The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-02-20
beauties of the Tax Law.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, Feb. II, 1879,


Editors Democratic Statesman:
In the days when Texas struggled
against the Mexican for freedom and
self-government, l gave her gold for
worthless lands, to help her cause,
and on these lands, in twenty counties.
now for forty years l have taxes paid
to support her government. These
taxes have amounted to more money
than the lands would now command,
without return or profit. There is in
deed some speculative promise in the
lands for future day; but, were 1 to
offer them to the highest bidder now,
they would not bring, by half, the
value at which the State doth tax
them. S me of them 1 have never
dared to visit, for fear of the red
mans scalping knife, though it would
seem taxation should assure the gov
ernment's protection. As justly might
the State demand taxes on my land in
Africa, as on that it's worth my life to
visit for lack of her protection. But
the case is harder still. The State
doth now require that / twenty rendi-
tions make for taxes, to twenty differ
ent men; whereas, OF old, l made but
one and that in the county of my
home, or at the capital, paid directly
10 the State, without expense to State
or me of middle-men or service. Be-
sides the twenty-fold expense and
labor thus of me required, it pains me,
as citizen, that the State must pay
we'll nigh twenty-fold as much to those
twenty men, for servica, as in fact is
necessary. Because the labor, done
as formerly, was little more to make
my whole assessment for the twenty
counties, than now it is for one.
And since, III twenty counties, l must
pay as well as render, for reasons
presently to appear, L must an agent
have in every county, with fees quite
twice my taxes, and then the State, in
whose expenses I am concerned as
other citizens, must pay twenty Fold as
much for collection rs it hath need to
pay, since it would not be more labor
to collect, at one time and place, the
whole of my taxes than it doth require
now in each of the twenty counties.
Nay nay it is worse than that, for if
it were permitted that l pay to the
State directly at the flee of Comp
troller, as woul gladly do, it would
cost the State Just nothing to collect
all my taxes, whereas now the State
must pay twenty men commissions,
and besides mus, pay the time, labor
and expense of Watching after twenty
men instead of none. Ills proved, by
my experience, that no less than forty
letters every year must be written as
sessors and more to collectors, eighty
postage stamps and eighty fees for re-
gistered letters, to guard against tricks
of officers and spectators. 1t will
hardly be believed, of what have the
proof beyond cavil, that of the
twenty officers, to whom l sent the
dues upon my lands, five no tax receipts
returned, but sold my lands for taxes,
with my money in their hands.
For my gold, my lands and two
score years of taxes l have now but
their receipts for registered letters, in
which l sent them money for the taxes.
have written and written and written
TO those officers, but no answer csmes,
because they have my money and my
lands hsYe been sold for taxes. IT'S,
in such case, great oppression, that l
must lose my land or redeem it by
both double costs and taxes. am
told l have my remedy against these
officers. feti Perhaps l have. A
remedy by, s1it, ten-fold more costly
than double osts and double taxes. 1t
would see4h the State should make it
criminal To 90 such wrongs and by law
impose sud- heavy penalties as would
deter those officers and relieve her citi-
zens against the evil which EFFORTS
from then fees for agents more than
all their ON VFTERa -