The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-31
SLUMP OF THE TAX RETURNS.
THE STU ALTON MISREPREsENTED
By THE SILYERITEs.

Several of the Counties show Craft
fyfng Enhancement OF Values.
Figures in the Once of the Con-
troIler General Refute the Claims
Made by the Dupes of the White
Metal FaIIacy-The FaIIacy of the
siIverfte Theories Concerning
Values shown Up
Atlanta. Ca. July S1-There is another
side 10 the story told by the free silver
press. about the slump in Georgia tax re-
turns this year.
In an interview on the subject to-day.
Controller General Wright said: 1t is inn
possible 10 attribute this shrinkage 10 any
one cause. II is just like panic; we
know it is here, but no man can say that
IL is due 10 any one cause. II the shrink
age was due TO single cause. it would
be general and affect all the counties in
the state, but so far this has not been the
case, for Talbot county shows an increase
Of $3.50. Laurens shows an increase Of
$4,000. Decatur an increase Of 81. 455,0i9, and
Montgomery an increase Of S30,661.
There is no law 10 regulate a mans
tax returns 10 the receiver. He makes
these returns under oath, and, of course.
il is perfectly natural for him to give in
his property at a less value than he would
place on it if times were prosperous and
he was getting good prices for his pro-
ducts. The unsettled condition that has
prevailed has caused money TO secrete it
self and 1t is not as plentiful
as II was. Under such conditions man
would not consider his property worth
as much as ii would be II the financial
condition of the country was more set
tied than il is at present The property
holders of the state take this view Of it,
In connection with the falling OF in
tax returns the following figures, based
upon the records in the controller gener-
ais office, throw a good deal of light
upon the situation, and effectually refute
the assertions of the dree silver press,
which has been making much of the
falling off The so-called single gold
standard was established in 1873. An ex-
animation of the books in the controller
generals office show that the total value
of property in Georgia in 1873 was $685.
b93. so. In 1874 il was S27309i, 292, a gain
from the year before. In 1875 II had fallen
off Sll.357 40S. Without going into de-
tails, il continued to decrease up to the
year 1879, when it was S215, 093. 424. The
reasoning mind will fail TO see why IL
was that the gold standard allowed val
ues to increase for two years after it
was put upon the people, and then stop
at the year 1879, as 1T did, instead Of con-
tinuing to shrink unth there was moth
ing left to shrink.
Then again why did Decatur county,
which fell of last year, show a gain this
year?
In 1850, the gold standard still being in
~.,-T
There was an increase that year from the
year before of $13. S4O.7 02. In 1881 there was
an increase of Sl4, 726.S7S. In 1852 there was
an increase, and a further increase of
from Sl2,000000 to $30,0OO,OIO a year up to
1893, when values again began to drop off.
The question naturally arises. Why was
It that the so-called single gold standard
alleged to be responsible for the present
shrinkage in values. allowed values in
Georgia TO increase from S215. 093, 424 in 1879
10 $42l. las, 500 in 1892? The values last year,
in spite Of the shrinkage, were nearly
double what they were in 1879, when the
upward tendency began.
Another thing that throws some light
on the reduced valuations is the explana-
1ion of Capt. Charles T. Furlow of the
controller generals office, that nearly
every one of the receivers
in the counties near Atlanta
aIlIlBulc II 10 the recent recommendation
of the Fulton county grand jury. This
body passed a resolution to the effect that
1t would be advisable for the tax receiv-
ers to allow the people TO give in their
property at a much lower value than
was accepted last year. The receivers
in counties near Atlanta say that the
tax payers say TO them as they give in
their property that they Sc the people of
Atlanta are going to be allowed to give
in their property at a low figure so they
will do the same. They say they will not
pay the taxes of the state and allow At
lanta to thrive off of them Taking this
view they are inclined TO give IN their
property at a lower valuation than last
year. F'ifty-six counties have sent in
their tax digest so far, and out of that
number fifty-two show that the total
values are less than they were last year.