The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-18
What Will He Do With II

The stick-toit policy which the obsequi-
o,s Columbia Union followed so vigorously
until its own exaggerations, and the false-
hoods of its correspondents, gave President
Grant an excuse for carrying into effect his
settled determination TO establish martial
law in South Carolina, is likely to be pur-
sued with equal etfrontery in thee expectation
that the bare word of Governor Scott and OF
the Union will outweigh the public declara-
tions of men like Bonham, Butler, Trenholm
and Shannon, and other leading members Of
the taxpayers Conyeniaa- That Conven-
tion was held because of the precarious inan-
cial condition OF the State, and because,
under a law adopted at the session OF 1870
| IL, the taxes OF two years were made pay
able within twelve months, viz: the tax OF
1870, amounting to 81, ,265,0 ,047, before March
Is, 1871, and the tax OF 1871, amounting 10
81, $50, 900, before January Is, 1872. This
question of taxation was the dominant sub
iect in the minds OF the delegates, and it
coored their deliberations from the first to
the last. A committee OF eleven was ap-
pointed to advise with Governor Scott, which
| committee consisted of the following dele
gates: NJ. c. Butler, Cadwallader Jones,
Gabriel Cannon, B. W. Ball, W. II. Wallace,
Richard Lathers, A. N. Lowry, G. A. Tren-
holm, E. ]. Scott, W. B. Smith and W. G.
Weatherley. a committee Of five was also
appointed to confer with the Governor sin
'.relation 10 the postponement OF the collec-
.tion OF taxes, to be raised in November en-
s'suing, and report upon the same TO this
Convention" which committee consisted OF
Messrs. T. Y. Simons, ". N. Shannon, Al.
L. Bonham, James H. Giles and ). P. Rich
ardson. Both com nittees made formal re-
ports. The committee of i've reported as
follows:
"The Special Com nittee directed by the Con-
veuliuu 10 CUuIer Win lue GOVERNOR W lHe
State, In relation 10 the postponement Of the
collection OF the taxes In November ensuing,
beg leave to report:
"That impressed with the conviction, under
the peculiar circumstances of the case, and In
view OF the fact that the people OF the State
are thus called upon to pay the taxes for two
separate years in one, Of the justice Of the
measure of relief proposed, they have had an
interview with the Governor, who has antho-
rized them 10 state TO the Convention, that
aohile The uario,lS Offices ioiH be open in Nouen-
Ter for the reception Of the taxes at that time,
from such of the citizens as may be then pre-
pared to pay them, yet that THE PERIOD FOR
THEIR PAYMENT WILL BE EXTENDED TO THE
FIRST OF MARCH, 1872, within which time If
payment is made no penalty will attach.
IT. Y. SIMoSs, Chairman"
And the committee OF eleven, in their re-
port to the Convention say:
''Your committee urged the inability of the
people, after paying the taxes now being col
lected, to pay second tax in November next.
His Excellency said in reply, that it had been
represented to him By well.informed citizens In
several parts of the State, that for large class
of citizens, whose taxes were small in amount,
tie month of November was more convent
ent time OF payment than any other; and he
hoped that TO this class OF our citizens the col
lection of the tax at that time would not prove
oppressive. But. yielding TO the representation
of uour committee, he requested them to report
to the Convention that he aoould authorize the
Com otroller to suspend the collection of the td1eS
IN ALL CASES WHERE THs PAYMENT THEREOF
WAS INVOLVEMENT TO THE TAXPAYERS. That
this postponement shall extend TO the first oi
March, 1872. and that the penalty for non-pay-
ment should not BE- enforced in the mean
| time
Now there is Nd Substantial difference be,
tween the two reports. The committee ol
five and the committee OF eleven agree in
saving that the collection OF the taxes oi
1871, without penalty, would he postponed
from January to March; that is, from
the time appointed by the law OF 1901 to
the time appointed by the tax-law previ-
ously in force. We assume that both CON-
mittees understood that such taxpayers as
could conveniently pay their taxes between
November 90 and January Is would be ex-
pec.ed to do so. There are not, however, .
handful of persons in the State who having
paid the taxes OF 1870 between January 10
and March l, 1871, are able, without in
convenience, TO pay the taxes for 1871, he,
tween November 20, 1871, and January 10,
1872. This proviso, therefore, was known
to be merely cautionary, and the people OF
the State prepared themselves to meet the
ax-eatherer between January and March in
stead of between November and January.
Whatever the financial resources OF the
people last spring, they are far less now. A
short crop and martial law have seriously i'll
iured all classes Of taxpayers. II there was
reason in May last for saying that the people
could not pay the tax Of lS7l, between No
vent er, 1871, and January, 1872, there is
still more reason 10 say so now And Gov
ernor Scott knows this fully as we'll as We
do. We think that, for O month or Two,
Governor Scott may have intended to KEEP
his promise. But tie crash in New York
prompted him 10 sell his .o)d aIth for green.
backs. This he has done, unless the State
Auditor, speaking in Lis nam grossly mis-
represents him. Nosqlirmins or EXPLAINING
can save Governor Scott, il his Auditor and