Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-07-11

same time be contented to see tn
average salary of teacher in on
public schools, who is preparing
the children of this state for tn
battles of life, paid an annual sal
airy of about $300f
Another great evil is in permit
ting these back tax attorneys t;
make compromises or private set
Elements. If reports be true, they
are innumerable, yielding but lit
tie to the state and county, bu
Eat and exorbitant fees to the
back tax attorneys and revenue
agents. 1t is not charged that al
the back tax attorneys have done
this, but it has been so often con.
tended that great many of them
did, that it is now nothing short
Of public disgrace.
In 1906 the Tennessee Coal, Iron
and Railroad Company was threat
ened with a suit for back taxes
of a little more than one million
dollars. The case was compro-
missed after one short hearing be-
fore the trustee of Grundy county
for $57 800, only about 5 per cent
of the amount of the threatened
suit. Of this sum the revenue
agent and his attorneys received,
including court costs and fees,
1925 equal to so per cent of
the amount actually received by
both state and county. The comp
'troller's report only shows 81 500
consumed in fees, the balance was
manipulated through the county
court of Grundy county. If this
suit was just, Grundy county was
defrauded Of over 100000, and
the state Of Tennessee of nearly
100000. If the suit was unjust,
the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail-
road Company was simply forced
to buy its peace for $57 500. If
the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail
road Company was one of these
tax dodgers, about which these
back tax attorneys talk so elo-
quently, then what more inviting
proposition than to compromise
their taxes for 5 per cent, thereby
increasing the burden on the rest
of us. And if unjust, a state that
will perpetuate system that will
license such outrages as this for
feits the reverence and respect
which every citizen owes to his
commonwealth. Including the rev.
enue agent, who was also an at
torney, there were six lawyers en-
gagged in this case in his behalf,
and what company, under the cir
cumstances, would not buy its
peace, and what industry could
not be throttled by such proceed
ureY The records show that this
great company, the greatest ever
chartered in Tennessee, once had
extensive operations in Grundy,
Marion and Sequatchie counties,
great coking plants in Grundy and
Marion counties, enormous iron
furnaces in Franklin and Marion
counties, all of them giving en-
ployment to thousands of labor
ers. 1t now has no operations of
any character in Tennessee except
\ small coal mine at Whitwell, {
Tenn. 1t has long since abandoned
all its coke ovens, all its other coal {
operations and all its iron fur ]
naces. 1t is not charged that the
revenue agents drove them from ,
The stae, but this great company j
has been in almost constant liti- q
cation with the tax authorities. I
Governor Marks, at Winchester,
more than thirty years ago, g
warned the tax authorities that
hey would eventually harrass this
until they would drive it f
rom the state. G
Every time this law has been 0
severely criticized, the public has \
,een met by the ever-present reve- C
Tue agent and his back tax attor- v
ley with the statement: Be care
'ul; be careful. Tennessee might e
lot collect sufficient revenue for e
Ter public institutions. The pen O
ion of the old soldier might be p
nut off," and other such flimsy t
excuses. No fair minded man can is
tudy the operation of these back O
ak laws and come to any other Il
than that they are not Il
low and have never been essen t.
ial to the collection of sufficient a
evenue for the public institutions c,