The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-08-26

Qer people on CQ6 SLreotS anu ID Tue maTLS
again steadily asserting themselves in
the battle of life. Columbia in this but
represents the State, and in the degree of
her rehabilitation does not more than
equal the general progress. The uncom-
planning fortitude. the Incompatible
energy of the South in the struggle to
restore her fortunes, broken in the late
civil war, has been witnessed with admi-
ration by all, and to my.mind presents as
much of the heroic element as anything
in her history, from Sumter to Appomat.
tox.
AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION.
Yet, notwithstanding this successful
progress, and at its close, our agricultural
interest finds itself depressed, the chief
product of its industry selling at best
with no sufficient margin of profit, aud
often, in individual cases, at point
below the cost of production which i'm
.perils the accumulation that has been
made. The agricultural mind is earnest.
ly and with justice demanding the reason
why.
Ii has been suggested that it is to be
found in onerous financial legislation
and wastefal public expenditure. 9th.
ers, going deeper into the analysis, have
sought the chief cause of the trouble in
the faulty business system upon which
our industry is based. There is perhaps
truth in both these suggestions, aud each
deserves attention, but as to their relative
and practical Importance in the consider
alton of a meeting of South Carolina.
agricullurists few thoughts occur. The
taxes paid 10 the General Governme ut,
indirect though they bs, are probably the
largest levied upon our pursuit.; but in
their levy and expenditure We have an
interest and control in common with
fifty millions of people. Indirection
makes it difficult to ascertain what we
actually do pay; and extensive commu.
nifty of interest both complicate its effect
upon our special industry, and makes the
desired change hard to accomplish.
With an overwhelming voting majority
! at the polls, and with ordinarily major.
iity Of representatives in the State Legis.
lature, State levies and expenditures have
been and remain within our immediate
control. The support of Government is
"a necessity, but every cent taken from the
taxpayer beyond its economic and
efficient administration is oppressive.
Does the present management of the
State Government favorably meet the
requirements of this proposition? I
think it does. It is not pretended that
there is no room for retrenchment and
reform. With some special opportuni.
ties of observation il has seemed to me
that improvement may be sought in the
direction of more simple and cheaper
County administration; of confning the
disbursements of the charitable institu.
ii ms of fthe State, which, exclusive of the
interest on the public debt, consume one
third of the State levy, more rigidly to
those whoa are proper recipients of charity,
and in making the labor of convicts a
source of income, to the relief of the
taxpayer. The inequality obtaining in
the assessment for taxation and the fail.
ure of the forfeited land laws to enforce
the collection of taxes operate injustice
and demand redress. All of these may
be looked to. When in! position to do
so, I have myself urged them upon the
attention Of our lawmaking power but
it has not been indicated where retrench-
ment and reform, to an extent apprecia.
BILE in this connection, can 60 further at
this time without in my judgement i'm.
pairing the efficiency of the public
administration, or curtailing expenditures
in the best interests of the people. Be
this as it may, however; take things as
they stand, and let us consider. The
State and ordinary County taxes, togeth.
er with the o.mill school tax, are, one
year With another, about ten mills, upon
valuation of property at little over
one.half it's selling price; and estimating
them per capita they are about one aud
two.thirds dollars to the population.
How much can the burden of such a tax
affect any healthy industry? Now sub
tract from the SUM thus taken from the
farmer what he must pay for an efficient
and we'll ordered government, if this be
not such, and you have the measure of
practical entrenchment; but in the inf.
Intestinal proportions of the saving made
when distributed among the individual
farmers have you found adequate reliet
for the widespread depression Of our
calling?
There are other assessments upon the
industry of the farmer and liens upon
his land which pass under the name of
and are collected as taxes. These being
in no just sense taxes, breed confusion in
the popular mind as to the amount of
taxation. I allude to County and town.
ship subscriptions to railroads. They
are simply business investments made by
the County or township upon business
considerations; stock in the railroads is
always given in return for the subscrip-
tion, and expected improvements in the
property of the subscriber is a further
inducement. These investments, like
others, are sometimes wise, and sometimes
not; but it is we'll to classify them cor.
rectly. If farmer buys a mule, and
the purchase money is collected through
an officer of the law, it is not taxes,
because the officer happens also to be the
tax collector. The farmer has acled in
his individual capacity upon his own
responsibility. The profits of the traus-
action are not to be credited to good gov
ernment; nor its losses charged to NAL
administration.
THE REMEDY.
Without ignoring, or think underrat-
ing, the effect of financial legislation,
either Federal or State, upon our agricul.
ture, I am of those who find that the
chief cause of its present depression is
the faulty system upon which it is direct
ed. Of this system it has been said that
it looks to sending abroad everything
that We produce, and bringing back
everything that we consume. That with
it home commerce is nothing; exports
and imports everything. That whenever
our capital finds Investment outside the
farm, it is in railroads made necessary by
this system, and whose obvious interest,
lying in securing the longest haul of the
largest freight, is to intensity it. And
finally that under it the producer is given
over to the rule OF that class cf business
people who are occupied merely with the
distribution of the products of labor
adding value 10 them only by change Of
place, and that the merchant and the
transporter have it all their own way in
apportioning the ayails This may be