The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-06-04
The Taxpayers Leagues.

The taxpayers in Alabama have acted upon
the suggestion thrown out by the South Caro-
lima Tax. Payers Convention, and have formed
associations called Taxpayers Leagues, by
means of which they have, in several instan-
ces, brought the thieving officials to justice.
In one county, defaulting tax.collector has
been prosecuted and convicted, and indict-
ments have been found against the county
treasurer, county superintendent of education
and the probate judge. The objects and modes
of proceeding are best explained in the consti-
tuition of the League, which is in substance as
follows:
"To secure honesty and efficiency in the ad-
ministration of local affairs and to bring to
proper legal punishment county officials guilty
of high crimes and misdemeanors of Office, we
hereby unite ourselves in an association which
shall be known as the - County Tax
Payers League, agreeing, and binding our
selves to each other, as hereinafter provided.
"The officers of the League shall be Presi
dent, two Vice Presidents, Secretary,
Treasurer and an Executive Committee of ten.
"Each member of tie League is to promptly
communicate to some member of tue Execu-
tive Committee any fact that shall come to his
knowledge duplicating any officer of the coun-
ty in violations of law.
ut shall be the duty of the Executive Com
mittee to hold meetings for consultation or bus
mess as often as may be proper; to keep record
of all facts communicated to it in accordance
with section three Of this agreement; to insti-
tute civil or criminal proceedings, as may be
proper, against any officer of the county
against whom it may have sufficient evidence
Of any unlawful act; to employ the necessary
counsel for the prosecution of proceedings be-
gun by it and, through the President of the
League, to call upon the Treasurer for the
means required in the discharge of its duties.
each member binds himself to pay to the
Treasurer of the League the sum of five dollars
when called upon by him at the instance of
the Executive Committee provided, that one
dollar of this sum shall be paid at the time of
subscribing this agreement, and that not more
than one dollar shall thereafter be called for at
one time, and that no call shall be made until
sixty days shall have elapsed from the date of
the preceding call"
This is the kind of organization which ex-
lists in South Carolina-on paper. A few
counties have formed the Tax Union but the
large majority are still thinking about it, and
will very likely, continue to think about it
until it is too late to effect thorough and
general organization, powerful in numbers and
strong in purse. Surely this is queer peo-
pie. 1t is conceded that, with full vote and
fair count, the Conservative minority, taking
advantage of their possession of the property,
intelligence and experience of the State, can
elect whom they please But they are sheep
without shepherd segregated political
atoms, imponderabe and impalpable. Acting
as one man, bound into one body, aggregated
in solid mass, they can accomplish anything
and everything. Without organization moth.
ing will be done, till thieves grow tired of
stealing or find nothing more to steal and
yet, Alabama is ahead of South Carolina in
forming the very Tax Unions, the idea of
which was first conceived in this State. South
Carolina plans and other States do the work
and reap the benefit. 1t is good thing, evil
IDENTIFY, to have brains but brains without
arms and hands count for little in this life
Charleston Ne,cs and Courier.