The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-05
NO SUCCESSOR IN SIGHT.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PLACE
MAY BE KEPT OPEN AWHILE.


TO ANY Agreement as to who Shall
Succeed Mr.. Guckenheimcr and
Are in no Hurry to Do SO-TheIr
Realizing Sense of the Loss They
and the County Sustained in His
Death Bids Them Halt and Con-
slider Long Bacx Tax Question
VIII Be Discussed at This Weeks
Meeting-New BuGbear for Corpor-
ations, in the shape of Double
Taxation. in sight.
No successor to the place on the Board
of County Commissioners left vacant by
the recent death of Simon Guckenheimer
seems yet to have received anything like
the fun appreciation of the surviving
| members of the board. Indeed there Is
no immediate probability of an election.
The March meeting of the commission
ers will be held on next Thursday after
noon and it is barely possible that sue
cessor to Commissioner Guckenheimer will
be named at that meeting When spoken
TO about the matter last night, however,
Chairman Dale said that he did not know
whether a commissioner would be chosen
then or not, but indicated strongly that
the latter would be the case.
There are enough of US left" said
Chairman Dale, ITO look after the affairs
of the county. and our sense of the ex-
tent of our loss and of the countys loss
makes US hesitate, lest IN naming a sue
cessor to Commissioner Guckenheimer We
would choose a man who would fail far
below the high standard of combined in
tegrity, efficiency and personal worth that
he has established. l don't know that
we shall ever be able to make good the
loss we have sustained, but in course of
time, certainly, we shall endeavor TO do
so But there is no urgent hurry"
Il have myself been considering the
names of several gentlemen, but have
had no consultations on the subject with
other members of the board and have not
myself settled upon him whom I myself
would prefer. My own vote is but one
out of four and. as l believe the other
members of the board TO be in the same
state OF uncertainty as myself, il is not
hard to understand why the election may
be for some time postponed.Add to this the
further fact that we have not yet ascer-
tanned the desire of any one of the gen
tlemen in prospect as to his service on
the board in case of his choice by US and
the probability of delay is increased
Chairman Dale was asked what action
would be taken by the County Commits
s.oners in the matter of back taxes due
by corpora tons, the payment of which
has been practically compelled by re-
cent decision of the Supreme Court. The
matter has passed out of our hands al
most entirely" was the answer, land
rests now with the Controller General of
the state and the county tax collectors.
Tax Collector MCGOWAN has already re-
ceived instructions on the subject from
Controller General Wright, and will doubt
less proceed TO carry out these instruc-
tons as soon as circumstances permit"
Il am not altogether clear in my own
mind as to the power left with the County
Commissioners by the law and the recent
conference between Controller General
Wright and representatives from the va
rious county boards of the state Some
thing there was in regard 10 the enforce
ment of the payment of double back taxes
that may have been left to our discretion.
II may be that we will have the power to
say whether or not taxes shall be doubled
because of the failure of the corporations
to make returns under the law, and thus
in some measure mitigate it's severity 1
don't know.
AS has been several times stated, the
corporations of this county are not in a
bad condition as those In many or most
of the counties of the state. Many of
lutul. 10 dNOlu al GOi4lIOftISy as ~ lHe
correct Interpretation of the law. have
availed themselves of the privilege grant
ed them and made return of some portion
of the property owned by them, generally
an arbitrary sum fixed by agreement, in
addition to the tax heretofore thought to
be the only one eXacted. This has been
in the nature of compromise between
the county and these corporations, a COM
promise 10 which the county was a willing
and conseuting party These corporations
will of course. be relieved of the neces-
sity of paying back taxes"
Chairman Dale stated that the question
would probably be considered by the COM
missioners at their meeting Thursday,
when the report of County Attorney Saus-
sy who attended the conference in At
lanta as the representa- of the board,
would be heard. Upon this report and
the recommendations of the county attor-
ney based thereon viii doubtless depend
the action that the commissioners will
take.
Under the circumstances the action of
the commits foners of the county at their
next meeting will be watched with con-
siderable interest and expectancy by the
officers and shareholders of the various
corporations to be effected by the recent
| Interpretation of the tax laws by the SUI
preme Court. 1t is very probable that
the tax collector will be guided largely
by the advice of the commissioners ana
J the county attorney as 10 the best man.
| ner of securing the payment of the taxes.
/ 1t is probable that here will be no US
position on his part to Cypress corpora,
tons that have failed to make returns
through a misconstruction of the law that
was no fault of their own and that was
shared by the commissioners, tax collec-
tors and other county officials of the
stGte
/ Then, besides. there is the question OF
double taxation. II would be hard, in
deed. il the corporations were required not
Orly TO pay back taxes but to pay double
taxes for failure to make returns, when
st cannot be said or thought that it was
their fault, and if the decision of this =
TO be left TO the commissioners il is not
likely that they will be. All of these
considerations will impel the officers OF
corporations. whose tills are menaced to
/ keep a watchful eye on the meeting of the
! commissioners and to keep the public in
/ teiest in the matter aroused and at a
I nil, a. al y,.s4Ig .,-fTr