The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-08-07
HrNps COUNTY TAXATION.
Statement from John Shelton Esq
Former President of. Board
of Supervisors
RAYMOND, July 81, 1873.

| Z I
It Kinds county for the years 1875 aud 1s7;
is to make an explanation of the matters there
q Of proceed to do so as briefly and plainl
as | can, putting the boot on the right foo
= or the blame, if blame there be- on the prop
er shoulders, and ask you To give what fol
: lows place in your paper.
. In the first place, let us see what were tn
h | respective rates of taxation for the year
1875, 1876 and 1877.
Section 1868 of the Code of 1871 impose,
a State tax of one mill on the dollar TO
I interest and principal of State Bonds. Sec
S ton of an Act, approved 4th of April
1872 and to be found on page Is of the Act
of 1872, imposed a tax of one aud one-hal
mills for all years subsequent to 1873 fol-
the same purpose.
Section l of an Act approved ID of April
1874, and to be found on page IS OF the Acts
of 1874, imposed a State tax for general
purposes of six and three-fourths mills on
the dollar, and provided that it should not
be construed to repeal either of the two laws
inst referred to.
Section l of an Act approved 9Th OF
: March, 1875, prohibited the Boards of SUI
per"isors from levying taxes, which, with
the State and School taxes, will exceed
"twenty dollars on the thousand dollars
valuation"
Under these laws the State tax for all
purposes for the year 1875, amounted to
nine mills and a quarter on the dollar, and
the Board of Supervisors (I write with
their minutes open before mel on 9TH of Au-
gust, 1875, levied county taxes for that year,
amounting in all to ten and three quarters
mills on the dollar, thus going to the limits
| OF the law, and making the entire State and
| County taxes for 1875, twenty mills on the
dollar, or two per cent.
Section ofan act, approved 10th ofApril,
1876, and to be found on page 81 of the Acts
of that year, fixed the State tax, for general
purposes, at three and one-haIf mills on the
dollar, and prohibited the Boards of Super
visors ''from lEvying taxes, which, with the
entire State taxes, will exceed sixteen dol
lars and fifty cents on the thousand dollars
in valuation" being sixteen and one-half
mills on the dollar, there being another
State tax of three mills on the dollar, under |
laws then existing.
AT the meeting of the Board of Supervi-
sors, of which was a member in Septem-
Der, 1876, it was found indispensable to 90
to the limit of the law, and County taxes.
for all purposes, were levied to the extent
OF ten mills on the dOllar-the entire State
aad County taxes, for 1876. being sixteen
and one-half mills on the dollar Section
Of an Act approved February 1st, 1877. and
10 be found on page 81 oil the Acts of 1877.
lXed the State tax, for general purposes. at
hree mills on the dollar and section of !
ne same Act fixed the State tax for the
payment of its bonded debt and interest. at
wo mills on the dollar. :
section of an Act to provide for the nav |
nent of the bonded debt of Kinds county. |
pproved February LIST, 1877, and to be :
ound on pages I25 to 1919 of the acts of 1877. n
rohibited the Board of Supervisors from Ii
Increasing the county levies for all purposes q
eyond sixteen and one half mills on the
oilar LOT any one year, and section nine of L
ne same act (see page l29) provided that no c
atute prescribing limitations on the taxing !"
'"er OF tue Board OF Supervisors shall APP d.
y 10 the special annual tax herein pro- ii
dcd for. CT
huer THIS law tiIc DOarti or Supervisors q,
'helr meeting in August, 1877. levied hl
Aes Aor al purposes, amounting TO Is mills
the dollar-Very clearly within the limits
Chelr authorlty-the entire State and conn
taxes Tor 1877 being being 81 mills on the
mar 10 recaptulate, the State ana
UNITY taxes for 1876, were 20 mills on the
IIar; for 1876, l61a mills on the dollar RI
for 1877, Fl mills on the dollar. ~,
nc Ia" TO Iund the floating debt of int
nus county, and to issue sinking fund cal
nus was approved April 10Th, 1873. and rel
10 De found on pages 367 and 81 OF the sos
. VI lhat year Section 4 required the pre-
ara OF Supervisors to levy sufficient tax fou
luAlly 70 pay the interest and princinal oo'
'ne oohds provided. The purpose seems hm
nc uhquestlonably to have been to raise eig
&c money each year, than merely enough NE
'"y Tue current interest, so as to provide doll
"AinS Iohd to pay the principal, or to hun
III some OF the bonds each year. and bon
ethIng of the sort was dore for the first onll
r or perhaps two years. The fay for All All
FPSo' ieEIeu IN 1870, about paid the give
est on the outstanding bonds, but ALI men
could be levied In 1o7e ~ ~ al uni
.tion 70 IN al "uueI the re- give
AZ MINIS on the dollar for all each
ny taxes, fell good many hundred in II
us SNORT OF paying the interest. while com CON
d" oi IS" required the Board to levy men
gu 'hat Year to pay not only the inter ther
out also ten thousand dollars of the sessn
'ipal of the bonds urer'
taxes, twenty mills on the dollar tho y
OO "ear SO nigh in 1876 AS they had treas
IN some previous years, which reduc-
ayers League Of Gir shs action action Of the THE
Canolng this had occurred it was far
strange that the Democratic T,eoisIo- Subs
al us session in 1876 should have do e.
" MAKE further reductions aud very
= .id1 Lhey should go little too far aftan
direction as L certainly think was matte
aG least SO far Kinds county was con- adopt,
|. The
es are dino ord oo,,. ties hi
the year for which thew are assessed greenf
nearly all paid in point of fact ho' The
e end of each ,oor T,.. 'Ao' "e back u
nat Mr. Halbert must be mistaken in tected
rug lnat the receipt for taxes to absolut
ne refers as given in 1876 was for the The
= IoIo' 1t must have been for the m0nev
1910 "nen the rate was sixteen and The I
. "ills against twenty mills in tioHal
:" ton al /
Increase OF the rate, twenty-one mills ertv
over That of 1876, sixteen and one The
lAS' Is quite near enough to the working
mount of the Last 70 -, -. "O and den
n rafors -. receipt, to The 81
= "hen coupled with some board OF
~ Tue assessed value of pronertv gate rail
that our Democratic sheriFr T. The Sc
terred to, only did bis ~ 'ne hibiting
ZACH of H. -. ms N"sy IN coll articles
'"e TWO years State taxes duced in
Oy the Legislature, and county do not p
'ied by the late Board of Supervi. me eli
tbo - ~ ,''A'i'e I'M posed upon The nj
avs that nave been referred prison la
The ter
ar county taxes haze H., ON Incon
the So oSen increaS- The 81