The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-01-29

the Tax Commission should 90 a
the moment when it takes the first
step in the right direction. Although
the corporations the cotton mills
the banks and the railroads,-were
already paying more than their part
of the taxes of the state, the Tax
Commission saw fit, first, to raise
the taxes of these taxpayers. We
warned them then that it was un-
fair and unjust, but the answer was
OF corporation lawyers and not of
justice. Had the value of the pro-
perty of all these corporations been
ascertained without raising their
taxes until the values of other pro-
perty, including farm property, was
ascertained, and had the Tax Com
mission then done the entirely pro-
per and just thing of raising the
assessment of all. property at the
same time, we would have heard no
such talk as is now being indulged
in the General Assembly. Instead
of this, however, the corporations
commenced to pay on their assess
ment some years ago, some corpor-
ations further back than others, and
the dear farmer was left to the last.
The result was that everybody else
had already been raised, and when
the order went out to raise the
farmer, without a corresponding or
der for all other property, corpor-
ate and otherwise, those suspicious
Of the wiles of a politically con-
structed Tax Commission thought
and still think that farming proper
ty is alone being raised, whereas
the truth is, that so far as the order
of the Commission goes, it is only
to bring the property of
farmers up to the same basis as the
of other persons, natural
and artificial, with regard to the
of taxes.
Now taxes are hard to pay. They
are the penalties we must pay for
good government, however. We
cannot imagine that the farmer, if
he were correctly informed, and
were treated entirely in a business
way about tax matters, would object
to paying his just part of the bur-
dens of good government-certainly
no rightfully disposed person would
object to this. All that honest men
want to know, when burdens are
being assessed and distributed, is
that they do not carry any other
mans load. But they will not know
this just now.
And the reason they will not know
it, and will not believe it, is that
they have no confidence that the
present Tax Commission is treating
with them fairly. And you may
argue the question with the tax
payers and undertake to show them
that the order is fair, but they will
not hear you. Why? Because they
do not trust the men in authority
Taxes continue to grow, the Tax
Commission continues in the hands
of the same politicians, big appro'
priations are asked for the Tas
Commission, there is always fuss
but up to this day nothing tangible
has been accomplished.
Whether the Tax Commission
shall live or not depends entirely
on whether or not the politicians
now constituting it's membership 81
remain. The people are sick ant
tired of the professional, ring poll
tician. He must 60. And if it i
necessary to get rid of him, tn
Tax Commission will 60, and tn
equitable assessment of propert,
will have received another set-bacI
which will not be corrected soon.
And Governor Manning will b
: remembered for the politicians h
appointed to office.