Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-02
The State Road and an Assessment



One Of the reasons advanced for the
sale of the State Road at this time is that
there is a deficiency in the States reye-
nues Of something like $500 and that
it win not ne long before the State win be
behinGhand IN its accounts S500.o
A prominent member of the Legislature
lately stated that 10 make up the de-
iciency and TO provide a revenue that
would meet all the necessary expenses of
the State Government would require an
increase Of taxation of at least 80 per
cent.
The bonded Indebtedness OF the State
cannot be increased; the constitution pro-
hibits anything Of that kind. The only
way to get the State out Of its present and
threatened financial troubles, so those
who advocate the sale of the State Road
think, is to sell the road and apply the
money not only TO the liquidation of the
floating debt, but also to the bonded debt.
The proceeds Of the sale of the road would
clear of so much OF the bonded debt that
the sum required for the interest on the
remain der would be comparatively small,
and the present revenues, relieved of a
large part Of the interest charge, would be
amply sufficient for the needs OF the goy-
eminent.
Independent Of the question whether it
is advisable or not to sell the State Road
at the present time, is it not possible TO
make the present taxrate meet all the eX-
penses Of the government and even to pro-
vide the means for meeting the existing
deficiency! Is there an intelligent member
of the Legislature who does not know that
very large part Of the property of the
State is not taxed at all. and that n great
deal Of it is not taxed at anywhere near
its taxable value? Do not all the men,
bers Of the Legislature know that if prop
erty were taxed equally, and somewhere
near its cash value, the revenues of the
State would be more than sufficient for
all purposes?
Why, then, do they waste their time
with measures which are OF minor import
ance, and refuse to pass an assessment
law that would give satisfaction to tax
PAYERS and relieve the State of all finan-
cial embarrassments? All henest tax
payers want fair and just assessment
AeeN' 0ASAOa-CSt ldA pay tAS NOulu NC =ldu
If there were no law at all.
Year after year this demand for bet
ter and fairer assessment law has gone
up to the Legislature, and year after year
it has been ignored. Certainly there must
be men in the present Legislature capable
Of framing an assessment law such as
the State needs. OF course those who
have managed to escape paving their fair
share of taxes thus far hope to continue
to escape. They viii use their influ-
ence to defeat any legislation that looks
towards equalizing the burdens of taxa
ton, but are the wishes Of these people to
be regarded in preference to the wishes of
honest taxpayers? The proposition to
sell the State Road and apply the pro-
ceeds to the relief of the State is nothing
more than a proposition to apply the
States property to the payment
of the taxes of dishonest taxpayers.
We pass no opinion upon the question Of
the ACCESSIBILITY of selling the State Road,
but we do say that the proposition to sell !
the road to meet deficiencies ought to
open the eyes of the Legislature to the
necessity of providing an honest assess 1
ment law.