The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-06-18
IMPORTANT ISSUE.
Assistant Secretary of State Can't
Shows How Taxes Can be Reduced.
WHAT He HAS ACCOMPLISHED.

| FIGURES i IoEI NliiNA .'A'''>'|
Quoted and Differences iii Tax
I Systems Arc Pointed
Out by Him.
! 1t is not known to many people ti2at
last year there was made a modest be-
ginning in a project which promises
to be of great benefit to the people Of
the State. For years the fees collect
ed by the Secretary OF States Office
have aggregated between three and
four thousand dollars, which has been
but a small factor in tho States IN
come. Last year however, the splendid
sum of $40. .5S3.7 II was turned into the
State Treasury and material source
Of revenue opened to the State gov
ernment. There is Of course, an eS-
PLANTATION of this fact, which must be
of interest to the people. When Mr..
CAN'T was appointed Assistant to the
Secretary Of State he found to his sur
prise that the office Of secretary OF
State turned over annually hundreds
of thousands of dollars to run the gov
ernments of the various States OF the
Union. He Immediately began work
unsolving the problem. and the sum
turned over last year is due to bis ef-
forts. He found many uneQualltles
in the corporation law of tha State.
which he sought to remedy. y cor
poration having only $1,000 OF capl-
tai stock he found was required under
| the South Carolina law to pay Sll.OO
for it's charter, while other corpora
tions having millions of dollars of capI-
tai were not required to pay anything.
Understanding as he did the detail OF
these matters. he prepared a measure
correcting the injustice, and providing
another schedule of fees, with the re-
suit that large increase in the reve-
nue. derived has resulted. Mr.. CAN'T
believes that other beneficial reforms
along the same line can be accomplish
I'd, and that large revenue can be
supplied the State government, from
other sources than direct tax on the
property of the people; and material
reduction in the levy of taxes for State
purposes accomplished.
In view Of these facts, the following
open letter published in the Columbia
State, will be Of especial interest to
the tax payers Of the State:
To the Editor of The State.
An experience Of over three years in
an executive office of the State govern
ment, prompts some observations upon
the tax system of South Carolina, for
(which I ask your indulgence. There
always has been and doubtless will oe
until the end Of time complaint ariS-
ing from any system which seeks to eN-
act money from the individual to sup
port the State, for it has been said that
"Whoever hopes faultlesS tax to see,
Hopes what ne'er was. Snot, and ne'er
shall be-"
However, the fact that we can never
reach perfection in the means we adopt
should not deter US from striving to-
wards such an end. While the best
and most benefcient reforms have al
ways been by gradual processes, it
seems to me that we have stopped all
progress towards better system, and
that we are permitting other States of
this union to outstrip US in reaching
solution OF this problem.
An earnest desire for reduction in
the tax levy for State purposes is not
confined to the office seeker, but is
shared by the best element of the pro-
gressive and property-owning class OF
the people of South Carolina. For
years we have been promised some re-
duction in the burden, and an nattempt
has frequently been made to do some
thing towards this end, but these
promises and attempts have been but
Dead Sea fruit in the mouths Of the
people, and never ended in fruitiOn.
We have been told that we were pay
ing our public officers extraragant SAL
aries. We have seen salaries reduced,
but the burden was not lightened.
The attempt to impose an income tax
ended in farcial failure.
All this being true, where can we
look for relief? The appropriations
for the public schools Of the State must
and will be continued. A majority of
the people are determined that our in
stitutionS of higher education shall be
adequately supported for they are Un-
willing to advertise to the world that
we are too poor or too Indifferent to
properly maintain them. We cannot
deny to the Confederate veterans the
aid of that State which he defended
with his life blood. All this being true,
we have little hope Of a reduction in
the levy from a reduction in the eX-
penSes of government, where we have
vainly sought it for ten years, only to
be disappointed.
Notwithstanding all these facts, a
reduction in the levy for State pur-
poses is not impossible, but must come
instead from the development ofothcr
sources Of income to the State govern
ment. Other States have found these
sources and we have their example
and experience before us. y five mill
levy for State purposes is excessive and
burdensOme. There is no reason why
the levy in South Carolina should be
heavier than that Of other States. We
have similar government, our public
debt is not excessive measured by the
standards we find, and our people are
contented and prosperous.
There is no reason Why the man who
builds home here should have placed
upon his shoulders the burden that
should be the share Of other men. We
are hampering the Industrial develop
ment OF the State lv advertising to