The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-09-29
TAXES! TAXES 4 TAXES i!
State and Federal.

EDITOR LAURENS ADVERTI&ER:-
We pursue the consideration of
the important questions discussed
by Capt. b. II. Tillman before the
Lisbon Agricultural Club and pc0-
pie Of Laurens County, at Laurens,
on The 18th of August last, viz:
"What is the matter and what is
the remedy ?"
No q important question can
engage the attention Of III people.
We are all on the decline as to bu.
siness matters. Farmers, mecban-
les, many merchants, most of pro-
fessiOnal men, and laborers gener-
ally, may be said to be going to the
dogs. In Il communication last
week we adverted to certain facts
going to show that the blight
which rests on South Carolina,
rests also on the farmers of other
States and on the Nation, and not
alone upon farmers, but all labor
ing and industrial classes, and fur
thermOre, that this blight was
chronic, having lasted since the
financial crash of the year 1878,
all of which we agreed showed
that great as are the bur-
denS and h~ardShipS of our people,
these were not OccaSioncd by our
State Government, whose expense
was but a feathers weight in com
parison with the taxes we had to
pay under the United States Gov
eminent through the existing tariff.
We will now advert to certain
other facts which show that in
Can't TSll,,n r3s tI)hi1lip,i, 49,, ;>nt
Our State Government and the
"Bennettsville meeting Of the State
Agricultural Society,"" he omitted
the onerous tax burdens to which
the masses of the people through
out the United States are subjected
through the iniquitous operations
of the existing tariff, and which is
far in excess Of our State Tax, even
with the expenses of the Univer-
sity, the Citadel and the Free
Schools ALI included, and the Coz
ernOr's Stationery in addition!
We know Of no means by which
1T al be definitely ascertaincd
how much our State and County
pays in taxes to the United States
Government owing to the manner
In which these taxes r collected.
But by ascertaining the whole
amount of revenues collected by
the United States and then finding
the total population of the United
States, we a easily get the aver
age tax per head of population.
The whole revenue of the United
States for the year which ended
30th June, 1883, the last official re-
mort. tyhinI, 1,n b,,,n ~ I>@ .,,
in round sums, Customs $214,00O,-
OG0, Internal Revenue $144.00O,O 900,
Total $35S,0000,O00 The total pop
ulatiOn of the United States by the
last census, was, in round numbers,
a little over 50,000,O0O. And the
population of South Carolina by
the last census was nearly, though
not quite 100000. And the popu-
iation of Laurens County was not
quite, but in q fraction of 10000.
Then if 50,000,000 Of people fur
nish a revenue of 1888, 900, 900, what
proportion is furnished by 1000
600 population? Answer-$7,O00,-
600. Then again, if 100000 popu-
latiOn furnish revenue to the
amount of S7,0O0,Oo0, what proper
ton would be furnished by County
like Laurens, Of 10000 population +?
Answer-$216,6o0 AT these fig
ures and by this mode of calcula-
ting, every man, woman and child
in the Unit. d States contributes in
some way, direct or indirect, to
the United States taxes-$7.OO.
Our State Tax for Laurens Coun-
ty is $50.7S4, Including the consitu-
tiOnal 2 mill tax for schools. This
divided out equally amongst our
population, gives al the average
State tax, per head, $1.GG! What
sort Of craftsmanship" can that be
which undertaking to tell us "What
is the m0tter," bclabors a State
Government ~ the cause of all our
woes, when the cost of the State
Government is only $l.66 per head,
and says never IL word about tue
United States Tax, Of not less than
$500 perhead! Is not this strain
ing at q gnat and swallowing a
camel" Was this omission Wiifui
or was 1T from ignorance? 1t will
not do for Capt. Tillman or any of
his worshippers or apologists to say
that he was dealing only with
h'totN Bhhttt1Ss IlS was ulltcT-
taking to tell us the cause of our
business ~stagnatiOn. He did tell
boldly and eloquently what he rep
resented to be the ills under which
we labored.
But the enormity Of this tax by
the United States, is even greater
than we have yet shown it to be.
The Congressional Committee of
Ways and Means, in their report
to the recent Session of Congress,
I'm favor of reducing the Tariff,
stated the average tax per head of
every, man, woman and child in
the United States, as being four
teen dollars, &14.O0J each! AS I
have rot the estimate on which
this statement is based, l will only
give the statement for what it is