The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-01-14

and demands due the State.
Its always best to look the facts and cir
eunlstances With. which we have to deal
sauarely ard honestly III The face, so that we
shall neither he deceived ourselves nor lead
others into error. The interest upon the
bonds funded under the net of March 30tb,
1871, must be paid, and no mode Of avoidins
it can be,deYised, even five desired IL. II
has grown. to be a maxim Of the, law Of al;
most universal applications" euaisdo dltSuid
prohibeiua', g,Dhsbcthf ct o,iine per quod de-
.tuinstEr hd ,aud"-whatever Is prohibited
iby law TO be done directly cannot legally be
effected by au,iudirect and circaitous eontri.
vance.
This interest due and unpaid on the 1st Of
JANUARY instant amounted to 81 ,3S0,3l7 la,
and there will fall due on the 1st Of July
next S8OS, 1851 80, and like amount Oh the
1st Of Janliary, 1874, making 3 total Of
50, 597. 040.94to be provided for between the
first days Of this and the next year. The in
.aerest ON, the two:tbirds ostfte balance OF the
cid debt reported by the Second Auditor ut
S10,20O,0l1 Az due aud unpaid on the LIST OF
the present month was 1921 ,036.51! The
interest on this portion Of the debt after
it has. been reduced as hereinbefore
suggested will not exceed the sum Of
s3l3,27619 which, added TO the amount
due the 1st instant, makes the sum OF
s1,OG4.312.70 to be provided for on or before
January LIST, 1874. Add this latter sum
(s1 1854, 312. 10Y to the amount due and to be-
come due OIL the funded bonds (S2, 597, 940.94)
md the expenses of the State Government
$4,000 ,OOO), and we have the total SUN of
s4261 5364 10 be provided for dtttihg the
ciirret,t year, How is this TO be accom-
p,ished? There was in the State Treasury
To the credit OF the Commonwealth on the
list instant 81 ,6S3,G13.33. The First Auditor
estimates that the net receipts from taxes
already levied, after deducting the amount
appropriated 70 school purposes, will amount
to s1,3S1, 35i7S; to which add the above
amount in the Treasury on the ist instant,
and we have the sum OF s., 064 ,974.11 avail
able to meet our liabilities, Deduct this
sum from tic total amount 81 ,261 >353.64 Of
liability above stated, and it leaves balance
of 81, l96, 3T0.53. Ii the present tax on State
Indebtedness be continued this amount will
probably be further reduced by the sum Of
S150.000; which, deducted from the forego-
ing amount, leaves balance OF Il ,O46, 1898.
BY sale of the bonds of the Washington
and Ohio and The Richmond and Danville
Railroad Companies, aud the stock in the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad Company held by the State, at least
100000 should he realized; which,, applied
to thc payment of the aboTe balance, leaves
1.-THE sum of SAG, 1888 to beproyided for by
taxation or other MEANS a-.s ..#
This brings us to the consideration of the
third proposition viz. the assessment of all
the property in the State In accordance with
the mandates Of the Constitution. The Con-
sLor hat fpxyn IN
equal aud uniform, aud all property, both
real and personal, shall be taxed in proper"
ton to its value" 1" No one species OF pro-
;1erty from which d tax may be collected shall
be taxed higher than any other species OF
property of equal Value "No land shall
he assessed above or below its value" Now,
it is well known that these plain and explicit
declarations Of the Constitution have not
been complied with. The basis Of all taxa
ton upon property is its assessed valuation, |
and according to our Constitution this valua- |
ton should he its real valuation-neither |
above nor below it. But how much property |
in the State is assessed according to this |
standard? Probably not |
one-af In some counties and corpora
tols the assessments approximate much |
more closely to it tiian in others.
But there is neither equality nor uniform
i;v. Lands Of equal value are assessed IN |
different counties ut different amounts, vary
ifg sometimes fully fifty per cent, and III
stances have occurred where they were not |
assessed at all. In some instances farms dl- |
yided by county lines have been assessed on !
one side OF the line at double the amount |
they are on the other, and that, too, when |
the lowest assessed lands were of equal or
greater value tlun the highest and | have
known Of sales Of farm lands during the past
year at more than three times their assessed
valuation. [ an satisfied that US q general |
rule tue poorer and cheaper lands are assessed |
at or near their ynlue-oonletlmeS above, but |
oftcner below, while large amount OF the |
more valuable lands are often assessed at not
more than one-fpurth, opc-thrd, or one-half |
OF their value. In the cities Of Richmond |
and Norfolk The assessed valuation OF real
estate for municipal purposes, and on which |
city taxes are levied, together exceed the
State assessed valuation by more than
e., 5D0, 600, and l presume the same relative
discrepancy against the state obtains in the
other cities and towns of the State. And
the defects Of our endorsements are not
more glaripg than are those of personal pro- |
peyiy. Owing to our defective system in
jart, and in p TT to the want OF thorough
ncss on the part of officers, millions OF per-
Soiril property escape taXation, and much OF
that which is taxed is not assessed at half its
value. In Richmond city alone the assessed
valuation by municipal authority Of personal
property exceeds those OF the State by more
than $3,009,000.
Now, this is wrong, unjust, and unconstl-
tutional. Prompt and effective measures
should be adopted to secure as nearly rs pos.
siblc the full, just, and equal assessment OF
all the property in the State, according tot
rules prescribed in the Constitution. Our
laws providing for the assessment Of per-
sonal property must lie aH''ic snoys S'r'""- -,
and sealrlins, with seyerer penalties for their
evasion or VioIation. Incompetent aud neg.
ii2eht officers must be removed and their
places filed by those who, knowing their
duty, will perform it.. By these mems @n
shall be e4abled to NJ 1s&:S: approximate ac-
eurarv, "t''le people recognize the fact that
The Government which protects them in their
lives, liberty, and property, must be slls-
tanned by taxation; but while they fully real
iZe and c!ecr!uliy acquiesce in this seit.eyi-
dent proposition, tnet ds!:iaHd that taxation
siiaa be ''elial and uniform" and that call
property, both real and personal, shall be
taxed III proportion to its value" To ascer-
tain this value assessments are made, and if
these assessments are incorrect, In like degree
VIII the tax levied thereon be incorrect and
unjust, Local assessments atone even il re-
Feated every srar, ~'ll never produce equal
ity throughout the State.
The more reflect upon it, the more do
regret that the act Of February 1st, 1872,
providing for the reissessment Of lands ever
went into force. 1t is wrong in principle
und UNJUST and demcr,iZing in practice. II
Is no adequate remedy for, unjust and une-
quai assessments. 1t Is a temporary expe-
ulent of dn,llif FIJI rnnslitntinnnlitr md fonda