The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-05-12
TAX UPON FARM PRODUCE.


Wy lno nlltbHll ltRlhlhlUIt upon lhIll
produce, The farmers OF the country
especially feel outraged by the levy Of
this tax. The object Of this article II
10 show upon whom tho responsibility
rests, and tO vlndioato the fifteenth
legislature (Of which the writer was u
humble member) IN their action In the
premises The impression In almost
universally prevalent among the farm
ers, who are affected directly 10y this
unjust tax, that the fifteenth leglsla-
ture IL responsible for the levy OF the
same. This u wrong conclusion, aud
any man who will give heed 10 the
plain reading Of article eight Of the
constitution title, Taxation and Rev
enue--will see at once that the Il fifteenth
legislature was bound by the constitu-
tlon, and their oaths TO support the
same, 10 levy the tax. quote only
such parts OF said article as are rele-
want to the matter under considera-
ton;
SECTION !, Taxation shall be equal
and uniform. All property In this
state, whether owned by natural per-
sons or corporations, other than mu-
nlcipal, shall be taxed In proportion to
| it, value, which shall be ascertalned
as may be provided by law. . A"
1t may also tax incomes OF both
natural persons and corporations,
other than municipal, except that per-
sons engaged in mechanical and agri-
cultural pursuits shall never be requir-
ed TO pay Ill occupation tax; provided,
that two hundred and fifty dollars
worth of household aud kitchen fur
niture, belonging TO each family In
this state, shall be exempt from TAXA
| ton.
SEC 2. All occupation taxes
shall be equal and uniform upon
the same class of subjects with
In the limits Of the authority
levying the tax but the Legislature
may, by general laws, exempt from
taxation public property used for pub
lie purposes; actual places of religious
worship; places of burial not held for
private or corporate profit; all build
lngs used exclusively and owned by
persons or associations OF persons for
school purposes, (and the necessary
furniture Of all schools,) and institu.
tons Of purely public charity and all
laws exempting property from taxa
ton other tnan the property above
mentioned, shall be void.
| All property Is to be taxed, except
such as Is exempted by the express let
ter of the constitution. Is farm pros
duce property, and IL the same men
toned? If it is property and Is not
among the enumerated species OF
property mentioned above, as exempt,
the fifteenth legislature was bound to
levy the tax, and had they not done
so, they would have violated their
solemn oaths to support the
constitution; besides the eX-
emption would have been void.
Thia Tux ia very unjust, oppressive, and
is Numerically opposed to one OF the
cardinal principles long established in
the minds OF the people, that is, the
fostt ring, building up and protecting
the agricultural interest OF the country.
So far IA there being disposition on
the part of the fifteenth legislature to
| Cypress tho farmer Is concerned, do
not suppose that Legislature has ever
| assembled in Texas in which the far
mers were more ably represented than
| in the fifteenth legislature. There were
many able and efficient farmers in that
body, both in the senate and house,
inciud ng the master Of the state
grange, n man wide-awake and ever
en- the alert, especially upon all mat
tiers affecting the interests Of the farin-
err, and would, together with every
member Of that body, have gladly
averted the tax under consideration.
1t seems, then, that If there is any
responsibility anywhere for the pass
age OF this measure, its rests upon the
makers of the constitution, for it Is
clear from the lights before us that the
constitution imposes the tax. In re-
verting to the journals Of the conven-
ton, aud the directory of the men,
bers thereof, we see that the following
named delegates voted for and against
the tax article above quoted, and for
the qualification of the farmers in the
country, we will give the occupation
of each member voting, which is
rather startling:
"Yeas - Messrs. Alternately, mer-
chant Allison, farmer; Arnim, farm.
er; Barnet, physician; Blassingale,
farmer; Brown, printer Bruce, farm
er; Burleson, farmer; Cook, lawyer;
Darrell, farmer; Ferris, lawyer; Flem-
ing, lawyer; Flournoy, lawyer; Ger
man, farmer: Graves, farmer; Holt,
merchant; Johnson, farmer; KiIlough.
farmer; Lacy, farmer; Lynch, wool
grower Mccormick, lawyer; Martin
of Navarro, farmer; Martin of Hunt,
farmer; Nugent, lawyer and farmer;
Ross, farmer; Ramey, lawyer and
farmer; Russell of Wood, farmer; Sam
son, farmer; Scott, farmer; Wade,
ia rmer; Whitfield, farmer.
"Nays-Messrs. Ballinger, lawyer
Blake, farmer; Brady, editor; Cooley
lawyer; Crawford, lawyer; Davis Of
Brazos, lawyer; Davis of Wharton,
farmer; De Morse, editor; billiard,
farmer; Dehoney. lawyer; Erhard,
druggist; Ford, editor; Gather, farmer;
Kilgore, lawyer; Locket, lawyer; Nc
Lean, lawyer; Mitchell, farmer; Moore,
lawyer; Morris, mechanic; Murphy,
lawyer; Norvel, lawyer; Mum, law
yer; PAUL., postmaster; Reagan, law
yer; Robertson, farmer; Russell of
Harrison, lawyer; Smith, lawyer; Stay.
ton, lawyer; Stewart, lawyer; Stock
dale, lawyer; Wealder, lawyer; White
head, doctor; West, lawyer"
Who, then, were the men voting ts
levy this oppressive and obnoxious
tax? We see that twenty-three farm
ers, five lawyers, two merchants, one
wool grower and one printer-totil,
thirty.two voted for the tax arti(e
above set out, and twenty lawyers, six
farmers, one doctor, one postmaster,
one mechanic, three editors, and one
- total, thirty-three - voted
against the same.
These facts not only show that the
well and much abused Fifteenth
Legislature Is not responsible for this
tax, as Is generally believed among
the farmers Of the country, but that
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