Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-08-29
THE TAX.PAYER'S COMPLAINTS

THE TAX-PAYER'S COMPLAINTS
The meetings now being held
throughout the county of New Han
over, protesting against the action OF
the Board of County Commissioners
for arbitrary and unjust assessments
of lands in several townships, are the
largest and most enthusiastic which we
have ever seen assemble in this
county since the war. No political
excitement, however great ; no bands
of music or barbecues, have brought
men together i'll numbers and in en-
thusiasm, as have these spontaneous
uprisings against what they deem
oppressive and illegal taxation. AS
much as we had heard of the mutter-
ings of these complaints, they were
merely the feeble echoes of what really
exist. And We must confess that, as
we became acquainted with the
grounds of these protests, We have
never known a more arbitrary and
unjust action on the part of public
officials. Their conduct has been
most indefensible and outrageous.
Even if they have complied with the
letter of the law, which we doIbt, the
spirit has been most violently and
wantonly outraged.
Tt seems that the County Commits
siOners, coming to the conclusion that
in some townships lands were assessed
too low, employed clerks, at fourteen
majority of the County Commissioners,
We presume, have never been in the
county of New Hanover outside of
Wilmington, except in the ears Of the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
along its line, or possibly on a pleasure
ride to the Sound, and probably do not
know the value of a single plantation
in the county. The clerks employed
are as ignorant as they are themselves.
These clerks, or one of them, who
seems to have done the work, while
three were paid, acting under an llnre-
corded order or direction of the
Board, without evidence before him,
without knowledge of any kind,
scratched ont the figures reported by
the Township Assessors, and
put down just what valuation he saw
fit, adding fifty per cent to A, one
hundred per cent. to B, and one hun
dred and fifty per cent. to G. If there
was any rule governing this increase
we have not been advised, as neigh
bors, whose lands join, and are similar
in every respect, were not always in
creased in the same ratio.
We say seem, for there is NO
resolution of the Board filed or
dering these changes, and, indeed,
there is no record of any Kind, which
shows they were done by authority
of the County Commissions. There
is really no record, as we under
stand it, that any. change has been
made, for the certificates and af1idavits
of Assessing Boards still remain affixed,
with their names, to the returns now on
file, but the figures hare been altered,
Tearing the certificate and names
about all that is left of tic original
returns.
We know that the County Commits
sioners have the right, and it is their
duty, to revise the lists as reported to
them, and we know that due notice
was given that they would meet on the
third Monday in May fer that purpose.
It may be true that they did actually
meet in accordance with the law, and
their published notice, but no record
exists of the fact. But there was no
proper notice given to the tax payers
that it was the intention of The Board
to make a sweeping increase i'll the
valuation of lands from fifty to one
hundred and fifty per cent. They
have the power to raise the valuation
upon such property as they shall deem
unreasonably low, but the law contem-
plates, and will require, we think, that
the Commissioners shall form their
opinions in each case by actual knowl-
edge of the fact, or upon sufficient tes-
timony. "They shall have power to
summon and examine witnesses"
saith the law. 8" and shall correct the
" abstract of the township board as
" may be right and just. And again,
the law says when the Commissioners
take the list of any person applying to
list his taxables GO The Commission
" ers shall ascertain the value of their
property by the examination of wit
" nesses or otherwise. In all cases