Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1874-01-22
An Determination Of Taxpayers.

An Determination Of Taxpayers.
On the l7th of next month a taxpay-
ers convention will meet in Columbia.
A great responsibility will rest upon
that body. If it's members meet to in
dulge in TRADES like that delivered in
Georgia, by Toombs; if they meet to
pass few windy resolutions and then
adjourn into apathy again; if they feel
too discouraged, too poor, too lazy to
engage in hearty campaign against
official corruption and official inso.
lence, their meeting will be a serious
damage to the cause of good govern
ment. The effect of cod or int tfficient
convention will be to give renewed con-
fdence to the cunning rogues who di,.
vide the revenues of the state among
themselves. Those who are now mem
bers of the convention ought to be cu:-
ting out the work to be done. OF the
first importance is plan of organiza-
ton. We suggest something like the
following:
Let the convention resolve itself into
q league; let its members be authorized
to form subordinate leagues in their
respective counties, any thirty taxpay-
ers ON real estate to constitute subor-
dinate league. The basis of these
leagues should be- a pledge to be signed
by every member solemnly pledging
himself not to pay any state tax until
he has been released from the promise
by the central league; aud further,
that he will not buy any property sold
for taxes at tax sale, and that he
will use all lawful means to convince
those not members that it is inexpedi-
ent for them to pay taxes or buy at
tax sales. All this should be done
openly. No oaths, grips, signs or pass
words. Each man should be made to
feel that he is engaged in patriotic
effort to free himself and his state from
a horde of dtspicable tyrants. 1t
should be made so universal that it
would be dishonorable and shameful
not TO have taken the pledge.
If even one half of the real estate
owners of the state could be brought
to sign such a pledge as that, it would
be enough. The moral influence would
do the work with the rest. There
would be no rub to pay taxes, even
among the inert the cowardly and the
unfriendly. For even the man who
has gained fortune by stealing in Co
lumbia does not like to pay taxes any
better than the honest toiler. When
the treasurer advertised the delinquent
list, instead Of its embracing as it now
does only the widow, the orphan, the
embarrassed, the ignorant and the care
less, it would show every real estate
owner in the county. When the day
of sale comes let all be present. The
most shameless appointee Of shame
less administration would quail before
such an assemblage, and the heartless
speculator who should feel inclined to
buy property at that sale would come
to the conclusion that the climate was
unsuitable to his constitution. The
delinquent land would probably be bid
10 by the state, and no taxes cOull be
again assessed upon it. In the face of
such q determined people the robbers
would 'fold their tents like the Arabs,
and as silently steal away"
Unless some plan of the kind is
adopted to prevent the annual filing
of the Golfers in Columbia, no reform is
possible. As long as two millions a
year are sent there by the taxpayers to
be divided, the same parties will be on
hand to take it.
County and municipal taxes might
be paid. The proper expenditure of
these can be watched, and in great
measure controlled, and the conlinu-
ance of the functions of local govern
ment is necessary TO secure our COM
fort and the good order Of the commu-
nifty. But the state government is
simply q nuisance. 1t would be q
blessing If it ceased.