The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-02-03
ON SENATOR BILLIARDS VIEWS.

letter from State Scuator George q
billiard, on Senate Bill No. 10-lht
Equalization Bill. The Senator
comes at US with the teIvOr and
pathos of the shit dog" Perhaps
He IS usually to DO known by bis
yelp. Still, the bill is no very great
discredit to its author, hence nc
offense intended.
We respect the Senator's views
and consider them worthy OF consid
alton, hnt nat exactly of complete
adoption. We have before intima
ted that the Governor evidently
had the wrong SOW by the ear, re
ferring to that portion of his met
sage quoted by Senator DIllard
We saw in it a tendency toward jusI
such a bill as s. B. 10. But in spite
Of the argument of u esteemed
friend, the Senator; in spite oil
oysters, fish, (mullet thrown in,
shrimp aud crab-gumbo, and the
pensive alligator of Lowry Island
nativity, too, for that matter (and
they ere valued very bigh) we be
Iieve the entire idea, upon which
S. B. 10 is based, TO be wrong in
toto. Pope is correct !: "The proper
study Of mankind is man." A com.
muuity evil should always be cor
rected individually, or it will not
be corrected. 1t is really no matter
to the taxpayers that one county
pays more tax in proportion to pro.
perty values than another, but the
language OF the Consultation, 'tax-
alton shall be equal and uniform
throughout the State" is the mat.
ter of sole concern. That part Of
the Governors message which the
Senator refers to simply demon.
strates that that Constitutional in
junction is violated, aud that its
abuse is greater in some counties
than IN others.
To equGlize taxation, in the sense
we are now using the word, means
to force each individual to bear his
pro rata share OF the burden OF
taxation. Will s. B. No. 10 do
that's is the question. Under it,
the Board of Equalizers, four men,
will be called upon to say how much
the entire property of each county
IS worth, having for their guide in
formation of exceedingly doubtful
accuracy. IT they reduce there
must be a looping of somewhere,
and If they raise there must be an
increase, right or wrong. Now, be
it remembered that the various
Boards of Supervisors have already
equalized for their respective coun.
ties, under oath of Office, and to
the best of their ability, it is but
just to presume. Then it follows,
as a logical conclusion, that they
must raise or increase assessed val
ues horizontally, or review their
work and, perhaps, dO.greater in
justice by eftecting greaterinequal-
ity.
We do not pretend to say that
the members of county Boards OF
Supervisors are either fools OF
knaves, as a rule, but the fact is
they are usually men of business,
who have but little time or Oppor-
tunity to study property values.
As officers they are not sufficiently
paid to give the matter the atten.
ton it deserves. Hence, what we
want is an intelligent, well-paid
man in each county to give the
matter of assessments his special
and undivided attention, to gather
statistics bearing on individual and
general assessments, to act IN con.
junction with a Board of Equaliz.
of which he shall be a member,
composed OF one member for each
county in a district composed of a
certain number OF adjoining coun-
ties of corresponding land values.
Such equalizer to he appointed on
the recommendation of the Clerk,
Sheriff and Assessor of each county.
This is an outline of our idea for
accomplishing equalization. There
is entirely too much red tape in
S. B. No. 10. There are too many
offs" aud prOvisos blocking up the
way to justice and the happy con-
Of a serious undertak.
ing.
SENATOR MORGAN, of Alabama,
thinks that "educstIOn is safer in