The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-04-23

years behind the procession. Right and
Justice should be administered in all
courts upon the same rules and princi-
pies, and no man should be turned out
of any court where he may plead or be
implicated and compelled to seek an
other court to vindicate his just cause.
To pretend to administer justice upon
any other principle is to sacrifice the
spirit and soul of the law to mere
shadow and form.
Fee-Grabblng Criminal Costs System.
Prior to the passage of the late law
known as the Jarvis act the State paid
all felony costs and the counties all
misdemeanor costs. We know the |
amounts paid out by the State, but not
what is paid out by all the counties.
After obtaining reliable reports from
nearly all the counties, it is computed
that the costs paid for criminal prosecu-
tions in Tennessee by the State and
counties exceed $1,250,00O annually
while less than $4,000 is paid out in
Georgia for the same purpose! But
then few years since Georgia remod-
eled her constitution, and when the
convention had exhausted the fund APP
propriated to cover the costs OF its
deliberations, one of its most distin-
guished members, Robert Toombs, came
forward and pledged his private estate
for the extra costs of the convention,
hence it finished Its labors before ad-
| iournment, to the great delight OF Mr..
Toombs, who declared that in so doing
, they had locked the door upon extrava-
, gance and thrown the key away.
, Here are the figures showing what the
Shelby county criminal court cost the
, people for 1896:
Paid by county for mlsdemeanors. ....$ 5G,41s 50
Paid by county for wOrkhOuse. ....... 1887 II
Paid by State felonles lest. ).......... 2S,676 70
n Total paid by State and county SlOO,49 20
q 1t will be seen the county pays out for
y her part of these costs ST., S15.50, while
IS the entire property tax for the county
!. for 1896 was only $4,000, of which the
+ trustee says he will collect about $65,-
l. 600, or not enough to pay the county's
v criminal costs.
"a Space forbids further details, but
"a will add that while very great saving
d could be made by the adoption of what
ID is called the Georgia criminal cost sys
ID tem," yet thorough and full relief car
n not he granted with respect to the
b. several reforms mentioned above, with
IL oh I from
" the papers that the new criminal cost
te laws are already under fire. No les
8. than five different laws passed by tn
4. last legislature have been declared un
h constitutional. In fact the old docu
ment sets on the State like an incu bus
so The Tax Laws.
H. The organic law permits not onl
at double, but even triple and quadrupl
nv taxation, in view of which we cannc
ire condemn the sagacity of the committee
,tv appointed by northern and eastern cap
Ter talists, when it reported adversely upo
he the tax laws of Tennessee, and thu
IN. caused capital to pass around Tennessee
DIV and seek investment in States havin
Is wiser and more just laws. While son
me- interests are thus subjected to doub
yht and even more taxation, other Interest
av. escape, thus making unjust distinction
or Some slight reductions in taxation we
cir made by the legislature OF 1895, b
40 this reduction has threatened defiC
.ed in the State treasury for 1897, and
the still greater one in 1898, and the wo
. to has gone forth that the tax rate as We
,ial as the number and amount of privile
the taxes will be greatly increased for t
hus years 1897 and 1898.
I is If our people are to compete on ECU
terms with citizens OF other States, tn
ant there must be reform in our constit
rec ton on the subject of taxation, wifi
su- must be less and properly distribute
, of so as to encourage enterprise and ca
Ioes tai to build up our waste places, a
be thus create values which in the futu
ON will yield their just proportion of re-
ex- nue., to the relief Of our present ov
and taxed people. We must either keep
il of with the procession or fail behind a
The be cast under foot; we must either p
had greSS OF SJdBndVe, anu SIdRHa
staring us in the face.
Paradoxical as it may seem, the ella,
=. of our constitution which declares Il
40 taxes shall be equal and unifC
,r,od throughout the State, has been
than constructed by the supreme court as
noro admit not only of double but of tri
- IN taxation; and then again so constr
n in as to deny the right of the legislat
now to tax part of given public imprc
inis- ment upon the abutting property n
r. I improved according to the benefits
, ont ceived, thus not only placing Tennes
,rrio alone on this proposition, but pra
ston- cally vetoing large class of pu
,ol,h improvements. Then again when
r,oro legislature in 1875 passed an act to
com. railroads a per centage on their g
"a Cor incomes as they are quasi public
tatss porations, just as they and teleph
svs. telegraph, express companies and
! g. like are taxed in Wisconsin, Hi
,,noo and other States, the supreme C
: law quoting this clause declared the
forv unconstitutional, Ellis VS.. L. s. \
al IN R., Bax., 5sO) What is the res
1900 In Wisconsin the railroads pay into
ct,ta +raos3srv 81 750 coo ner anr