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0151

action of the Legislature, as I understand it, so far as applicable to the Freedmen, merely paves the way to definite Legislation on the part of the Bureau.  The Bureau having exclusive jurisdiction in all matters touching this class [[strikethrough]] of [[/strikethrough]] our state laws as to them must remain inoperative until the Bureau shall first delegate the power to the civil authorities to put them in execution.  For instance our law makes the Freedman a subject of taxation, can we proceed to levy and collect this tax, without farther legislation or the part of the Bureau giving to us the  power? Under a late order from the Bureau, based upon the action of the Legislature, jurisdiction is given our courts, when the freedman is a party, in criminal matters, and as we understand it, in criminal matters only.  If this is a correct construction of the order the state authorities would be treading upon forbidden ground to undertake to adopt any rule of conduct, in any civil matter, touching any Freedman, until some farther order comes from the Bureau.

[[strikethrough]] " [[/strikethrough]] You ask me "to state the exact rate at which all the several taxes are assessed in this county &c".  The state tax is fourteen cents upon every hundred dollars worth of land, fourteen cents upon every hundred dollars worth of personal property, also taxes on incomes &c, and a capitation tax of twenty eight cents upon every male person over the age of twenty one years, not exempt on account of bodily infirmity. This you will understand is the state tax to be paid by all the counties. - Over and above this each county, once a year, at its May or June term, lays a tax, upon itself, for county purposes. This is called a "County levy" and there is no fixed rate of taxation, in the law, for this.  Each county court, at the annual levy term, determines what the rate shall be for the ensuing year, and heretofore laid a certain sum

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-04-18 16:54:54