The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-02


/ asked the Treasurer OF y bbcville County a
few questions the other day in regard 10 the
finances OF the county, and he gave me the
10 flowing in formation which he says is not
Tar out OF the way. did not care for the en-
act figures. The total taxes for county pur-
poses amount to about $4,000, and OF that
amount the railroads are charged with about
SS,0O0. that has not been paid. BESIDES the
deficiency of this $500, the treasurer SAYS
that there will be deficiency of some 81 20O
to l5OO, making in al at this t!Ee Il deficiency
ofoyer 900. The above figures apply only
to this county. There Is about the same con-
dition Of affairs all over the State which
would make an enormous deficit, reaching
far over S2OO.OOO
County claims are being discounted at from
twelve and II half to fifteen cents, from the
fact that the county is SO far hehind, and no
one is able TO tell wheH there Will be any
money in the treasury 10 pay claims against
the county. Persons who have done honest
and hard work for the county have to either
wait very, very long time for their money
or go to the money lenders and get them dis
counted at - runiOuS rate. This too. at IA time
when our people never needed money worse.
The teachers will have to walt for their
money or do like the others, get their claims
discounted.
VINO is responsible for this state of af-
fairs: And how did it happen? The County
Treasurer is not To blame. Now let us see.
In the first place, in. the campaign of lo'O,
many promises were made By the reform cam
didaIes that if they were elected tho taxes
would be reduced considerably; but, after
they were elected it was found that there
could be no reduction. The expenditure o.
money was greater than it was before.
II would not do to let the people know that
this was the case, and IL had TO be covered up
in some way. TO do this the rate per cent. OF
taxation was reduced: and an attempt WAS
made 10 increase the assessment on banks
railroads and the phosphate companies. The
rate per cent. was put about 81 hall mill below
hn E,rt ar rNtn n pnS n n
to raise sufficient money to meet the ordinary
expenses of the government, I, and that brought
about the deficiency of the 81, ,2U to l,5U that
the treasurer mentioned BY making the
rate per cent. lower, it was. no doubt, thought
that the people would be fooled. hnt the facts
are now coming to light, and they will soon
be still more apparent.
1t was heralded with a great flourish oi
trumpets last year that the assessed valuation
of the property in the State had been increas-
ed some seventeen million o. dollars. That
bubble has burst. After the railroads, the
banks and the phosphate companies had
made their returns Ia the auditors, and the
County Boards of EQualizationS had passed
on and accepted the returns, tie Comptroller.
General, Mr.. Ellerbe. steps 10 the front and
without any authority raises the value of the
property mentioned to figures 10 suit him.
self.
The banks. the railroads and the phosphate
companies would not submit to the conduct
OF Mr.. Ellerbe, and they asked the courts t.
that had been put upon them 10y the Comp
troller General. The Circuit Courts sustained
the banks and the phosphate companies. and
required the various County rreu>urcrS To =
back 10 the original returns and 10 cOlleci
the taxes on those. The State governmcn,
appealed to the SuprEme Court and itSustaln
ed the finding OF the Circuit Judges, thus cut
ting down the assessed value Of the property
millions ofuOllurS.
The matter so far as the railroads are con
cerned has not yet been settled, and they lavC
not paid their taxes, and they are now in the
Courts asking relief They will not pay theiI
taxes till the matter is settled and IL will bt
monI hs before II Is settled. In the meantime
the States and the counties have 10 loss the
use OF the money when they cannot afford u
do without it.
Ellerhe made the increased assessments, Mr
\. j. Pope, Il reiormer, was the Attorney Gen
erai of the State, and consequently he legal
adviser of Mr.. Es!erbe. 1t must, also, be re-
menIhered that at the time the Supreme
Court rendered its decisions in these cases MI
Pope was on the Supreme Bench as Associate
Justice, and that he cuncurred in the decis
ions. They were right anG he could not du
otherwise. l do not mean to attach any
odium TO INN. but simply to call attention Il
the TACT that the decision cannot be said 10 be
partisan decision.
The bad effects do not stop here, but they &C
good deal further, If the, present lax lev!
was based on these increased assessments II
IL was, then there will be another detic encS
this year oi over so, ,OO0-.nuking in All ~ de-.
hciehcy OF over SiN,WO. R,sdes the very
large amount thai has been lost 10y The un
buSine.Slike management OF the CouSaw Com.
pPny by the Governor.
Zee no way to get over this trouble, and
un less 1t Is overcome there will be stilI more
trouble Ill the matter OI funding our STATE
debt which becomes due next year. There
seems 10 be some trouble about ihat matter
now, but the situation will he Sti u more coin
plicated. If there is at the end of this yearany
thing like the deficiency that have mention.
ed. IL is well Tor us 10 understand these
things fully, and then no man can say that IN
the cam paign of this year thai he did not ur.
derstand the situation.
Those men who recently signed the call for
convention OF the Democrats OF the State 10
meet In Columbia on the 2iLh OF Mnrch, to.
gether with II great numbers OF oi nerS sec
how matters are drifting and they desire 10
rectfy matters II they can.
Every man in the Stale who really has The
interest OF the State ;tt heart should attend
that convention. There are differences among
US that should be overcome In order That the
State shall not suffer. Let us be guided by
the facts in the case and then we will not 20
wrong. those politicians that have been
tried and found wanting must be cast asid,
Tor other men that we have more reliance In
Already. we are divided into three factions
and il We do not try toget together s:.on, We
will split 10 the injury OF South Carolina, as
well as our own individual interests.
Inc Iiilman fnction, II we are To take the
Evans as true, Will not listen to anything but
what l. for their. as well as Tillnan's interest
fEey snow no desire 10 make peace In the
party. Self-nierest Is their sole aim, regard.
less ol the welfare OF The state.
The straiShtout men are uncomprOmiSingly
opposed 10 the reelection OF Iilluan, but
stand ready 10 come forward and do good bat.
tie for their Stale.
The antl-Tillman faction believes in rescu.
lug the State from her present troubles by a
vigorous fight within the lines established by
The II Imam faction, and they are moving III
that direction.
There seems to be some little interest shown
now as To who Will be the next nominee OF the
Democratic party. Who are you for. Cleve.
land Or I'M? is often asked. 1t Is true that
the contest does seem To be between those two
men: hut, at the same time. IL Is more than
probable That If The contest Is kept up, Il west
ern man Will get the nomination. The papers
state that there is growing inclination To
drop both Cleveland and Hill ana take up d
Western man. There is no doubt about The
fact that the contest in New York has created
lll-ieeiing between the two Democratic iac-
tiOns. This being the case. ! am of the opin-
ion that Il Western man like Campbell, OF
Ohio, or some good man who is in favor oi
tariff reform, could carry New York in the
general election with more case than either
Cleveland or Hill. We are dependent on
neither for success.
The welfare of the United States and the
success OF the Democratic party does not de.
pend on any individual man.