue and absolutely all the culture and
intelligence. are practically without repre-
sentation In the Legislature OF the State
This 10 a tyranny, refined torture, which
cannot png'be borne. !
In 1858 when the expenses Of the State
Govesp4sqq M Wwr 9 lssa g. taaa 1la <s5ee, ,pea tie
property of the whites was valued (and the
estimate was fidiculously low) at no less
than-sASa aeoo, 600 in gold. Now, the real
hnd personal estate is valued, for taxation,
alta far higher price than it would bring at
public bale, and yet is only set down at
sls3, 600, 900 in currency. The value OF
property p HgE ndsdea hoa $3.50 go 90
to slS3, 900, 900, bat the taxes are increased
from s5oo,oOo, in 1858, to 100000 for
lS7l. estate and county taxes for both
as7O and 1871 are made payable during the
present year. 1t is plain, therefore, that
the taxation is increased nearly ten-fold
while the basis OF taxation is reduced two
fthirds. This is the question in nutshell.
| We discounteuance now, and have always
discoantenaneed, any active resistance to
Tho execution 81 the laws Of the State. But
the problem is, Can thepeople- unrepre.
seasea whites-nay the taxes levied upon
'tthemf tits not q matter Of expediency or
i policy. Itis not antopen question whether
the whites aom pay tribute to the common
enemy. Sh months ago immense areas Of
land wsse advertised for sale for the unpaid
taxes of 1sssand 1869: In Williamsburg,
one;ssas& .pfJhe whole county was ao3bs
brought under the hammer; in Fairfield, one
tenth; other counties told the same sad tale
tof destitution and suffering. Upon the top
Of the .aspaid paid ta1essoi 1858 and ID
! 1869 come the State and county taxes for
1870 and 1871, which are made due and
payable before November aext. These taxes,
payable in less than nine months Of time,
are ~
State tax, 1870. ,647O 600 OC
State tax, 1871. l,28l, 600 O(
County tax. 1870. 6ls, ,of7 oe
County tax, 1871. ...,...."." $4,000 ot
Confscation total. .............. ,047 "
It's proportion OF this huge amount ol
money cannot We believe, be paid by any
one county In the State. In 1868 the entire
tax was slSe6o, 900. The people were com.
paratively rien, but even this tag could not be
paid. The State tax for 1869 was 81, sOl,
bat for that year the total collections were