The Osceola times., 1880-12-25
Hill Arp on Taxation.

There was a fellow over in Rome,
Ga, who made power of fuss be-
cause we were fixing to build a city
hall. The extravaganza of the thing
alarmed him, and he sawed the air
and lifted up his voice and paved
dirt around amazingly, until | went
TO hun one day, and says /, my
friend, know you are a patriot
and christian, and I've figured the
thing up about the hall on a specie
basis, and your additional tax will
be just exactly p cts. Now here is
a quarter and cigar, now | don't
want you to say any more about it..
and he didn't. The trouble with a
heap Of us is, we imagine the whole
thing OF paying the public, and saw
ing the state, is upon us individual
ly when It amt.
Somewhat akin TO the fellow in
Rome, Ca, above mentioned, are
some of our tax payers. They i'm
agine the whole thing Of paying
the public debt, and saving the state
ana county, rests upon them. They
make a power Of fuss, claw the air,
and paw dirt around amazingly,
because the valuation OF the real
estate, which is actually worth dou-
bic wiat it was ten, yea, five wears
ago, hss been raised some 20 or 80
per cert on the old assessment. The
difference between the assessed val.
uation and the decreased levy Of
tax on the dollar, will make such q
triflng difference, if any, that had
we the few quarters and necessary
2 cent cigars, we would be tempted
to follow Bill Arp's example and
stop all further attempts at a re-as-
scssment. The assessor will be the
only man benefited. For our part
we can't see where the difference
comes IN, or how the tax payer is
10 avoid paying his pro rata share
OF the general fund. The county
expenses are so much year--that
much money has to be raised by
taxation. II the real estate is as
scssed at sl,O00.000 valuation, and
10 mills on the dollar furnishes the
necessary amount to dofray current
expenses, what is the difference if
the property is assessed Il: 81, 600,
600 and 5 mills is levied? Who Is
hurt by il?
There never was time in the
history of Mississippi county, when
cleared lands were in such demand.
Five, SIX, seven, eight and even ten
dollars per acre, RENT, mot sold, is
demanded ard readily obtained;
aud many are turned oif-thc' de-
mand for cleared land, at these ex-
orbitant figures being greater than,
the supply. Where is there better
paying investments? Talk about
the taxes being Z burden, when
your county scrip is bought up at
from 20 TO 40 ccnts on the dollar,
with which You pay your taxes
When mon is found who would
become purchaser Of your wild un-
cleared lands, and open il up, why
do you ask him from five to ten dol.
lars an acre for it, il you think the
assessment too high ?-Wild lands
assessed from so cents to 81 90, and
cleared lands, from So 10 $50, which
can't be bought for less than from
S5 TO $40 for the former and all the
way from SO to s4oo per acre for
the latter
The old assessment Of real estate
in the county, when there was not
one half the land cleared and in cul-
tivation that there now Is, was some
thiag over S9OO,OOO,0O. The pres.
ent assessment Is the rise Of 81 l23,.
10000; a difference Of little over
S2G0, ,00c,00. The total tax levied
and collected last year, was 10 liz
mills on the dollar; this year IT is
only 10 l.2 mills. See the differ
ence ? Get out your pencils and see
who is hurt.