Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-06-21
THE ASSESSMENT LAW.

The cry against the Assessment law
may be not altogether without cause.
The works of man are rarely perfect,
and it is seldom practicable in legis-
lative body, divided by partizan inter-
ests and conflicting selfish views, to
give effect to the wisdom of the few,
generally found in such assemblies
A half dozen men of large experience
and honest patriotism could have
framed law embracing all that is
good, and discarding all that is objec-
tionable, in the law question. But the
government is the peoples; their
chosen Representatives enacted the
law, and it is as little as the people can
do to give fair trial to the work of
their own hands and TO take upon
themselves the responsibility for that
work instead of raising hue and cry
against it and trying to fix the respon-
sibility of its imperfections upon any
shoulders but their own.
Every assessor and tax-collector-
every intelligent observer in the State,
knows that the laws, heretofore, regu-
lating the assessment and collection of
taxes, were grossly defective; that I'M
der them, tens of thousands of acres
land escaped taxation, and that there
was-as now-an almost universal dis
position, on the part of the people, to
make the smallest exhibit of taxable
property in order to reduce their debt
to the State. 1t was this fact, not less
than the necessity for maintaining the
honor of Tennessee by paying Its debts,
that demanded more a stringent law
one that would bring to light all the
taxable property and thus enable the
State to pay the expenses of its gov
eminent and meet the interest on its
debt The machinery for accomplish
ing this object may be embarrassing
ly complicated, but since it is the
work of the people, through their au-
thorized agents, it is not asking too
much of them, to reserve their denun-
Citations and maledictions, at least un-
til that machinery has had fair trial,
and should it fail, then to remember
that their own neglect of duty to the
State, demanded more stringent laws
and that they selected the agents who
framed them.
We believe that it would be wiser
and far more economical-could the
people be induced to consent-to fix
upon a rate of taxation that will pay
off the debt in five or ten years, than
to pay in forty years, two or three
times the amount of the debt in inter
est, leaving the principal, at the end
of that time, just what it is. Posterity
is not, and ought not to be made, re-
sponsible for that debt. Had it been
created in the interest of coming gen.
erations, that is, for the progressive
development of the material and in.
tellectual wealth of the State, the
case would be different, but we have
no moral right to cucumber our imme-
date posterity with debt created in.
judiciously-to say the least--and with
out corresponding benefit to the pres
ent or future.
If all back taxes could be collected
the State could be set upon its feet a
once, and to prevent delinquencies, il
the future, would it not be well to pas,
law declaring all sales of property
for taxes, shall be without the equity
of redemption? Every man holding
taxable property can make himself
able to pay the tax and will do Sc
rather than see his property pass ou
of his possession without a chance tt
redeem it. Such law might be deem
ed stringent, but no man, by with
holding his prOportionate aid to the
support of the State government
should be allowed to increase the bur
den of his neighbor. Stringent asses
ment and prompt collection are indis
pensable, and those who ought to pa!
taxes and do not, ought to be made t.
pay.