The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-02-24
THE REAL QUESTION.

The resignation of Senator CHRIS
Jensen from the Craftsmanship of the
Finance Committee of the Senate
NAV have been ill-advised, or it may
not. His position may be thought the
correct position by n man while
another may believe that he made a
grand-stand, or acted childishly. With
out knowing all the facts, we have
no opinion as to the correctness of
his position.
But his resignation has served to
bring to the fore the matter of rails
ing taxes for the support of the
state government and for running
it's institutions, and with that every
man in the state is vitality interested.
The House of Representatives has
passed and sent to the Senate sever
al measures designed to raise rev.
enue. Some of this revenue is to be
raised by a luxury tax, some by hydro
electric tax, some by tax on gasoline,
some by a heavier tax on corpora
tions and some by an income tax. Mr..
Christensen was a champion of all
these measures in the Senate, while
the committee of which he was chair
man was opposed to a majority of
the measures. Leaving M. Christen-
sen out of the question, we say that
the people of the state are vitality
interested in all of these measures.
1t is a fact which need not be de-
MED that the burden of taxation has
crown very heavy in many quarters
lie past two years. Houses, lands and
visible property have been for many
years carrying the entire burden for
the state while many people who are
making money in the state do not
pay any taxes at all. These houses,
lands and other property no longer
yield an income to the owners. Much
of the property which has been taxed
has so deprecated in value that the
owner have suffered terrible losses
from owning it instead of reaping an
income from it as in normal times.
These houses and lands which are
~depreciating in value and which do
not pay a profit to the owners, but
which in many cases are liabilities
rather than of value, and this prop
erty Of the merchant and of many
other people which lies on the shelves
OF elsewhere unstable and much de-
preciated in value, which cannot be
made to yield an income as hereto
fore-this property and these
houses and lands cannot be made
longer, at this time, to carry all the
burdens of the state without confsca-
ton or without bringing great losses
to the owners
On the other hand there is the
man who owns nothing but an auto
mobile, who travels the state from
ore end to the other plying his trade,
making a good income, and who pays
no taxes to the state. By requiring
him to pay a tax Of two cents per
gallon for the gasoline which he
buys he helps to bear some of the
burdens, the benefits from which he
enjoys, and he helps to keep up the
roads which he travels and which he
"cusses" and abuses if they are not
always good. The mar able to own
an automobile for pleasure, who uses
the roads from day to day, but who
pays no taxes on visible property,
pays his share of the taxes in this
way.
The man who has none to drink
soft drinks, or who has one to at
tend the theater, or who can buy
cigarettes, or tobacco, or cigars, none
of which are necessary to his we'll
being, may not have visible property,
but if a tax is put on these things,
and if he enjoys these Injuries, he
will pay some portion of the burden
which somebody must pay. Certain
ly he is as able to pay, if he is able
to enjoy these things, as is the man
who owns the lands and houses and
stocks Of goods, the old mules and
horses, and the agricultural imple-