The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-17
Protest Against
Unequal Taxation
Secretary ReardOn Discu-..es thr
Eurden of Taxation and Tn
fair Assessments

IL would seem, from the call for =
mass meeting in Sumter by four of
our representative, but well known
conservative citizens OF Sumter, name
~ Messrs. NJ, Goldberg, NCm ODon-
nell, J, Il, HcarOn and 4. l.. Stubbs.
said call being published i'm this is
sue OF this paper. that some OF our
taxpayers have at laSt reached the lin
u where endurance, without protest
at least, has ceased L, be- a virtue.
The city OF Sumter pays about forty-
hve per cent ~ the state ana county
taNes of sumter county For wears II
mas been the complaint that the as
sessmcnts against city PROPERTY. for
county ana state taxes. as compared
Wth the assess" vulu" OF farm lands
outside OF SuIniCr, and the assessed
value, or the returned value which,
ever II may he Of ruul OF agricultural
district personal property is SO un-
equal that great burden, out OF all
Just proportion OF raluCs. has been
placed upon city or town taxpayers.
AZ IA said that tarm lands selling for
from one hundred and nifty To three
hundred dollars per acre. and thvu-
sands Of acres OF farm lands vuIurd hy
their owners at an average value ~
one hundred dollars per acre are re-
turned, and are aCcCptCd for taxation
ut an average value Ot about S6.7S 10
$500 per acre.
The personal property returns from
agricultural districts are said To be "A
JOKE rs compared with what the as
sessed value ought to bc. Now il
looks Ike the Ct'y taxpayer is going
to try tO do something to kind of
eqnaitze this tax burden. 1t might re-
quire patience and time. and the pos-
nble giving of more or less OF many
ehy taxpayers time and thought To the
solution Of this problem, but an re-
form movements must have begin
ntns. aud must bc tirsr we'll organized.
a thorough campaign of education
usually haas to GC GC-inaugurated To nr-
E9nze the voters an taxpayers for
concerted action. First of an.
thorough investigation and report OF
comparative property assessments
ought To he m.tde. show up the in
cqualitiCs by townships and by indi-
vidual returns for comparative Illus
tration.
Just how the problem is To he solved
~ not clear as yet. hut the pruning
knife In city aud county cxpcndi-
tures. and the establishment of econ
omy and increase i'm efficiency OF ser
vice might just possibly be some or
the cures offered II .hese two arc
found to be important factors In the
solution. Any now, bC the story short
or long, with or without a moral, the
tact remains that city Of Sumter tax
payers, mercantile firms in particular.
are aroused ss never tefore over the
extraordinary burden OF taxes they
are called upon TO bear this year. They
are certainly kicking some no matter
whether their complaints be reason
able or not, or whether the kicks can |
d1 any good OF not r fteen per cent !
penalty for nun-paymcEt OF city taxes |
during November, especially i'm thu
face Of present financial. industrial.
and business depression is considered
by many as unnC Cessary aud arbitrary.
~ bears hard un the pOpr Taxpayer.
MI who feel their burdens more
than they can stand arc therefore. i'm.
vted To meet At Sumter Chamber uf
Commerce at \ o'clock Monday even
ing, November 18TH, 1920. IL will do
no harm Ito discuss this matter. and
certainly an effort To euualizc. proper
uonate tO values, the burdens OF city
ard rural taxes, will result i'm the
dissemination OF information that
every taxpayer and every voter ought
Co know.
Nhen public spirited, yet cOnscrva-
i've and representative citizens at the
type OF Messrs. Neil O'DunnCll. J. H.
ltearon. NJ. Goldberg, and G. l..
stubs feel called upon to take the
lead I'm any public matter. and call
their Fellow citizens tCgea her i'm mass
meeting, IL ~ safe L. conclude that
there - some very good reason for
their action, ana that there is some
thinE behind the cali.
Occasionally history repeats itself
hN the masses OF the taxpayers and tho
voters hecuming aroused and getting
together To adjust public affairs. The
public when aroused usually gets there
when u starts out To- sti up things. \
government "uf the people, for the
people, by the people" II periodically
propagondercd and realized While
hn' frequently rCsOrted 10 this era ct
elimination ~ inaccuracies, real or
imaginary, is pronounced and effective
fublc sentiment is mighty weapon
when aroused Gnd CC Cnscrvatively uti-
'NVu' T.. |. Reardon.