The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-12-03
Tha Panama .Canal is no nearer

The Panama Canal is no nearer
being an accomplished fact than it was
year ago, and il never viii be start
cd, not 70 speak Of completed, while
the sranscontinental railroads continue
influential as they now are with the
United States Government.
IS evident that the present short
session Of congress vii given over to
talk on trust egia, and it is fully as
eFident. that the talk Will have no re-
suit. It would be asking too much
goE d Republican administration to
expect it to do anything that would
be disagreeable TO the trusts. The
Erusss have been created By the Re
publican policies and in return that
party has been given the solid sup
polS of ali the allied trusts. The.
publiean party protects the trusts
the trusts furnish the immense
eoErapeion funds that have enabled
Eh sepublieaas to carry the last two.
elections. The trusts and the Repub-
a7iican party are mutually dependent!
ard neither will do anything to em-
barras the other. There may be a
Hood Of anti trust bills introduced in
Congress and weeks may be devoted
the making of antitrust speeches
no bill that will curb the trusts
OF curtail their power to rob The.
public has the ghost Of a chance to.
5scome a law while the Republican
parry IS in power.
Gen. DeWet's book makes it plain
Esflas not all OF the Beers were heroes
And patriots. He attributes the over
throw Of the Boer cause to the trait
and eoWards in the Boer ranks
not t., the power of the English
or the ability Of the English
leaders. Gen. peWet-is probably better
leto express an opinion than any other
man and his statement viii have
weight With military critics and future
historiaas of the TransEal war. To
gaan of DeWet's stamp the bitterest
gas Of the Boer defeat i, undoubtedly
the knowledge that it was made pos
sisble by the cowardiee and treachery
OF his own people for whom he was
6ghting.
If be proven true that Ex-Pr resident
Kruger and Dr. Leyds have in their
possession two and q half million dol
aars belonging to the defunct Tzansvaal
Republic, which they refuse to surn
over TO Gen. Botha and Other Boer
leaders, who have accepted the fact OF
British sovereignty in good faith, for
11he relief of the Boer people th,si. re-
ntasion as disinterested patriots will
srfer serious blow in the estimation
Of she world.
re vital matter in the the assess
merit of property for taxation is not
whether property be returned at sixty
per cent Of It's market vaIne, or at any
other per cent, but whether it is all
returned and assessed at the same rate
50 that each man bears his jnst share
oe ths burden Of taxation. The thing
That hurts man is not that he is re-
ssasred to pay ten dollars taxes, but that
MS neighbor who has five times. as
much taxable property as he has does
not pay Eve times as much taxes. 1t
is not SO much the average low vali,a-
tion Of property that demands a change
IS the inequality Of the assessments,
as between man and man. An inspec-
sion of the tax books for any township
viii disclose facts that will show what
ne mean. One man is paying taxes on
Ebs full market value Of his property,
another on sixty per cent, another on
forty per cent, another on twenty-five,
while still another pays on only ten
Der cent valuation and congratulates
himself that he is sharp enough to es-
cape SO lightly. When it comes to
making tax returns small matter like
false swearing cuts no figure with tax
.dodger. The more property a man
has, particularly if the property De in
The shape of cash, notes or other ne
n5iable paper, the greater opportunity
rs has for tax lodging, and there are
fsw who resist the temptation to
dodge. No one cares whether the as
sssssuent be on sixty per cent valua-
sion OF on q ten per cent valuation,
bus there should be some means OF
making all assessments on the same
basis aad forcing the tax dodgers to
make honest returns.