The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1875-01-12

Penui'ui~' If Boards of Supervisors
eHtra ray ahoso are the heavy local burdens
aauee s, II ,non the inhabitants OF cities ano
Una. .nans and the unhappy people OF Inc
Levee Districts Coa+or Sherman
In September last, Senator
said to the people OF ONO ,rtr r. aa-
The first requisite OF a parry ~ %"
minister the government no" iS eoo''?"iy.
10 most difficult to practise, espeGlally
if 70 a neriod of geeat expenditure j." nav
,r 10 most need is a very large reducIioh III
IncaI taxes. and still more, very grea'
i;a,;tst;on of the power OF local taHa'lon'
NV i;nnumerable local authorities, coun-
ties towns. cities, etc, have an'horl'y
70 levy taxes until this amounts Ill many
cases 70 confscatiOn.
I'm this question of local taxation We
ouoht to have no party, or soon ihcohi0S
will be absorbed by taxes.
Apt words these, and WISE even VINE"
addressed to the people OF rich ana pros
narous Ohio, With what added force uo
they apply to us who suffer under greater
..localS burdens" with the additional
weight OF enorI- Gus State expenditures
10 show The extraordinary and raplu
increase Of taxation imposed on this lm-
poverished people, We will cite these par
ticulars, viz:
In 1869, the State levy was 10 cents on
the hundred dollars Of assessed value OF
lands.
For the year 1871 it was four times
az great For 1872 it was eight and a hGJ
times as great For the year 1873 1t 'ga'
t,oelye and a half times as great. For the
wear 1874 it was fourteen times as great as
| it was in 1869 The tax levy OF 1914 was
the largest State tax ever levied IN MlsSls-
sippi, and to-day the people are poorer
| than ever before.
It is true that now, because of dlmln-
ished property and depressed values, the
percentage of taxation must be increased
10 the amount of revenue levied in former
times; but what we complain Of IS that
the aggregate amount Of taxes levied on
US, in our poverty, greatly exceeds the
amount levied in prosperous days. The
enormity of this great increase IN the
percentage, will become more plain, II
we consider the fact that our present as
sessments very greatly exceed the market
values of the property assessed.
Thus as the people become poorer are
their tax-burthens increased!
In many cases the increase in the county
levies, in the same period, has been
still greater.
But this is not ALL A careful estimate
shows that during those years OF increas-
ing and most extravaganza tax levies, the
public debt was increased on an average
annually over $664, 000-a sum Of itself
sufficient TO defray the entire expenses of
the government economically administer
ed. That is, the State spent On an aver
age this large sum each year, over and
above the amount collected on those mon
strous tax levies What may be the ex-
cess for the year 1874 is not revealed.
All that we know is, that many Of the
very large appropriations for the year
were sometime since exhausted.
he like extraordinary results have
! followed the operations Of the Boards of
Supervisors, at least III MANY Of the c0un-
ties. Whether these facts prove a lack
OF economy IN administration, or are to be
regarded as sad proofs of the rapid ex-
haustion of the means of the people, and
their consequent inability to pay,
they are painful to contemplate.
Inns excessive rate Of expenditure
would constrain even.a prosperous people
to cry aloud for retrenchment and re fern
1t Is corruptlng in effect, and alt0oether
evIiln its results. Butifnone ofthese limos
existed we should be constrained hv still
other facts, to make this appeal to YOUR
honorable body. The present wear has
oeen most disastrous to all engaged in ao-
ricui'ure, ana consequently to all other
pursuits Ii all the crops raised In the
0iaIe tins year were sold at present
| inalkeI value, the proceeds Of the sales
thereof would not, as many estimate nav
me cost OF production and the taxes In
many counties the result was still moro
disastrous, the crops being an almost total
I"llure. Ii Is sad truth that in Soma
parts OF the State many of our peonla aro
beginning to suffer tor want OF fond ond
very many more are restricted in tbo;r
poverty to very few ofthe necessaries of
HE These Affections fall heaviest at
present on the very large class of our moor
ct:itizens; but all classes suffer more or less
from this common calamity. and the
year OF their probation of want and suf-
ferlng is but just begun.
PRESENTED IN these several views of the
SAD condition of the people of Mississipni
our present appeal amounts to this. shall
The few officials, the mere servants Of tho
people, be permitted to fatten and erow
rIcher' whist the people grow poorer and
'arve Shall these public servants he