The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-07-17
The New Assessment.

The great danger against which the property
holders of the State, who are not represented
in the government, have now to guard, is that
of unjust and oppressive taxation. 1t has been
so, more or less, from the time that the State
was turned over by the Federal authority into
the hands of party hacks and political adven-
turers. 1t is no exaggeration to say that South
Carolina is to-day within the grasp of robbers
The rule of conduct which the great majority
of those holding offices of public trust lay down
for themselves is not to promote the welfare of
the people, but to promote their private pecu-
MARY interests. To them the highest religious,
moral, or patriotic injunction is, "put money
in thy purse" A sordid lust for money takes
the place with them of political conviction.
They have not even the fanatics blindness to
plead in excuse for their errors fof greenbacks
are the object and the end of their desires.
Against such as these the property holders Of
the State have to contend for the preservation
of what property the chances of war have left
them. There is special danger now upon the
people of which it is our purpose to apprise
them. 1t comes in the garb of new assess
ment of property for purpose of taxation.
There was recently held in Columbia con-
| vention of the various county auditors of the
State for the purpose Of interchanging views.
It is manifest, from the drift of the remarks in
part of the administration to advance the
present assessment of property. This is the
gravest peril which now stares the property
holders in the face. The object of the officials
and the danger to the property holders are
equally plain. The one explains the other.
The government wants more money, and there
is no other way to get it now except directly
from the property holders by taxation: So
long as the State had credit, so long could the
aliens in possession of her sell or hypothecate
her bonds, and thus fill their pockets. They
! pursued that plan until it became no longer
| practicable Through their fraud and extrav-
agance the State has lost entirely the confidence
of capitalists, and her bonds are worthless.
There is no longer an opportunity for fraud
and illegitimate speculation in the issue of
State securities. From the pockets OF the
struggling people the corrupt officials are now
compelled to draw all the means of gratifying
their greed and sustaining their extravagant
expenditures The question with them is, how
to get the money from the people in the most
plausible way, and with the least seeming in
justice.
centum of taxation beyond fifteen mills.
There is not another State in the Union which
pays so much, or nearly as much. Besides,
there would be no room for favoritism in a
simple increase of the rate per centum. But
if they can, as they row propose to DO, alter
! the assessment of property, as they or their
minions may see fit, they can collect hundreds
of thousands of dollars more into the treasury,
and place the burden of it upon those only
upon whom it is their wish to place it.
Property is already largely over-valued in
this State by the government for purposes OF
taxation. Personal property is rated at about
its full cash value and city real estate is not SO
much over-estimated by the State authority,
but the general average of real estate, city and
county, IS far beyond its value Take Able
Vile County, for instance. This is among the
wealthiest agricultural counties of the State.
| We happen to have heard the statistics OF tax
alton in this county mentioned by some of the
county officials themselves. The average as
sessment of real estate for taxation in that
county is S7.32 per acre. The. average cash
sales of real estate in that county, we have 1t
from the most reliable sources, have not been,
within the last four years, as much as four
dollars per acre.
Here then is an over-assessment of nearly a
hundred per cent. The same, to great ex-
tent. is true Of Charleston, Chester, Camden,
and all other counties as to which we have
been enabled to gain any trustworthy figures.
The average valuation of country real s estate de
in this county, embracing an area of 1,061 ,7O3
acres. is fraction over $4.25 per acre, which
is at least fifty per cent above the cost value
of the same. We know we are within bounds
when we assert that the average assessment
throughout the entire State is at least fifty per
cent. above the cash selling price of land.
There should be a large reduction, instead
of an increase of the assessment-News and
| Courier.