The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-02-17

BY the above ii will be seen
/ that III those years the taxable
values OF the county has increased
in round numbers about seventy
/ five per cent, while taxation has
deceased over eight hundred per cent.
/ on the Thousand dollars. With the per-
/ son who does not own but few dollars
worth of property that is taxable, the
benefits may not be readily seen, but the
smallest taxpayer III the county has been
immensely benefited. The man who
then owned $4,000 worth of property,
paying tax at the rate of ISL cents on
the 500, who is now paying only 10
cents per hundred on the same
amount, saves over 800 per year.
Had the poor man with $1,000 worth of
taxable property been paving at the rate
of 9SL1-3 cents on the 500 from 1875 up
to the close OF 1881, he would have paid
out about $40 III taxes, while at the
present rate Of ~ cents his taxes in the
same time would have been but Sl4 In
1876, when Judge Gerald came into of
fee, the rate Of county taxation had been
fixed for that year, but Ill 1877 we find it
reduced to - cents. In 1878 the
court house was built and had
to be paid for and numerous
other necessary expenses incurred, yet
We find the rate reduced to 80 cents
The Indebtedness was paid of. includ-
ing $4,000 which the county owed
before Judge Gerald took the reius. and
IN 1879 We find the tremendous reduc-
ton of 50 cents on the former year For
1879 and 1880 the rate of taxation was
Is cents on 800. A good cash balance
-, IL, !
the Treasury, and improvements went
on. In 1881 the rate was reduced to
l2l2 cents on the 500, a rate which was
below that of any other county in the
state except one and still we had cash
on sLand to tie amount of $4,000. At
the meeting of the commissioners yes
terday the rate was reduced to 10 cents
on tne 500. which is the lowest in the
state, and We Will in a few months, in
addition to the S9,6S3. - now or hand,
have several Thousand dollars more
In the years since Judge
Gerald has been in Office,
the court house, Jail and
poor house with farm have been bought
and paid for, four toll bridges bought
and made free passways, new bridges
buiit, roads opened up, and the
county put IN splendid condition. As
matter of fact, and we want every tax
payer to take notice of It, previous 10
1876 the rate allowed for the mainte-
nance Of the poor house was ten cents
on the one hundred dollars, and we
must either be amazed at such extrava-
gance hen, when we had only about
haf our present population, and per-
hapS not more than half as many
lunatlcs and paupers as now. or we
must express wonder at the remarkable
financial ability that has reduced the
rates OF taxation to what it is now, has I
made all these improvements and has /
good cash balance to show. Think of .
the entire county on 10 cents .
IN the 800, when that much was appro- /
0uated previous to 1876 for the support
If paupers and lunatics alone. In
'ound numbers since 1876, there has
)een paid out for improvements $4,000,
md Notwithstanding all this the rate of
axatlon has steadily decreased. We
submit that this is much better show
ng than the "Old Alcalde," with all his
)oasted " cash balance" can show. The
tate tax, which is now 20 cents on the
'lOO worth of property, since 1876 has
'een reduced but 20 per cent, while the
population and taxable property has III
reased surprisingly, and no wonder
here Is such cash balance. If the rate
ad been decreased as it has been in
his county, and cash balance in pro-
ortIon to ours could be shown, Texas
you'd be the banner independent state
I the Union, as McLennan county now
the banner county of Texas.