The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-05-04
Republican Testimony.

t. The .Spartanburg Spartan contains a letter
from 'Dr. AVinsnith, addressed to the editor of
the Columbia Union, On the subject of taxa
tioE and the May Convention. His statements
are reasonable and conclusive, and they are
rendered more valuable from the fact that the
writer is one of those few native white persons
of responsibility connected with the Radical
party ofsthis State. Dra Winsmith says:
1t is the amount of taxes collected land not
the rate per cent. of taxation, which materially
concerns the,tax.payers. IF the rate of tt xa-
tion should not even have been higher sthan IN
former years, but should the assessors have
been goaded up to assess property at twice.
thrice, or, even four times as much as formerly
it is easy to see that the aggregate amount of
taxes will be twice, thrice or four times asmuch
as before. And this is the thing complainedof
now the taxpayers cannot be deceived.in this
matter, and they feel and comprehend it in its
true light.
p see from the Comptroller Generals report
for 1856, that the gross amount of taxes paid
into the Treasury that year was s592, ,744.14,
which amount, it appears, was quite sufficient
to carry on the government at that time. But
as that was before the war, allow me to call
yourattention toreport of Comptroller General
for the year 1866, and, by reference TO which
report, you will see that the gross amount of
taxes paid into the Treasury for that year was
S4l9, ,66S.75. Under this state of facts, MIR.
Editor how can the Taxpayers fail to exclaim:
'fHow can it be possible thatif only S419, $685..
73 was paid into the Treasury in 1866, and
found sufficient to carry ON the government,
that they shall be called on to pay more than
four times that amount in the spring, and also
required to pay like amount in the ensuing
November ?" i'f 20
have heard only one reason given for the
collection of this second tax during the present
year, and that is "that the people can pay more
easily in November than in the spring of the
year" That is a great mistake, as it has been
proven, by long experience, that taxpayers can
make their payments more easily from the 1st
of March until the 1st of June than at any
other period of the year. But should the Leg
isiature come to the conclusion that these pay
ments can be more readily made in November,
Just postpone the farther payment of taxes un-
til November, 1872 and feel confident the
tax payers would be satisfied with the arrange
mcnt. Truly the enormous amount Of taxes
already collected this year will be quite sufiici-
ent to keep the government in motion until
November, 1872.
And let me beg you, Mr. Editor, not to in
dulge for moment the belief that opposition
to the payment of the November tax is only
entertained by few persons who control pub
lie opinion and the press in the several Coun-
ties of the State So far from that being the
case, this opposition is almost unanimous, and
the call for convention meets with concur
rencc of taxpayers almost without exception.
Nor is it because this proposition for conven-
ton was made by the @aChamber of Commerce" !"
or "Board of Trade" Of Charleston, that tax
payers approve of it; but because the PROPOSE
tion was in accordance with we'll matured
and fully developed sentiment of opposition
entertained almost unanimously by the tax
payers of the State
The convention, Mr. Editor will be held.
hope the delegates selected will be prudent, dis
Greet men; statesmen imbued with principles
of justice and actuated by patriotic devotion
to the interests of the State, ready to approve
the right and equally ready to rebuke corrup-
ton and wrong. oa