Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1866-07-28
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The u. :. Direct Tax In Texas.
Office Z. S, Direct Tax Com, J
For the District OF Texas.
AUSTIN, Jnly Sth, 1866,

For the District OF Texas.
AUSTIN, ,rnly Sth, 1866,
EDs, News You request intor-
nation touching points Of inquiry
in the published letter of Mr. Master
son, of Brazoria. will give it to
you, and believe you will render
valuable service to the people of
Texas by making 1t public,
The U, s, Direct Tax Commission
ers for Texas, in the order Of their
appointment, are Roht. X. Smith,
Albert II. Latimcr and Andrew j.
Coleman. The laws establishing
the commission prohibits n singl
Commissioners from performing any
official act. All such acts are to be
the offspring Of two, or Il full Board
The following extracts from the
journal Of this Board, signed by the
three Commissioners, will show
where the authority lies, and whence
all the mischief arises:
AT tina meeting. held on the 9th
of March last, the State was divided
into three Districts--Northern, Mid,
die and Southern-thc Northern
placed under the entire control and
supervision of Judge Latimer, the
Middle of Commissioner Smith. and
the Southern Of Commissioner Cole
man. Mr.. Coleman, in violation Of
the laws and the very rules he as
sisted to rdopt, has upon his own
responsibility, invaded my District
without authority; attempted to
foist upon the commission irrespon-
sible and trustworthy men, such as
Douglas and Andrews; sent Scott
into Harris. and Douglass into
Wharton, both in my District, with
out my knowledge; has collected
money and refused to account for it
to the cashier; and issued pretended
orders in regard to the collection of
the tax totally in violation ofaIl Iaws.
No clerk has authority to collect the
U. S DIRECT TAX. without giving
an official bond, which must first
be approved by two members Of
this Board, and afterwards by the
Secretary of the Treasury. This
has not been done by either Mr..
Patton, Mr.. Scott. or any of Mr..
Co!cman's cmssaries, except Mr..
Woodman, Of Indianola, and Major
Chase, Of Brownsville. No clerk
has any authority of any kind, ur-
less he receives it in official orders
from this office. No such orders
have been issued either to Mr.. Pat
ton, Mr. Scott, o. his two bosom
friends and companions, Douglass
and Andrews, who have no connec-
ton with the Board whatever,
having been dismissed from the
service.
! send you, also, q list Of the
counties in which each Commission
er has authority, separate and dis
tinct, subject to law and the official
act Of the Board.
Apart from the inde!icacy and
impropriety. in an official point Of
view, one Commissioner presuming
to interfere in district set apart to
another; these acts so violative of
all law. must result in the complete
discontinue of the perpetrator; and
if he permits himself f to persist in
them thereby humiliating the board,
inuring their influence and useful
ness, and bring ng himself into con
tempt. he alone should suffer
The people of Galveston and some
other counties have paid their taxes
with penalty, interest and costs, as
was believed was clearly Authorized
by the laws. This mission has
had instructions to collect only the
Tax proper. These instructions
were only received officially at a
very recent date, and official in
structions were also received not to
return the money so collected to
the tax payers until specific dircc-
tions to that effe t are received
from Washington
Tax payers of Texas may rely
upon every official act Of the Board
as having been done in good faith
and after mature deliberation. 1t
will afford to n majority Of this
board sincere pleasure to refund to
tax payers. all over payments; and
it is now only Il want of authority,
that withholds them.
1t will bcsccn that nothing official
can issuo except from this Office, and,
through the President of the Board.
Respectfully, Your ob't serv't.
RoBT. X. SMITH.
Pres't Z. S. Direct Tax Com. for
Texas.
GALVESTON, Texas. March %. 1866.
A fnll Board of Commissioners
met. Present: Commissioners Smith,
Coleman and Latimcr, After a
consultation, it was agreed that the
State OF Texas be partitioned into
three Tax Districts; to be each
subjected to the direction and SUI
pcrvision Of one Tax Commissioner.
The Northern District was assigned
To Judge A. II. Latimer the Middle
District to Commissioner r X.
Smith and the Southern District TO
Commissioner A ]. Coleman. The
Northern District TO be composed
Of the following counties, TO wit:
Anderson, Archer, Baylor, Bowie,
Buchanan. Clay, Callahan, Cass,
Cherokee, Collin, Comanche. Cooke,
Dallas. Denton. Ellis, Eastland,
Eraih, Fannin, Freestone. Grayson,
Harrison. Hardeman, HaskiIl, Hen
derson, Hopkins. Hunt. Jack, John-
son ZONES kaufman. Knox lamar