The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-14
FACTS And FIGURES.
SHOWING THE DIFFERENT RATES CT
TAXATION IN TIE DIFFERENT STATES.
Let thc Reader 30 :; E.ittIc Thinking
for Himself. and He can Answer
all OF Tilimmn'S Assertions About
Democratic Extravaganza.

Statistics are tireS0mc 10 most persons, but
their publication seems 10 he juStIiiablc when
they contain complete answer TO SrounuicSS
charges that have been repeated so often as
to make many believe them. 1t has been
charged and reiterated that our State Govern
ment is either corrupt or cNirarhgant, or
BOTH
II is scarcely worth while TO notice the
charge of corruption. No wcl-iniurnrd
man could entertain IL for Il moment. Not
Il dollar can be paid out by the Treasurer c%-
ccpt i'm pursuance of specified appropriation
made by the Legislation. Warrants are
drawn on tic Treasurer by The proper officer,
usually the Comptroller General. Proper
| vouchers arc filed. Every officer makes 70
| the Legislature an annual report, which Is
printed. In addition to this IL joint commit
| tee, COMPOSED of one Senator and two Rcprc.
sentativcs, Is appointed annually 10 examine
the books accounts and vouchers OF The Urea
Surcr. This work Is very carefully done.
Thus il will be seen that every safeguard Is
thrown around the Treasurer, and il Is prac-
tically impossible for any orc to cheat IN:
State out of - cent except By c"llllSi"n WIN
the Comptroller General or other officer iSSu.
| ing the warrant, the Treasurer ana that joint
committee and, il may he added, the General
Assembly itself. This locking AT ii from the
lowest point OF view.
| Now, as t0 the clinrgc OF extravaganza. Ihc
table appended gives The total taxable lrnl"
erty, average raIts of taxation for all pn!-
poses, (Which | take 10 mean St"t", county
school, pal and assessments III aE! oi
railroads and 0iilcr entcrpriSrS) pnpu!atinn
and average amount collected in taNrS rr'
capita in all the States of the Union. The
first, second and third columns are lakcii
| from the census of lSI0. Tic fourth consists
of calculations made upon the other three
hn examination Of thIs table will show llEi'
only four States have Il lower rate OF taxation
| than South Carolina, namely, North thrnlili;t
twelve mills; Delaware, Maryland and lthodt
| Island, ten mills each. ThrrcStateS, icnlSlh
Tennessee and Wisconsin have the same rate
thirteen mills. The rate in the other State
| runs from fourteen to thirty mills.
| If we look at the amount collected per capt
II. Il still more striking ShOwin" Is made
| only two States, Alabama and North Caro'I
nn. COLI ct Il smaller amount per capita tbtl
South Carolina The amount per clplLa II
j the nther States runs from $l,7Sl in Tennessee
tn 81 iWS in California. 1t must he borne II
mind. too, that in North Carolina the coiorci
population is only :ESl.lO per cent Of tli'
Carolina it is CLIO. 1t is well known thai
over so per cent of the criminals and Ii lar9r
proportion OF the panpcrS IN this state are
c0l6red. IL is Impossible TO tell what is tl'
EXPENSE caused 10 the State by these twt
clnsScs hut it must lie considerable.
! ISnot the complaint without foundation
Is not the Government OF South Carolina no
only Il perfectly pure one, hut also one OF tE'
most economical OH the face Oi tic caIth :"
! Another thing IT seems to me, Is worthy o
the most serious consideration ut this time
i We hope to refund our State debt III lHE' ~ ;
lower rate of interest The Importance OF &c
} ed. a reduction OF the interest from q PC
cent to per cent would effect an annual saw
ing to the State OF over one hundred ;tnt
twenty thousand dollars. \ horiZnnlai rr
: ductinn OF 30 per cent ON The salaries Of al
: the officers in the legislative, executive ant
judicial departments Of tEc Government
would have only about sixty seven thou>aiit
five hundred dul!arS per annum.
Ca;.il:li is prnvcrbialIy tin i'll and c0wardly
Capitalists will not touch our securities Iii
less they have absolutely faith in the main
icnancc Of white supremacy In the Sial"
: Are these disSrnS!Ons and agitaiions nov
sought to be engrndcrrd in the state likely Il
produce that faith? DO they auSur well 70
: Democratic soIidity? II so, why Is ever.
Radicul from Maine to California delighted -
them: H. src:uS 10 me iiat III make this II
funding scheme successful We will need iO
Governor. TREASURER COMPTROLLER Grnci:i
aud Attorney General men who Will insrtr
confidence in financial circles iy reason Il
their wisdom and prudence ana conSrrvat
ism. is this agitation. /! successful. likrI
To result iE the choice Of men who will III
.pirr that confidence:
ELLIS G.. GRAYUON.
: Abbevi;lc, April IL. IS9l.