The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-12
WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY DEMANDS.

W III a II bDlO G1AI DAts
The indications are that the tax
amendments to the constitution, both
for state revenue and for school pur-
poses, will be defeated. Here we are,
at this time, running the state gov
eminent and paying up the public
debt and conducting the schools on
thirty cents on the hundred dollars of
valuation, while the amendments pro-
pose to increase the tax for the same
purposes to sixty cents on the hundred
dollars; and besides this it is proposed
to allow school districts, by vote, to
impose local taxes for the benefit of
the local schools. This increase is
proposed, while the treasury is over
flowing with money, and when it is
known that the school fund
derived from one-fourth of the states
revenue,is running the schools in eco
nomically administered counties from
: five to nine months in the year. 70
authorize a tax of 30 cents
| for the states uses, 20 cents for
school purposes, and another tax for
debt purposes, in the face of these
facts, would seem as though the pur-
poses of the constitution amenders is
to Cypress the people. There is no
need for any such taxation on the
states account, and then when we
contemplate the county and the mu-
nicipal taxes, proposed under author
ity of the amendments, the prospect
i've burden assumes an onerouS char
acter, fraught under adverse nat
ural conditions with sweep.
ing coniiscations of property
Were it not that these Overlooking
treasury vaults prove that taxation
except probably for school purposes
is at this time greatly in excess OF
what is necessary, opposition to the
increase might be considered unreea,
sonable. But there IS the money
piled up--in the vaults until, for it,
| safe keeping, armed men are required
day and night, to guard it. 1t il
thought that by the end Of this yea
these vaults will contain $4,OOO,OO|
surplus cash, and yet there are thoS'
who cry for more. The rate of taxa
ton proposed for the schools is two
thirds as much as the entire tax, d
this time, for G rvernment, schools
and debt. Now, the schools have one
fourth of the revenue, or ~ cents OF
the hundred of property. Under tn
proposed amendments they are Il
have 70 cents, besides the poll tax
and d revenue from occupation take
and other special Ievies. The sun
total of all these would create funt
fully three times as great as it nov
is, and this people know, well enough
is not necessary. The desire to tao
seemed uppermost in the minds O
some legislators; they got accustomed
to looking in the vaults at all those
millions, and they conceived the idef
that the people of Texas could stanC
any kind of tax pressure. There was
a spirit of demagogueism, too, about
much of this legislation. Some
thought that the way to secure great
popular favor was to estab
fish, at the states expense
a glittering system of schools
and the way to make this system SUI
premely glittering was to pile up gilt
tering dollars, taken from the pockets
of the people. The STATESMAN is il
favor of an efficient school system
but it is not in favor of oppressive
taxation for any purpose. Govern
ments were never intended to be in
struments of popular oppression, anG
therefore we warn voters against the
decisions by which they are attempted
to be led to sustain these propositions
Had the proposed taxes been fixed al
reasonable figures, then we would not
opposetheir adoption. Circumstances
demonstrate that state tax not tC
exceed 20 cents might have been
reasonable. The school tax might
have been fixed at IL cents, which
would have been ample. But here
are propositions for double what is
necessary, and public safety demands
that they be rejected.