The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-09-03
$S8 IS

| $So ~
! Cattle and horses running in the range, OF
| which many citizens owned large stocks, II
| appears were not taxed.
! The three largest taxpayers were Benz
| Farrar, Anthony Hutchins and Mrs. Surget
mother of our well-remembered millionaires
| Captains Frank and james Surget.- Many OF
| these early taxpayers must have boarded
| their earnings in coin, for although that was a
| money making era and they were proverblally
economical and industrious, and spent little
in fine furniture and equipages, it is not posi-
| bic that they could have by planting, accumu-
| lated the estate the tax lists file will show
| they owned = few years later. Capt. Farrar, for
example, in 1900, only had twenty-seven taxa
BILE slaves, Col. Hutchins nine and Mrs Surget
six Capt F. and Mrs. S. in a very few years
counted their slaves by hundreds, and when
Col. Hutchns died half dozen years later, his
estates were inventoried at S97 900, showing
upwards of 100 slaves and 500 cattle and
horses. But by the assessment of 1900 his tax
es were only $1,000 The taxes of Richard But
Ter were 1915, Thomas Burling SIC, 40, Jesse
Carter, $3.50, VIM. Dunbar, 1864 Israel
Smith, 81, SO, Calvin Smith Sc, so, Abner Green
S27, SO, VIM. Mcintosh 1924, Jim Greenfield
S12,94. Yet in five or ten years these were the
rich men of Adams county.
1t appears that in those days the assessment
was made in each township or district separ-
ately, by three residents thereof duly sworn, and
who supposed to have, and no doubt did
have, a personal knowledge of the property of
each taxpayer. That the returns on this list
were fairly made, according to law, and that no
fraud would be tolerated, may be inferred from
the names OF the assessors for the district b.
Farrar, VIM. Mcintosh, and Jim Carter. The
first was a South Carolinian of high character,
whose estates passed by marriage to the late
DIR. VIM. n. Mercer. The second was a Nir-
ginan of ancient lineage and easy fortune
whose daughter, a celebrated beauty made an
unfortunate marriage with the Hon. Geo. Pom
dexter The third was loyalist of Scotch ex-
traction, who came here with the British au-
thorities, remained after the conquest by Spain,
became 4 favorite with the Spanish functional
ries, and acquired a fine estate on St. Gather
ines.
These gentlemen would accept no unfair re-
turns or evasion of law. They devoted eight
days to the business and received for their ser
vices S24, or 81 per day, just enough to pay
for dinner without wIne) at the only hotel
in your fair city at'that time.
The moderate taxation of the generation
that preceded us, is strong contrast with the
burdensome exactiOns we have been, of late
years, subjected to, in many instances amount
ing to practical conhscation. speak whereof
| know, OF many counties in Mississippi, leav
ing you and others, to speak of your own.
Here, presume, you are all so hush-no in
debtedness-to merchandising mortgages on
land---so assured of good crops and high prices,
and of abundant labor next year, that you
don't care to stop the leaks, and cut down your
county expenditures, and don't mind little
additional taxation. You are indeed for
tunate people But there are communities
very differently situated. Many of these COM
munities are cultivating old worn out fields
not capable, even with industrious labor of
yielding over half bale to the acre; with no
timber for fencing; with scanty and indiffeI-
ent teams and plantation equipments; with
farm buildings tumbling down for want of
means for repairs; with last years accounts
wholly or partially unpaid, and running on
interest with land mortgaged which the
mortgage would foreclose at any moment if
he thought he could dispose of it-in market
where eyeryb body wishes to sell, nobody desires
to buy. In such communities, which are to be
found not one hundred miles away, the burden
of high taxation is like the last straw that
breaks the camel's back Instead of finding
cotton opening at y and II cents, as was
fondly anticipated, they find the prospect for
low prices quite good the prospect for
short crops. And there is no assurance what
ever that, next year, they will be able to cul-
tivate their lands at all for the want of means
and labor. We have not yet reached the
luton OF the Kansas problem. To " a man
up tree, an outside barbarian-it would
seem that, for communities thus situated, not
additional burdens, but sweeping reduction of
county expenditures, would be the best tinan
ciering.
In my county, (Hancock) down on the Sea
shore, in the great pine forests of the South,
where we are carrying direct trade in
lumber and naval stores with all the world,
cur Board of Supervisors composed, very
properly, of intelligent men of both races
have adopted the policy of curtailing county
expenses, and stopping leaks, and this year
they have been able to reduce our taxes ma
terially.
Very truly, yours,
J. F. H. CLAIBORNE.
Dunbarton Plantation, Aug. q, 1879.