The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1888-01-20
AN EQUALIZATION BILL.

We have come iutO possession Of
bill entitled "Senate bill No 10 F:
An Act 10 create State Board of
Equalization and TO define the du-
ties thereof" We are not informed
OF the whereabouts Of the brain
from which this great Minerva was
evolved, but this bill indicates that
it ia one of great fertility. Not that
the bill is practical or Will ever nc.
complish anything, but TO tue con-
trary. 1t is remaI kable for grand
idea without a practical feature. 1t
proposes 10 create the State Rail-
road Commission and the Auditor
of Public Accounts Board of
Equalization, the duties of which
Board heing defined, would Indicate
that those well-paid officers have
nothing to do at present and want
"A job that will keep them occupied
aud out of mischief, with a display
of power aud red tape wonderful
to contemplate. 1t provides that
these gentlemen shall constitute a
jury of inquiry, who shall take the
dispositions of as many thousand
citizens as they see proper, and
from such evidence assess the
property value of each county of
the State, upon which valuations
the several counties are to be
charged with taxes. In other words, /
if We pay $4,000 State tax at pres
ent, aud the grand assize tBoard) |
should conceive the idea that our
property on the whole was assessed
at only half its total value we
would be charged with $4,000 State
tax and the Board of Supervisors
would be required to raise values
OF the assessments to meet it.
Our opinion is that the author of
that bill ought to be in the United
States Senate, where he could treat
with States as independence SOY.
ereignties, as he is now practicing
with counties. AT present it would
be well for him 10 bear in mind that
counties are not such independent
Sovereignties, and they can't well
claim the right to secede from the
union of counties in case they are
dealt with harshly. If this bill
were introduced with a view 10 aid
ing In collecting data for the census
of 1890 it might do, but as it has a
rather more serious object it should
ceItsinly provide for greater ac-
,uracy iu its operations.
1t should be remembered that
he inequality of assessed values ,
les between The citizens OF the ,
State, regardless of county bOunda- Z
les, aud for the State to 20 to the !
expense of supporting a Board >,
With its expensive manipulations y
o Judge which Of the several coun- ;,
les are most INSCRIPTIONS, and to !,
barge the several cOuntIeS with .,
aAes according TO its ideas of the :
norInlty OF the dishonesty within !,
heir several limits would be sim -,
is huge farce. r,
In this bill the grand first primer T.,
lie OF the work in band is lost e.
isht of. What We want TO con- .
1rm 10 jnStice and the constitu-
ion, is that the burden of taxation =,
e equally distributed between the l..
lx-payers OF the State. To do :,
lat 1t is necessary that every tax d,
Iyer assess his property at its fair i;
arket valuation. Each case of ~,
lder valuation is case of wrong =,
at stands upon its own peculiar y,
erits. This Board could not ac- -
wplish this adjustment of differ oil
ices at all, and to force Boards OF
lperviSOrs TO raise or lower the
gregate assessed value of the tr
Operty of their counties, respect bl
Fly, would force injustice without Ol
d, for it has been found, by ex- fr'
rience, that Supervisors are not ir'
mpetent to equalize assessments "a
rly. This bill, now, proposes to o'
s taxes by counties 10 force 10
nalization between citizens, with 10
t furnishing the citizens with sn
'ilities, for equalizing among III
.mselves better than the made 90
ate facilities they have already. al
B. No. 10 wont do. What next I su
rHR Ponce de Leon Hotel at ST.
Igustine, Florida, has just been re
..lt.d ond o,,anefl for tho win | III