The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-01-13
Tnx-Payers' Meeting.

On Monday, the 18th January, 1874,
at IL o'clock NJ, large number OF tho
tar. payers of Riohland County met in
the Coart House at Columbia. Hou.
John Mckenzie was elected Chairman.
and Mr.. A. @. Moore Secretary. The
Chair then stated the object OF the
meeting to be to take action looking to
the relief of the taxpayers, and an
nounced the meeting ready to proceed
to business.
Col. VIM. Wallace moved that COM
mittee of thirteen be appointed to pre-
pare preamble and resolutions for the
action of convention, and report at this
meeting. The motion was adopted. and
the following gontlernen were appointed:
Col. VIM. Wallace, Mr. @. P. Pelham,
Col. +. W. MoMaster, Capt. w. II.
Stack, Mr.. L. Hope, Mr.. Il. j. Han
cock, Col. A. r. Taylor, Mr.. G. Waring,
Col Thos. Taylor. Mr. S. Coogler. Mr.
G.. Davis, DR.. A. W. Kennedy, and Mr..
J. NJ. Crawford.
The committee retired, and, after con
sultation, reported tho following pro-
amble and resolutiops:
Whereas the taxes levied upon the
citizens of this Couuty by the State are
oppressive, and the assessments are, ln
many cases, ton times greater than tho
market value, and twice as great as pre-
vious assessments mode by the present
government and wpereas the monetary
pressure renders it Impossible for many
of our people to pay their taxes at the
present time; therefore, be it
Res0!oel, That committee OF thir-
teen be appointed to wait on the Go
vernon, and lequcst him to postpone the
payment Of taxes TO March 1st, and to
have fair assessment of values made.
ReSo!rel, That the Executive Com
miltee Of the Tax Payers Convention
be requested to call the Convention to-
gether as soon rs practicable. and to de-
wise means to relieve the State OF its
excessive taxation; and to present to
Congress our dcplorsble condition, and
to pray thai the State be remanded to a
territorial condition, or be placed nm
der military rule.
The preamble and resolutions were
then placed before the meeting.
Col. MoMaster made few remarks rs
to the importance OF the matter under
consideration, and hoped that the gen.
tlemen present would give full express
sion to their views before voting on it.
Mr.. Barnwell addressed the meeting,
giving some figures which he had OBJ
tanned from the Copptroller-G General s
books. He said that, according to those
books. 1000 acres OF land in Rich!snd
passed to the State in 1873 for non-pay-
ment of taxes, 95, 900 acres in Charles
ton County, and 268. 900 acres, worth in
money SI,OO0,000, ia the whole State.
Very effective speeches were made by
Mr.. Morgan. Mr.. jacob Wells, and Mr..
D. B. DeSanssure.
There were several colored men pro.
sent, and one of these, William Win
throp, an Industrious carpenter, ad-
dressed the meeting. He said that the
question of taxation was separate and
distinct from politics; that he was Re-
publican, and did not wish to be thought
otherwise, but that the colored man and
the white man were ground down alike
by the oppressive taxation imposed upon
thom, and he was willing to. join with
the whites in an honest non.political
effort to obtain mutual relief. He was
repeatedly cheered b9 the convention.
He moved that Col. A. O. Haskell be
called upon TO speak, which was done
with aoolamation.
Col. Haskell then uaade feeling re-