The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-11-20
An Appeal to the Legislature.

is deplorable. By liberal expenditure OF
money and free use of credit, the planters
made a fine crop of cotton, which they reason
ably expected to sell at Is or 20 cents pound
The financial crisis came, as they were about
to send their crops to market commerce was
paralyzed; confidence fed from the minds of
men thousands of factories closed their doors
general contraction in expenditures took
place. AS natural consequence. cotton fell
lower and lower, and is noa0 selling at less than
the cost Of production. The planters have acted
like the honorable men that they are. They
hesitate at no sacrifice to meet their pressing
engagements; but the vast majority Of them,
instead Of realizing handsome profit on their
work. find themselves worse off than they were
q year ago-as badly off, indeed, as if they had
allowed their lands to lie idle the season
through. That is their sad plight to-day, and
is an emergency, therefore, when the people
need all the indul lgence and relief which their
rulers can give them. The North and West
are clamoring for a reduction of the cost of
carrying on the National Government, so that
there shall not be any augmentation of taxa
ton. They truthfully say that the people can
not bear heavier load than they now carry
that another feather will break their backs 1t
is the same case with US, except that the people
of South Carolina fear the tax levies of the
State government infinitely more than they
fear the milder demands of the Federal asses
sors. We are poor, and the taxes which are
threatened to be imposed will ruin the State.
Last year the rate of taxation for State and
County purposes was one and half per cent );
a rate which is exceeded in hardly any other
State, when it is considered that the tax was
levied upon property which is assessed at
higher price than it will sell for in the open
market The people insist that this rate shall
not be exceeded, and that it shall, if possible,
be reduced. They see that speculative cliques
are striving to induce the Legislature to levy
tax of two or even three per cent. They know
cause the money is not in the State There is no
talk of rebellion or revolution, but the people
cannot pay the three or four million dollars
desired to be extorted from them. Already the
effect of the monetary stringency is seen in the
dullness Of trade in the towns, in the falling
off in country orders, in the expressed deter
mination to employ less labor and plant less
land for next year. And this disastrous condi-
tion of things will be made more injurious
more widespread and far-reaching, if the Leg
islature levy an inordinate tax for any purpose
whatever. We grant that it is advisable to ar
range the State debt, and make some disposi-
ton of the ioating liabilities, but the most i'm
portant thing is to reduce the demands upon the
people to the Iowest possible point. The debt can
wait. That is better than that the people
should starve; than that thousands of laborers
should be thrown out of work and be left de-
pendent on public charity. 1t is the duty of
the Legislature to bring down the expenses of
the government to the lowest practicable figure,
and not to take dollar from the people which
is not imperatively necessary. This they can
do, and more
The estimates upon which the tax bill is
based are for the whole fiscal year. There is
not single item of expenditure which is not
nominally spread over considerable period
are school moneys, or they should be. Even
the members of the Legislature do not need
their pay in lump. They are usually in ses
sion three or four months, and the payment of
$3.50 month for four months would be better
for them than the receipt of their whole $500
at the beginning or end of the session. When
tax is levied which will produce two million
dollars, it is ridiculous and dishonest to say that
so large sum is required in the first three or
four months of the fiscal year. As the law
stands, the tax for the year ending in October
is collected by the middle of the preceding
January. The revenue for the year is collected
in IL couple of months. II is spent as quickly
as it is received, and for twothirds of the fiscal
year the State Government is penniless. This
has been proved true of every year since the
accession of the Republicans to power. Pay
ing years taxes in two or three months leads
to spending years income in less than third
of year. That is reason enough for changing
the system; but there is, as we have shown, an
urgent cause for Tightening the burden upon
the people, which can be done by changing the
manner of collecting the taxes as we'll as by
reducing the percentage of taxation. The
proposition we make is, that the State tax tor
1874 be payable in not less than two install
ments. This will give the people breathing
time. They can pay half when they cannot
pay the whole. The revenue will be ample;
because the State government will receive its
supplies half yearly in advance; and the peo-
shown them, to meet their engagements prompt
season.
We beg the Legislature to give this matter
their careful consideration. They have the
opportunity now to prove their thoughtful
friendlness to their own especial constituents,
who suffer as much as the Conservatives from
the disturbed condition of our industrial affairs
and they can prove, besides, that they have
some thought for the white minority who have
no voice in the legislative councils, but who
pay directly ninetccn-twentieths of the total
taxation We leave the matter, then, in the
hands of the General Assembly; entreating
them, as they value the welfare of South Caro-
lima, to avoid increasing the rate of taxation,
and to make the tax, whatever the rate, paya-
Bile in two instalments at least. If there be any
arguments against this proposal we shall be
glad to hear them We believe that in no
other way than in that which we have suggest
ed, can the masses Of the people be enabled to
keep body and soul together Charleston Nears
and Courier.