The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1899-04-15
AFTER TAX DODGERS.
STATE REVENUE ADA7S IS AFTER
THE TAX DODGERS, IN A
NEW FIELD.
As Soon as He Finishes the Corpora
tions He VIII Begin on the Money
Lenders, and Down the List.-Raii-
road Owners Not the Only Tax Dodg-
ers.-Liveiy Time Promised.
Picayune Jackson Bureau.

getting ready to swing his tax
reaping snickersnee in fields other
than coporate ones, fields remote
from railroad beds and tracks.
He is going straight after the peo-
pie who do not give in taxes as
they should, under the law, and
he is going to make them pay back
taxes where they have failed to
pay what they should have paid.
The following editorial from
the Lawrence County Progress,
under the caption of "Equaliza-
ton of Taxation" has attracted
much attention here at the capital
and it cannot fail to be read with
deep interest all over the State:
1.-The fact that the State reve-
nue. agent has struck the records
of Monroe county in the efforts to
discover who have lent money,
taking deeds of trust, and which
were not turned in for taxes, is
significant, to say the least of it.
In fact, it means something. 1t
means a good. deal more than is
printed ,and it doesn't take a per-
son possessed of more than ordi-
nary power of discernment to pei
ceive the natural trend of events.
We may readily infer from the man
ner on which the revenue agent Is
proceeding that as soon as he gets
through with the railroads and
the trusts and the corporations
and the county officials, that he
will then devote his attention to
the smaller fry. Nothing is plain
err. 1t is simply a question of
time. The move to extract just
dues from the moneylenders,
who have thus far escaped taxa
ton, is branching off in this di-
rection. From the money-lenders
he will descend to the common
people, and then there will be
slaughter galore. This brings us
to the assessment rolls, and
word here. by way explanation,
would be in order.
"It is known of all men that
the assessment rails of a commu-
nity are far below the true value
Of the property assessed thereon.
This is said commentary, but,
nevertheless, it is only too true.
Men who claim to be honest, and
who would have the world nm
derstand that they are above the
shadow of reproach, have formed
habit, along with those of whom
nothing better is expected, of
giving in their property far below
what they would take for 1t. Some
are candid enough to admit the
fact, but justify their action by
the statement that their neigh
bors are doing it. and that it is
unfair for them to be honest and
thus bear the burden of taxation.
They cry out that the trusts and
combines should be taxed more,
and they are trying to escape
taxation themselves. We are not
taking the side of the trusts, but
we contend that when the core of
an apple is unsound the corrup-
ton spreads until the whole ap-
pie is affected. The people must
get right. Special attention is
directed to the oath which a man
takes when he renders a list of
his taxable property. Here it is:
DO you solemnly swear Cor
affirm) that the list of property
is a just and true account of all
the property you are required to
render as subject to taxation IL
iyour own right, or that of any
other person for whom you ought
to give in taxable property that
you have estimated and put down
the value of. such property, not
at what is might sell for, but at
what you would be willing and ex-
pect to accept: for it if you were
making:a voluntary sale of it, and
have not lowered the Yalution be-
cause your neighbors,s or others,
have place low estimates on the
value of their property, or be-
cause they are in the habit of SO
doing. So help you God
= "Oh how lightly dog some peo-
pie regard their oath, and what
little attention they pay to it.
That the very poor people are
irving as hard to evade just taxa
ton as the rich Is evidenced by
one instance, which we shall re-
late: A man CAME to a certain
country official not very long ago
with a tale of woe as to how his
taxes were $40, and he. didn't
have but one horse, which was
assessed at $40. Then why don't
YOU let the sheriff take the
horse for you taxes?' said
the officer. 'Oh, but the
horse, is worth sos, was the
quick response. This is what we
would cali a horse of another
color How is such a State of
effairs to be remedied, you ask?
One remedy lies in the, board of
supervisors, whose imperative
duty it is to raise assessments
where they are too low and where
the matter is brought to their at
tention. or where supervisor
has personal knowledge of the
fact. Some persons contend that
the board has no right to change
the recapitulation after the asses.
Nor has turned over his rolls. If
H has not, then it has no right to
90 anything. The rolls are not