Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-03


As real estate is now at It's lowest
ebb, and certain TO increase in value
with the new political and industrial
era dawning upon us, the assessment
now made, and to stand unchanged for
four years, should be fuller than has
been the vogue since the war. Other
wise, the holders of personally and
merchandise, which are to be newly |
appraised each year, may find cause TO
grumble at their increasing burdens, |
while those Of real estate stand STILL
UNION AND AMERICAN.
The above proposition we disapprove, |
affecting, as It would, directly the farm |
er who owns and works his lands, al |
ready taxed too fully. There is no
certainty Of an increase of value to
him. Ill success, the past two years,
have generally impoverished his means,
whilst profits upon persOnalhes-sales
of supplies, have not decreased.
Drouths may continue, and if not, and
the value of his lands should increase,
who is more entitled to reap It's bene-
fits? His taxes are not paid by his
profits as are those Of personal estate,
but usually out of his property. Tax
them, we say, at the lowest rate; not
more WaUsrly Journal.
Our meaning is liable to be misin-
terpreted by such as read theparagraph
above quoted by itself and removed
from its proper place in the article Of
which it formed 4 part. We had called
attention TO the fact that, while only
two counties IN the State assessed near
true values, the rest assessed at three
fourths, two-thirds, One-half, one
quarter and, even as low as one-hfth,
lust as each county court might please.
From this circumstance gross inequal-
tiles and harsh injustice result. By
difference in assessments the uniform
tax of forty cents becomes anything
but uniform; and entails twice or
tmice the burden or some counties
that It does in others. We argued
that some effort should be made to
remedy this practical injustice, urging
that, if public opinion would
not support the constitutional re-
quirement that "al property shall be /
taxed according to its value, then 1t
were better that some common under
standing be reached, agreeing on three
fourths value or some other ratio, to be
email and uniform throughout the
State. The State would be largely
benefited by such uniformity, and the
Legislature could adjust the rate OF
taxation more inteligently, while no
one would lose by 1t except those who
are now Sinking their share Of the
common burden. 1t was IN the line Of
this argument that weurged the deslra-
biiity Of d fuller and fairer assessment
this year. because under the new law It
must stand for four years. If some
81 stem be adopted in this matter, We
doubt not that Humphreys county Will
be benefited IN common with the State
at large.
In Saying that during the past two
fears profits on personally and sales Of
supplies have not decreased, the Warer-
R Journal takes a narrow view Of the
situation. The reverse Is true from
variety Of causes. The panic locked up
money, stopping interes.; and farmers
as well as towns people have held their
dollars with q tighter grip IN utter idle
ness. owing to the general want Of con
fd,nce bred by panic and drought
The merchants profits have likewise
decreased from two causes: First, the
decline IN the price Of goods on hand,
and secondly, the decrease IN the num-
Der and amount Of sales. The truth IS,
town and country flourish or languish
together; drought affects the city
quite as much as panic effects the
country. We are all in the same
boat. The merchant pays taxes on
full value. and if the coming four
years bring prosperity, his burdens
will De increased by annual assess
ments. while the farmer staxwill stand
still. Should adversely still pursue rs,
the merchant viii be relieved proper
tionately to his losses, while the farm
er's assessment viii remain unchanged.
Such Is the new law, and We are dis
posed to take the brighter view OF the
| future: nor do we think that the farm
| ers. as a class, object to running the
changes Of this new arrangcment.