The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-08-26

citizens with the return of 40 tanpi.
BILE and visible property as land
For instance, the State of Louisiana
provides that tax assessors shall 90
TO the office in that State which cor
responds with our Office Of Register
OF Deeds, and examine the records
OF conveyances and deeds made for
lands, and thus ascertain whether the
returns OF land correspond with the
records of the township or parish Of
fce.
During the session Of our last gem
eral Assembly, the matter of secur-
ing an approximately correct return
OF solvent credits was a subject of
much consideration by the finance
committee. While the matter was
under discussion. it was suggested
by the state auditor that an enact
ment requiring some evidence that a
solvent credit had been listed for
taxation before such credit should
be collected by process of law, would
perhaps be of some effect. A provis-
ion of this kind was drawn and l
think was adopted by the committee.
OF course it became quickly known,
and then there was q rush toward
and a pressure brought to bear on
the committee by large holders of
solvent credits, to reconsider and re-
jectthis provision. The old thread
bare, ragged and last resort cries of
"exposiug private matters to public
gaze,' "driving capital out of the
State,' ETC., were urged with won
drous persistency and unanimity
The term of radical and vicious
legislation" was rung through the
air SO vigorously as to make its re-
sounding on the ear similar in effect
to the flakes of a lively storm
on the sight, and either for these
potent causes or for some other rea-
son which has never been expressed,
the provision was finally sticken out
of the revenue act by the commit
tee. Yet, there was nothing radical
about it, or if there was, some States
in which there is more capital than
there has ever been in this State,
and in which there is more private
business to expose to public view"
than there has ever been in North
Carolina, are guilty of some "radi-
cal and vicious legislation.' We
may take the State of Maryland, in
which l presume it will be readily
acknowledged there is more capi-
tai than in North Carolina, and we
find in the revenue laws of that
State the following enactment:
''If any person shall, with a view
to evade the payment of taxes, fail
or refuse to give in to the assessor
| any bonds, notes, claims or other
evidences of debt which are subject
to assessment and taxation under
this act, the same shall not be recov-
cradle by action at law or suit in
equity before any of the courts of
this State, until they have been listed
and the tax paid thereon with an ad-
dition of fifty per centum per annum
from the time the tax accrued; and
the failure to give in said bonds,
notes, claims or other evidences of
debt shall be taken as prima facic
evidence of the intention to so evade
payment of taxes
The State of Virginia may be rea-
sonably regarded as one in whic b
capital is a little more extensive
than in North Carolina, and that
commonwealth also appears to be
| guilty of some "radlcal and vicious
legislation, for in its Revenue Act
it has provision precisely like that
one just quoted from the Revenue
Act of the State of Maryland. !
have. not had an opportunity to
closely examine the Revenue Acts
of all the States, but it is quite prob
able that there can be found in some
of them Just such radical and Vicious
legislation as this. Land and reas-
property are required by law to show
some evidence of having been re-
turned for taxation, and that the tax
has been paid, to prevent its sale
for taxes or confscation by the State
Why should not all property be sub
jected to the same regulation-es-
pecially that kind which yields Ger.
tain annual profit to the ownerq
Provision for detecting frauda.
lent returns of invisible and intang
ible property seems not to have beer
generally attempted by many States
or if attempted, has proven failure
and no longer exists. There are il
some States however, provision!
which may prove interesting in thi
respect. New York is a State il
which capital is supposed to exist ir
considerable quantity. Reference
to the Revenue Act Of that State
shows that a reward it offered t,
any person who will discover and re
port to the State Comptroller O
proper officer, a fraudulent retur,
on the part of any citizen. 1t furth
er makes it the duty of any person
having knowledge of any attempt a
evasion, or of fraudulent return, t.
make such report, and the Comp
troller or Auditor may employ tn
person giving such information t
assist in the prosecution and shal
pay such informer so much as thei
, services are worth in the action an
for the information. According t
; our present ideas of what constitute
Revenue and Taxation Machinery
an attempt to put such law as thi
on our statute books would rails
> such q tempest about "vicious leg
, islation" as would almost cause tn
! waves out yonder to be afraid I
roll against our shores and Nigh
cause the mountains to vibrate wit
. the force of the storm of protest an
dennnciation. We have no NEAR
of knowing how effective this law
in the State of New York, since "
bovo m accaSe IN ronnrts of an
: cases that may have arisen undt
= its provisions.
d AS far back as 1904, the State {
, Georgia enacted law providing
Il suitable reward for informatio
against and conviction of any perso
who should make a fraudulent I
. false return of his property. Son
" 1 uoars a ftor itc an n cfmanf n eitiZe