The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-03-04
Tho Government and the Taxpayers Jon
yention.

Tho Government and the Taxpayers Jon
yention.
The shining lights Of Radiculism
in South Carolina are sorcly dis
gsuutlod. The action Of the Tax
payers Convcn,i,n hurt them badly,
aud they are reaorting toerery mcaus
to ncu,r.inc its eject. Thcrsq quirm-
ing is ludcrous. Our Reverend
young Governor has been holding
nightly caucGs:es with his support
e-s to devise some plan for red"mp-
ton. But tho way. out Of the la
hyrin'h is not near 90 easy to discov-
er cs the way in. The first c1pedient
they have trieh il the denunciation Of
tho Taxpayers memorial, and tho pre-
paration of a counter memorial to Con-
gress. This counter memorial would
b6.sn admirable document were it.in-
tended for the ignorant masses Of the
State, being n compilation of clap
trap arguments and fuslian. But we
arc amazed at tho stupidity or the
audacity Of the authors Of this me-
mo:ial IN incorporating such argu-
meuts in political document that
must undergo tb,. scrutiny of such
men as Thurman, Shurz, Sumner,
Beck, Cox, Gordon and other lenders
of the "rposition.. Benst Butler, even,
with all Ills bra&rn c!frontory will
blush Mt the defence made by his
c"nfrcres in South Carolina. Imagine
the Senate Of the Uuitcd States
grnvcly contemplating ,he folIowil e
proposition. The. free popul"tio be.
fore the war waa about 100000, and
the taxes then were $2.o7 per caput.
At present the free population il
S7O0,000 and taxes are &l.G7 per
caput; ; therefore The expenses Of gov.
ernment are much less than formerly.
A bare footed school boy could detect
the fallacy in. this course of reason,
ing. Compare the statement of Hon.
W. d. Porter, in his opening speech
in the Convention. "Thc property
of the State in 1860 amounted TO
S3n0,0C0,000, and to the taxes $780,.
600, while il. 1873 property had de-
creased to $lG0, ,0Ou, and taxa.
tion had Increased to So 500, p
Which of these statements will he
most appreciated BY Congrcss2 Wo
make a suggestion to the Republican
party. Don't try TO stuff such non
sense down tie throats of Congress"
mon, or you will be convicted of wan.
of brains as well us want Of intcgri
t5. Furthermore, when the memorial.
lists say that the tax at present is but
sl.G7 per hesd5 they are utterly at
variance with fact. The State tax
alone, on sl76,GOo,o o,ooo, at ~ mills
is So, ll2,OOO, while the county tax
varies from three to. five mills, max.
ing at lcast $1,000 more, (not in.
cIudipg local ta.,> or a grand aggrc.
cato Of $2,7l2,ooO ground from an
Impoverished people. This divided
by 735,oco, the population, gives
per e"pits tax Of $500, in 1878,
against S2.O7 in 1870. Tho memorial
ists are convicted by their own argu.
munts.
Again, in their Ia lular statement
comparing tic expenses OF govern.
ment under tho two regimes, they
havo Oh item Of $4,000 for jury and
constable tickets before the war, and
corresponding blenh space in the
latter day cxl cnditures, evidently
wishing to beguile Congress into the
fond belief that present jqrymen and
copstablcs serve their State from
pure patriotism. The fact is that
Judicial expenditures have quad.
ruplod since tho war, being row paid
oy tho counties instead ef the State,
The memorialists will please therefore
fill this blank by inserting IN item of
about 100000. The County OK.
penditurcs must be added also. swell.
ing tho aggregate to an enormous
figure.
The mcmorialists gloa: over tho
fact that never was there moro than