Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-29
Deb, and Taxation in south Carolina.

The newspaper accounts of the corrupt carpet
bag rule in South Carolina have no doubt con-
WINGED most people that the state is almost
hopelessy encountered by an unprecedented
load Of debt and taxation. Definite figures
have indeed been wanting, but vague tales OF
enormous corruption, of profigate expendi.
ture, Of intoerable taxes, driving even order
loving and public spirited citizens into violent
resistance, and making reputation seem al
most necessity Of self defence against the ex-
tortions of the rapacious carpet baggers and the
Ignorant and INSCRIPTIONS negroes, are alum
dant No doubt many negro legislators and
officials are ignorant, and some carpet baggers
are corrupt and grasping; no doubt much
money has been wastefully spent, debts have
been needlessly incurred and taxes levied, of
which the state has not had the full benefit
Such things occur in other states, and it would
be strange, under the peculiar circumstances
of the case, if they were not rather more fire.
quent and costly in South Carolina than in
those states where the social and political order
has not been so violently convulsed.
1t would not be very surprising to learn that
the debt of South Carolina is much greater in
proportion to her wealth and population than
that of the New England states, for example,
and that taxes were higher there than here. The
late census gives the means of making the COM
parison, which has not before been easy. The
effort has been made and, il is believed with sue
cess, to prepare a table of the wealth, taxation,
and public Indebtedness of the United States,
and ofthe several states and territories far more
exact and satisfactory than the country has ever
received before. The New York Nation has re-
ceiyed an early impression of this table, from
which it presents some extracts, showing, among
other things, the rate of taxation for every thou
sand dollars Of property at the real, not the as
sessed valuation Of each state, the rate of taxa
ton per head of the population, and the ratio OF
public debt to population. From these tables
we find that the rate of taxation in South Caro-
lima is $3.50 on the Thousand dollars, little
more than in Massachusetts, where it is S11 IS
on the thousand, and somewhat less than in
Maine, which pays S15.36 per thousand dollars.
OF course, in state where the people are fewer
and poorer, the rate of taxation, other things
being equal, would naturally be higher, and the
difference between Massachusetts, and South
Carolina in point of taxation is not greater
than might be expected, from the facts that our
people are considerably more numerous, and
their property gives an average of S1463 to each
person, while in South Carolina the average
wealth is only 1926.
When we come to consider the average rate
OF taxation for each person the advantage is al
together with the southern state. We paw on
the average 1910 each, and they only 1892
Our public debt, state and municipal included,
is S47.49 for each person, while that Of South
Carolina is S1S.5S. OF course we do not mean
to say that South Carolina is as well governed
as Massachusetts, that its finances are as wen
managed that it has as much to show for its
money expended, or that its people can as east
ly pay their lighter debt and taxes as we can
our heavier ones. But we quote these figures
TO show that republican rule in that state has
not been such deplorabe failure as has been
represented, and that the misconduct of public
officers has not been so disastrous, or the public
burdens imposed upon the people so enormous,
as TO justify or excuse the resort to rapine vic.
leuce and murder as eorrectiyes of the public
morals, Or as the warning and menace of mi
norlty, rendered desperate by an intolerably cor
rupt and oppressive rule