Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-03-31
THE FIRST VETO.
Gov. Porter Disapproyes the Assess
ment Dill.
Why the Taxpayers Would not be
Benefited.
THE FIRST VETO


The following veto message from thu
Governor has been sent to the Legis
lature:
Gentlemen of the Senate and House
| of Representatives-I return without
approval House bill No, 400, entitled
"A bill to be entitled an act to amend
| all laws forth assessment of property"
This bill adopts the same criteria of
value as that of 1875; the same princi-
pie of assessment is prescribed for
both, and the same general valuation
of real property must necessarily fol-
low under the new assessment. After
careful consideration of the subject,
l have failed to discover the practical
benefit or advantage to the taxpayer
by the proposed change. As a ques-
ton ofeconomy, the arguments against
it. will use the county of Davidson
as an illustration, because have been
able to inform myself officially, as to
practical operations of the existing law
and the cost ofthe one proposed in that
county. Under the latter, it will cost
the tax payers of the county named
about seven thousand five hundred
dollars, In books, clerks fees, aud fees
for assessing their property aud polls
for the year 1877; for the same SER
vice under the act of 1875, it will cost
them about fifteen hundred dollars, or
six thousand dollars less; and, from
the most reliable information l can
gather, am of opinion that if the bill
under consideration becomes law, it !
will cost the people of the State sixty |
thousand dollars more than they will |
be required under the existing statute. |
The several counties have paid large |
sums of money for the salaries of As |
and for the purchase of books,
Is required BY the act of 1876; if the
change is copsummated this 4
large expenditure will have been vast
I'd, and the books, prepared for the
at cost of not less than fifty
thousand dollars, will be Of no use
whatever.
Under the act Of 1875, large amounts
If property liable, but never before
listed for taxation, have been placed
lpon the assessment roll by the Coun-
y Court Clerks, who are required to
make and keep a main assessment roll
# all property assessed, with notice
# all changes of Ownership. This roll
will soon become condensed abstract
# title of incalculuable value to the
'endor and vendee of fproperty, and viii |
upply a convenient, cheap and valua-
lie character of information that can
lot be found elsewhere.
If the act Of 1875 is defective, it
an readily be amended. 1t makes
for a re-assessment of real
where improvements are de-
troyed by fire, food or other casualty;
nd if it is believed that the property
f a single citizens has been assessed
rroneously or too high a rate, the
PROVISIONS Of section 2can beenlarged
nd an opportunity afforded for the cor
ection Of errors at an Insignificant cost
D the party aggrieved.
Section 4 of the bill under consider
ton makes the District and Ward {
assessors a Board Of Equalization.
his was feature of the act of 1873, 1
nd proved to be impracticable, ineffic-
mt and unsatisfactory. Section 5pro- S
ides that "the Quarterly Court shall s
ave authority to hear and determine G
publications. in regard to alleged erro- {
eous assessments, but does not de- '
,rmine when or at what session Of G
lid court hearing shall be had. This
ould involve the whole subject in 8
postpone the purpose of the i
i'll and produce a necessity for its ju- S
icial construction.
JAMES d. PORTER. v
Executive Office, March 2l, 1877.