The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-07-07
dents and cashiers ofsuch bank or bauk-


within the time required herein 1t shall
be the duty of said Auditor to examine
the books Of said bank or banking asso-
cation; also to examine any officer or
agent thereof under oath, together with
such other persons as he may deem
proper, and make ouL the statement re-
Quired by said section aud enter the
value Of said shares on the duplicate for
taxation.
Ellcrbe: 1t has been asserted that
disseminated against the banks. The
following circular will show whether I
Disseminated or not:
lntlmatlons under cover of inquiries
come to this Office that there are organ.
lzatlons doing business in this State who
have failed heretofore to return any
property for taxation. lfsuch compan-
les or individuals have neglected or
evaded taxes Auditors will follow the
provision of Section 2l5 of the General
Statutes, which says: If any person
shall tail to list personal property he Is
required by law to list iu any one year,
and the same escapes taxation for that
year, the value thereof shall be charged
against him for taxation in any subse-
quent year with SO per cent. penalty
added thereto and taxes and penalty col
lected as in other cases.
| Great inequalities exist in the assess
ment OF various species of personal
property, such as mules, horses and
! other animals valued for taxation.
There is no law for valuinR hundred
dollar mule at forty or sixty dollars
The idea which seems to prevail in
some parts of the State that all proper
ty for taxation should not be assessed
at above two-thirds per cent of its real
value Is erroneous and in direct conflict
with the law. "All property shall be
valued for taxation at its true value In
money" (See Section 2I9) "A piece
Of property is worth what it will bring
on the market" and if a mule Is worth
SlOO is should be assessed at 500, no
more, no less.
Every piece of taxable property, from
a sore-back mule on farm to the gilt
shares of the wealthiest bank in the
State, should be valued at their true
value in money" taxation. "a" is not
justified in wrong return because "B"
returned his property below its true
value.
a large percentage of the poll tax in
many Counties is not paid. Auditors
or the township boards of assessors,
and we must insist upon the collection
OF all poll tax.
Sheppard said the Supreme Court
had SAID that Ellesbe had no right to
issue such orders.
Ellerbe: Prove it. Loud cheers for
Ellerbe.l
Sheppard: The Supreme Court says
it.
Iou are a lawyer. Does not section
IL! give me the power to issue such cir.
culars?
Sheppard: The Supreme Court says
not.
! Ellerbe: 1t did not.
Sheppard: The court says in its de-
cission that the Auditor alleged as the
sole reason for such increased valua-
tion (and no doubt correctly the order
of one w. II. Ellerbe, styling himself
the Comptroller General of said State.
Had the Comptroller General any au-
thOrity of law for making an order like
this. one directing the Auditor to raise
the valuation Of any particular proper
ty returned tor assessment and taxa
ton. We do not find anything In Sec
tions 247, 254 and 261, and our atten-
tion has not been called to any section
which gives the Comptroller General
the right to make an order, or to the
Auditor the right to obey Snch order
directing him to raise the valuation of
personal property as made in any speci-
TIC cases, and passed upon by the town
ship and County boards without
change.
Ellerbe: That does not say had no
right to issue the circular.
Sheppard: 1t says you had no right to
raise the assessment.
Ellerbe: Under Section 2Gl has the
Comptroller General no right to issue
an order? Why don't you do the fair
thing? \ ou talk about banks. and so
on, and say not a word about the Comp
troller Generals report, which shows
has been raised $1,OOO,OOO. Prove
that I've Disseminated against any
Kind OF property and l will quit
the race and leave the State. VIII you
say that the banks and railroads, even
under the new assessments, are assessed
higher than the farmers property?
Sheppard: I'm not prepared to an
swer that question.
Ellerbe: Why do you say the banks
and railroads are discriminated
against? Put up or shut up abont dis.
crlmlhaLion. L am unwilling to stand
at my home where everybody has
known me from infancy. Now, sir,
you musC give proof, or shut up.
| Inv h'S'toh obLoiAhCS letbl1Wdy was dS-
sessed at $4,000 per mile making the
assessment little over 100000. The
first mortgage bonds of the road,
amounting to $s5,0O0,OOO, are selling at
par; the second and third mortgage
bonds amounting to about $3,O0OOOO,
are quoted at about 90. This road, then
is worth $8,OOO,OOO, according to the
rules laid down 10y the United States
Supreme Court for the assessment Of
railroads and under the new assess
ment Is only valued at $S3 100000.
| Ex-Governor Sheppard then closed.
lie said Governor Tillman's statement
that he vetoed the railroad bill giving
the commission more control Of the
roads for the reason that the bill did
not give he people the power to elect
the com mmiSsioDers, was flimsy pretext,
as the Governor in his message to the
legislature recommended that this
power be given either to the people or
to the legislature. Some one asked
"lIow about the farmers ?" And Gov
ernor Sheppard replied that he was
raised with the farmers, plowed with
them to get the means to take him to