The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-10-21

dicious expenditure for public purposes of a
fair percentage oi the general wealth, raised
by an equitable system Of taxation. The
fruits of such expenditure are general educa-
tion, aud general health, improved roads, di.
minished expenses OF transportation, and Sc
curly for life and property"
Taxation is not therefore an unmixed evil,
which every one should make il his duty to
avoid. The tax gatlierer isuoi, as some assert,
the natural enemy OF the tax payer
In the eloquent language oil Deems:
: do not look upon taxation rs an unmixcd
evil; the clouds that gather above us i'll the
heavens, dark as they may seem, dense as
they may he have yet their golden cdgc aud
silver lining. These clouds are tho taxes
OF the earth 10 support the great economy of
nature. They suck up the eShalntions from
myriad fields aud hillsiies; they absorb the
mists OF morning and the dews of eve: but
they do not rob tho earth, they despoil not
The meadows which they assess for through
the wonderful chemistry of the skies they re-
turn IN fertilizing showers, they are dispensed
in rivnlels aud rivers, to make the wilderness
blossom us the rose, and tho harvest fields
laugh with fatness."
EYen so, under a wise economy Of public
administration, tho revenues of government
applied faithfully, legitimately aud honestly
may return seven fold, and produce new fruits
OF general prosperity.
But says some tax payer, .. / admit the
necessity tor taxation / admit that it is a de-
sirabIe form of expenditure. But orr repre-
sentalvcs coming, AZ n majority Of them do,
from the nou-propeEty holding class of our
citizens, have been il.considerate aud careless
IN the levy of an excessive and burdensome
rate OF taxation. Taxation has increased at
an enormous rate since the palmy days
sG'If: beifVn, and 10 a.far greater extent than is
necessary 10 meet the public requirements
Lot us enquire how far this tax payers
assertions are correct.
Under tire a,iomal,ns system Of taxation
lin vogue during tho palmy days ante BEL
iun, real estate bore but an inconsderable
portion Of the public expense. That species
of property which paid the largest annual
premium upon the capital invested, could best
afford TO bear the burden oil taxation, and
hence the revenues Of the State came chiefly
from the tax OH slaves aud an arbitrary tax
upon free persons of color.
For instance, $500 invested in healthy
male slave would realize yearly at least
$l70 upon tie Investment. The owner could
therefore well afford 10 pay the tax imposed,
rs ir 1860, of ST. 90 upon llis negro slave
In 1860, according to the census Of that
date, there were i'll South Carolina 402, ,406
slaves, yielding To the State tax of S1.26|
per head, or $507, ,03l.56, aud 9,9l4 free
persons of color paying tax of $500 per
head, or S29,742, making a total revenue
from taxes upon slaves and free persons of
color of $536,773.56 or nearly nine-tenths
OF the entire amount necessary 10 carry Oh
the governments. - tf-fE
The practical working OF this system was the
fostering aud building up of large aud pow
crful Landed aristocracy; n mans Title to rank
and social position depended upon his princcly
acres. Tho greatest boast OF tho South Caro-
lima gentleman was his inheritance of vast
landed possessions, the hunting grounds of his
fathers, the pride of his children.
The comptroller-genera in his report 10 tho
General Assembly for 1860. stated that "the
tax cn oil tho land OF the State, amounting to
l7,55S,40l acres, produced only Ss26l5.5l,
which Is less than sn average of five cents
per acrel"
Valuable cotton lands which the owners
would not have sold for hundreds Of dollars
an acre. wero valued Tor the purposes OF taxa.
ton nj Ave cents per acre.
Now !uman slavery is abolished. Millions
of capital Invested Ia human ohattes have
been swept out Of existence with a single
stroke Of the pen Some othcr species of
property muse bear the expenses of the gov.
ernment in It's stead. Witch is it? The ex-
porieuce Of the civilized world answers tha,
tho true basis of taxation is real and personal
estate, and the new regime in conformity 10
that experience has adopted that system for
the now order of things
The practical operation Of this now and
equitable system in South Caroli1ais the same
as shatexperiencod in tho North half century
..