The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-01-18

II a r2ke-OC n q liquor Ceal IS
grating the States money. what IS
the man doing who IS ta!se-swcaring
about the amount OF tax he IS due
the State:
We often becoa.e awc-s:ricken
over corporation or foreign graft. but
have 20 BE lambas;ed into paying
any attention 20 our big army Of
hoce- ma.e grafters-;21-cod:ers-
ac our own door.
II Il is q fragrant violation OF law
fo- the genial whisEey- drummer and
dispecsary men to IA! 20 :u.n IN just
revenue and profits 20 The state. IS Il
no. also crime OF The same class
to- our genial friends in other oc-
cuss,ions to fall to suvn in 20 the
state every dollar OF taxes he is due
the State according to law?
We farmers are prone 20 point TO
corporations and the business world
as the great hart;nse-s ot sratters.
But the plain truth is no man or class
Of men can point the Anger OF scorn
a. any other class AID say thief.
CRATER,
The farmer has the same kind Of
human nature in his makeup that
everybody else has. All the farmer
ASS 70 do to rid himself OF this coz
ceit. lei hin take 3 peep a. few
pages OF his county Auditors book
and blush with shame AZ :he black
sheep there are within his cwn flock.
Why. bless yoe. not long since q
farmer was looking over his county
Auditors books after another matter
and uncovered the tax returns OF an
other farmer who IS worth more taan
one hundred thousand dollars. who
returned his property At less than
FIVE thousand dollars.
This wei,-to-Go farmer pays less
than one hundred dollars tax whiie
another farmer near By. who does
not own ore-.or-th as much proper
". pays two hundred and twenty dol
lars tax And. worse still. this we'll
to-do-tax-dodsins farmers son IS on
the County Soard o: Equa"Zat!oa.
while yet another sos IS the county
clerk. Now. this may not be con-
spiracy. to have one son holding
down the County Board OF Equal!zs-
tom and BOOKS that contain certain
records OF the securities OF his faith
er. but - the same time We are
forced to say that /: this ugly state
o. affairs Ia not conspiracy. that It
Is =. least an ALFRED convenient acci-
dent or coincident 20 protect tax
dodgers.
Many o: 1s know OF cases where
some unfortunate who owns nothing
taxable saTe his Mead and heels (poll
and -oadl has been chased for miles
over the country and finally run
down and IN for from sS to s12 costs
and the employer IS compelled to
put up the cash for his unfortunate
laborer or tenant OF his man goes 70
the changing. while another we'll
to-do taI-3oGser IS Just as lawfa,:-
due the State anywhere from $50 TO
500, but IS allowed to sorswea1 and
SO free. Another case Is the home
builder" tthe slogan FOR the safety
Of the State and nation) who pays
one-third os his purchase .or home
and bo-rows the balance and after
years o. toiiing. under the burden o.
high interest. taxes and family eS-
penses IS closed ont n last 70 satisfy
the noney-len6er's claim. which IS
lawful. but the holder OF these iron
clad securities had not paid a dollar
taxes on these notes and mortgages
during the whole time this "hone
pay tax. too. while the law SAYS both
terest and taxes.
Ask this noHey-lender why he does
not pay the taxes on his securities
and he will have the sall 20 say
whole heap about double-.axirr. to
cornpel the farmer TO pay tax on Dor
rowed money and the monev-!endc-
pay tax. TOO. which the law says both
shah pay taS.
am informed by reliable source
that we have in orr State a CORPORA
ton that has more than one and a
half millions cash In IT'S business that
Is paying tax on only nicety-ave
thousand. fo- the reason that one OF
the head officials OF THIS CORPORATION
Is on the Board Of Assessors and TO
doubt the State has all sizes Of this
kind Of graft in all its counties.
Are the tax laws OF the State made
:o- the plain. honest people 70 go by
and tho uascrupuloCs cunning 70
evade? Why is It that the County
Auditors 30 no. 30 down into this
: thing and place all the pro?e-t- on
the FAX hoIbs. IS the law requires
them to DO,
There are few among them tha.
have the "sand" TO 20 into .he lai.
Of the lions that guard the voters.
that drive the nails down in the shin
giles that cover their heads, Do these
foundering officers Of the law think
more abopt their salaries than they
DO about tae good OF the people o.
the oath they take? Why don: the
Board. cc Equalization Go thei. duty
and place ali taxable property upcp
the books c2oE al equal basis?
Is It fact that many OF them are
tarred with the same stick along
with the common tax-dodse-s and
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