The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-10-05
TAXATION IN TExAs---BY WHOM
lnE BORNE.

OF its genus; but. the genus is bad. and we
would have as few as possible of the same
sort generated in this latitude. 1t is even
the best OF its class, and commonly states
facts with fairness and rarely suffers pas
siOns and greed Of parDisanship to overlap
its convictions of right, But its anxiety to
condemn the white race and laui the black
in order to see itself quoted by Morton's or
gans beyond the Ohio, often leads the Reg
lister into grave plumbers. II said on the
thirtieth ult. that ..
The disposition of the Democratic party
10 class legisatiOn-to shield II sort OF ma
bObery from its fair share of the burden OF
government and bolster it up at the expense
OF the Industrious working classes Is well
illustrated in the method adopted by the
late Legislature OF levying taxes. r..
To SUSTAIN this proposition the Register
proceeds to say that non-property-ho holders,
the poor of Texas, are required to pay more
taxes than the rich. To support this rs
sertion the Register declares that ....
The per cppita road tax is $40; State poll
tax 80 county poll tax, 81; making the
total poll tax OF this State, Sl3. The $40
tax includes all persons between the ages
of eighteen and sixty The voting popua-
ton of this State, or population liable TO
this tax, Is not less than two hundred thou
sand, upon which the poll taxes Will aggre-
gate two million six hundred thousand
dollars The tax assessment on property
welded To the State last year a little over
twelve hundred thousand dollars, 50 that
here we have the tax per head paying to the
State about double what the properly has
10 pay. We ask again, was the like ever
heard Of beforel -
w. The like was of truth, never heard OF
before. This poll tax, as the Register
knows, amounting, as it says, to Sl3, is
due from each voter in Texas, but no non
property holding citizen pays IT. There
can be, in such case, no compulsory pro-
cess. He votes al liJitum. The courts
protect him, the law hedges him round
about as securely as it does the richest. Ii
imprisoned by policeman the circuit court
proffers habeas corpus and even the munich
pal government which he rules through thu
ballot-box can do him no wrong. Aud yet
he .. .ssiS5iE tie * .r-@ @I@ inc S@lIsT
State. There is and can be NO compulsory
process applied in his case. The absurd
Constitutional Convention thrust all bur
dens of local a1d of State governments OF
those who are pitiable fools enough TO bu!
land or lots IN Texas and then it placed tn
owners of town lots at the mercy of the
migratory mob that ravages towns and citie
and villages everywhere in the United
States. The Register must have know
that it was misleading It's readers when
spoke of enormous sums gathered by thu
State from the polls of it's citizens. One man
head is worth as much, at least in its own
conception of Its value, as that of another
and all heads, whether full of whisky oil
ignorance or intelligence, should pay alike
But, as the law stands aud operates,
none pay poll-taxes who do not pay take
on other property, and thus the property
holder is doubly taxed and premium il
proffered to vagrancy. The worlds out
casts are invited hIther to rule, ravage aut
destroy by a code that was perfected b.
stupid Rutabsgaism when it crowned un
taxed idleness and incapaci'y for civil
trusts with the privilege OF suffrage in mu
nicipal elections. or the two hundre,
thousand men that owe the STATE the thir
teen dollars each, which the Register talk
about, not one hundred Thousand will pa
silver, and the law can't force them Z
pay, and thus the burden upon those VIII
have toiled industrlousIy aud becpnle prop
erty-heIders is doubled and thus the sys
TEN Of taxing people, AS defined by thos
who pay NO taxes, is most ubiquitous, AN
the Register is the shallowest Of dem'
gogues.l Public opinion in this behalf III
dergoesa sure process of reformation, an
sooner or later intolerable evils, long an
patiently borne by timid people cowed an
bullied by demagogues and by an lgnorau
mob to which the Register panders, will b
annihilated.