The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-01-05
DELINQUENT TAX LAW.

DELINQUENT TAX LAW.
T. R. Preston, one of the leading
bankers of Chattanooga, an able
writer and close student of pub
lie affairs, is the author of an ar.
ticle published in several papers OF
the State last Sunday on the delin-
quent and back tax iniquity, that
should be read and thoughtfully con
sidered by every citizen of the State
Mr.. Preston is not a politician. He
has never been an office seeker. He
is a regular" Democrat and parti-
san of Mr.. Dibrell, but he is also
fair and impartial in the view that
he takes of public questions. lie
writes conyincingly of the outrag-
cCns delinquent tax law. He pre-
sents an array of. facts that consti-
tute a terrific indictment against this
law. He lays bare the enormous
cost to the taxpayers. No off hand
statements are made, but every fact
cited by him is substantiated by the
records.
Mr.. Preston cites a number of
cases from the courts of Maury
county which without any additional
facts are sufficient to condemn the
law. Every taxpayer in the county
should read the following excerpt
from Mr. Preston's exhaustive com
munication:
81 have the record of bills FLED
in the chancery court of Maury coun-
ty to Dec. 27, 1911. They are so
numerous it is said the clerk and
master has provided a special docket.
On the above date there had been
filed 200 bills (ninety-two additional
compromised out of court, and many
more suits to follow the aggregate
amount of taxes, commissions, fees
and costs arising from the 200 cases
in which suits were filed being 49,
30032 Out of this the original tax
due the state of Tennessee is $780,
81, and the original tax due Maury
county is $360.0S, or total of $54S.-
TO- The revenue agents fees, costs,
penalties, etc., incident to the col
lection of this sum ($548.20,)
amounts to $2,75204. Oevr 500 per
cent of the original tax
Some individual cases are as fol-
lows:
"The largest amount is from one
c. A. Morgan, the original state tax
being $3.50, the county tax $22.40.
or a total of $32 (yet when fees, COM
missions and costs were added it
amounted to $106.07
John Hight had to pay a total of
$10.S0 out of which the original tax
due Maury county was 35 cents. The
state and county got As cents; the
revenue agent, court costs, &c,
$10.35.
John Baugus, from the amount
levied on him, must have been one
of those rich tax dodgers about
which the defenders of these rev.
enue measures talk so eloquently.
He was held up to the tune of S19.8S.
The original tax out of this, due the
great state of Tennessee, was II
cents, and the rich county of Maury
81 cents, or total of 81 cents orig
inal state and county tax out of
$19.SS, the revenue agent, court
costs, etc., taking the balance, &c.,
"a, nearly forty times the original
tax.
Two other rich plutocrats and
tax dodgers were Mrs. Elem Rankin
and c. M. Potts. Each of them was
due the state cents and the county
1S cents, but when the revenue agent
added his fees, court costs, ETC., Mrs
Rankin paid 1918 over thirty-five
times the original tax and Mr.. Potts
$9.73-over thirty-seven times the
original tax
George Thomas seemed to be an
other one Of those malefactors Of