The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-10-28
Abbeville and the Comptroller Gen.
era1,

ty would not support General lIagood
80, tor governor. An allusion to thc
s .""C0lumbia manipulators' in this con-
,hI ncclion brought ont the Rcgistc,'. The
oqV warfare has been wordy, embracing
. nulnberof points. Tho first grievance
stated by the Press and Banner was
the act Of tho State Board Of Equaliza-
ton last year, in raising the assess
'u mont of,Abbcvillc county twenty-five
81 or thirty per cent. over tho returns Of
the County Board. Ahbcvillc holds
.., General lIagood responsible f>r this,
and We have not seen tho charge denied
2i yIhc AeyiStcr showed that the lands of
~ L'Nbboville were assessed at q lower val
UG per acre than similar lands in adj
joining counties, and the State Board
merely raised them. to the average
""prlce, in order to cqualizc the burden
81 nf taxation. The Press and Banner
shows that the Legislature did not
=. sustain the Board, aiid thlt a now
scheme of assessing was devised.
ia Thcn the Press and Banner charged
u" that tho Grccnyillc and columbia Rail
'"''Nroad paid it's taxes III bills of the Bank
-" OF the State. When tho Legislature
passed the act requiring the taxes to
.,. be paid in good money on pain Of levy
i and sale, General IIagood, ten days
. 'nltcr the passage Of the act, and fifty
DAYS before the day Of execution, or
.,dGiGd the treasurer Of Abbcvillc TO
lu. pass tho tax Of The Road to the next
d'o iSearspNdclnqucnt list, thus, in the
'3'' '"pinion OF the Press and Banner, dis
., ccriminating against the poor taxpay
I2iers and in favor Of a corporation. Our
j 81 AbDcvllle contemporary holds tlmt the
act in question prevented any court
u from coming to the assistance Of The
w. Road, and that the comptrollcr-gcncr-
al acted gratuilpusly in not enforcing
payment; and it adds, it "has never
sccn an officer set law at defiance
with such complaccncy." The Rcyis-
.c, lttefr. ter comes to General ITagood's de-
IN, renee on this ground also. 1t claims
So" that the act 'to facilitate the collcc-
ton of taxes" which General Ilagood
'HGt1s charged with disrcgarding, was in
fact framed under his direction and
'>AS"fSfp ~ llIIi ~ tilC utlclltlon OIL the
Il, Legislature, and that sit was only
ydthrouSh his watchtmncss and personal
eXertion that il was saved in its pas-
A. sage from being killed or by the par
Hamcntary devices Of its enemies"
- Moreover tho net is known among
..'' spectators in bank bills as the
"hagool Act" and the Register
thinks it highly improbable that Gen
oral ll"S"uu "uulu "isnoIr and set
aside with complaccncy," his own pct
measure.
".' AS to the validity Of tho act, The
Rcgt&fcr says its retrospective feature
was Immediately violently assailcd by
iin the Dill holders. The merit Of the
g. Grccnvillc Railroad case depends upon
y '' the cconstitutionality Of this rotrospcc-
"N tive feature. Four casUs have been
~, brought to test the point. The RegiS-
ter says that Judge Hudson decided
~ against the act, Judge PRESLEY in its
."a" 1"yor,'and the State Supreme Court
sustained Judge Presslcy's views, but
that the case is now in tho United
.,., States Supreme Court. When tho
el''ess and Banner charged the attor-
hcy-gcncral with "pigcon-holing" these
~, cases no was in Washington cndcavor
Ing to have them advanced on the
docket. (By the way the United
,rl States Supreme Court has recently
i'' sustained the State of Tennessee on u
similar point. So that the dclnqucnts
& .. VIII soon be hauled up, we presume. }
.,,g, as to Inc merits Of tho Railroad
IT = case, the Rc9iSter says that The New
'.,' berry Toasurcr had previously levied
;, won property Of the Railroad for taxes,
{. Il !blc mat the courts had stopped the
" treasurer, from further proceedings
until q hearing could be had. IL
",1, argues that it would havo been foolisl,
-, IN the comptrolcr-gcn to order a
Il levy IN Abbcvillc after tailurc in
Ncwbcrry. 1t would have caused Il
needless multiplicity OF suits. Lastly,
as 70 the assertion Of the Press ond
BsNnner that "cithcr the taxpayers of
Abbovilic in making their returns or
'' oath swore falsely or General johnson
,, y ,liagood'is wrong" tho Re1isfey saws
2,H tlee taN act docs not require taxpayers
.dto make any returns. under oath or
~, otherwise Of tho value of their real
estate. This is so. We had been
Under different impression. But We
always, held That tho equalization
OF property docs not in any way mean
~ that tho Taxpayer, has sworn falsely.
5i, ftoltiiy means that different people
AZ. 4 " H.. -
nave different Judgments about the
nzyIa4Rne, Of property. AS to the asser-
ono ton TINT he Statc Board this year
l"n'1Rngcd themselves with the people of
% .M 1ADbbSSY!iilnlc; b the Register argues that
q va tlhlsi Is 3 g g.. deceptive statement. The