Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-04-28
The Evasion Of Taxes OH Per
sonal Property Are the De-
fects Of the System Incu-
rable?
News aud Couricr.I

In q carefully tubuln,cd statement. n oor-
responder, of the Columbia Register yves
the average taxable values Of horses and
mules in tho dilfcrcn: counties of the State,
the amount IF personal property returned for
taxation in each county the average amount
for each Democratic voter, aud the estimated
amount of pc rsonal property which escapes
taxation in each county. The figures arc
taken from the Comptroller Generals report
for 1870, and arc as nearly correct rs posi-
bio.
mules in The State under the assessment Of
1879 vas $44 and $s52 respectively. In
Gcorgetawn County the horses were assessed
on an average nj SCI each. which is higher
than in any other county Ia the State in
llorry County the mules were assessed at $02
which is higher thnn in any p'hn'" county.
The average assessed value Of tho miles IN
Georgetown was $72 and Of the horses in
Iorry S66. In Lnurens County the horses
were assessed ut $35 and tho mules at S;37
In Pickcns County tho average assessed value
Of horses WAS ss35 md the mules S42. The
average value Of horses in Charleston County
wns $50 and their total assessed value 81 49,
or total Of $l20 ,0G5. N, detailed state
ments were received from Chesterfield, Dar-
lington, GreeuVile Richland Sumter and
Union Counties. The assumed averages in
the different counties nro arrived at by tak-
ing the value OF horses and mules in George.
town. Fairfield and York. adding thom to-
gethcr and dividing by three The average
of personal property. per voter, is found in
tho snmo manner by taking tho average
burg.
BY tho assessment Of 1870 tho average
amount of personal property of each Demo-
cratic voter was $3l8 in Beaufort County,
Sl70 in Lexington, S33 in Barnwell, S37 in
Abbeville, s25 10 Clarendon and rs low MS
Sl8 in Edgeield and SIG in Hampton. In
Charleston County (including the city) the
average was only sos. On raising the as
sessment in tho different counties to $l37
per Democratic voter, IAN average of thrce
counties actually 80 returned.) there would
be gain to tho State on the value Of taxable
personal property, including furniture, books,
implements, &C., of $7,l32,l24, which is
equal to an increase Of SAL ,942 in Charleston
County.
There were lei ,03G buildings ia the coun-
try proper valuea at $G,603, 1856 or about s54
EACH In the towns and Villages of the State,
not including Charleston, there were 1881
buildings returned ut $6,Sl5,333 or about
$500 each, and in Charleston City the num-
ber of buildings returned was G,S6G Mt u
value Of S9,5625l0 or about Sl,378 each.
In Edgofeld County there nre ,232 build-
inga to G,5l0 Democratic voters and their
families. Estimating that each family will
average at least four n,embors this would
givo about twenty one persons to euch
building. leaving no barns, gin houses or
stables!
Each Democratic voter in Charleston is
charged on an Average with about sos in
personal property. Only 1880 watches wcro
returned in Charleston City and county.
Georgetown County returned $50 watches at
o valuation Of $l4.407. Tho population Of
Charleston City by the last census was 49,
900, and, taking it for granted thnt thero is
no time kept in tho country at all, these 6g~
nrcs would give about ono watch to evory
fifty people
There is startling discrepancy in tho
assessed valuation Of tho mules in tho differ
ont counties Of tho State. In Charleston thoy