Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-04
A Legal ThumbscreW,,

The.act to amend the tax laws, which,
received the approval of Governor Scot5
on March 18th, was.a part of the financial
scheme by which the administration cx-
pect to make valid all their monetary
transactions and to obtain an income SUI
6cient to pay off their old debts and cur
rent expenses. BY the Validating Act, as
it is called, the bonds issued by the pres
ent government are declared 10 be a bind
ling obligation upon the. people. and tax
is required to be levied and collected suffi-
cient to pay the interest on the whole pub
lie debt. As some security that the cof-
fers will be locked fast, now that they are
completely emptied, joint resolution WIS
unanimously adopted for a constitutional
amendment prohibiting any increase of the
debt, except with the sanction of the peo-
ple A tax Of six mills was levied for
general expenses, and of two mills for
school purposes. The License Law was
conjured into existence. But these We're
not,enough, without such changes in. the
tax laws as would allow the State author
tiles to enforce the paymentof delinquent
taxes-amendmehts made all the more
necessary by Uncertainty. that a+total tax
of two per cent. for. the fiscal year would
leave thousands OF persons in arrears.
1t was understood that, up to January,
1872, over one million dollars of taxes re-
manned unpaid: This snug sum would
help to "reIieve the treasury, liquidate the
debt, and make money easy at the capi=
tai" These are the considerations which
led, we presume, to the framing of the tax
law of March -, 1872. law which will
wrench the taxes from the people, or send
their property to the hammer aState
warranty of title to the purchasers The
full force of this legal thumbscrew does
not appear at the first glance 1t requires
a plain statement Of the changes made in:
the prc-existing laws to enable the tax
payers to comprehend the desperate bold
ness of the administration.
l. Thaprovision that, when delinquent
land exposed for sale, except in cities and
villages, cannot be sold for one-fourth Of
its assessed value, the,State shall buy suf-
.fcicnt at that rate to. satisfy the amount
of the taxes and penalty, is repealed. :.
2. After the expiration of ninety days,
deeds may be made for any real estate sold
at delinquent land sales The act of 1868
forbade the making of deeds until the ex-
piration Of two years.
g. Real estate sold for taxes may only.
be redeemed IN. ninety days; instead OF
within two years; i. e. ii may be redeem
ed within thirty days, instead Of one year,
without penalty, and within ninety days,
instead Of two years, with penalty OF
fifty per cent.
4. The county auditor is required to
warrant the titles to all lands sold for de- 4
linquent taxes
5. All lands upon which any State or
county tax for 1868, 1869, 1870 or 1871,
remains unpaid shall be sold ON thesfrst
Monday in June, and conveyed in fee sim
pie without the right of redemption. I'll
no person offer as much as the delinquent
taxes and charges, the State is declared
the purchaser, and becomes IKE owner Of
the land
These provisions, as we before remarked,
point TO the conclusion that the State
Government are determined, by hook OF
by crook, TO raise money sufficient to re- 4
lievc them from all. embarrassment, and to
them. As a part q Tie programme, al
the lands in the State upon which any tax
for 1868, 1869, 1870 or 1871 remains un-
paid will be sold outright on. the first Mon
day in June To give courageto purchas.
crs, the State warrants the titles to all
land that may be sold To fustrate any
combination OH the part Of the citizens.
the State becomes the owner Of the lands
if the amount bid is not equal to the de-
linquent taxes and expenses and it is re-
quircd, besides, that if any purchaser does
not pay forthwith the amount of his bid,
the lands shall be inlz,ediately resold;; as
if no. previous sale Of them had taken
place. Charleston NcaoS. -.