The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-05
HOW WE ARE TO BE TAXED.

"The state tax on property exclu-
sive of the tax necessary to pay the
public debt and of the taxes provid-
ed for the benefit of public free
cents on the hundred dollars valua-
tion.'' Such is the language of the
first clause of the proposed tax
This provision, observe, applies alone
to the state tax. Thirty-five cents is
the maximum limit of such tax, ex-
elusive of state school tax, propos-
ed in the same amendment, of twenty
cents on the hundred dollars of valua-
ton, and exclusive of another tax for
the payment of the public debt,
amount not stated. The state tax,
permitted under the present constitu-
ton, is fifty cents on the hundred dol
lars of valuation, and state, school
and debt revenues have been
obtained therefrom. 1t is known,
too, that the fifteenth legisla-
ture provided for reduction
of the state tax to thirty-five cents
on the hundred dollars valuation, and
that afterwards it was reduced to
thirty cents; that from this tax the
expenses of the state government and
of the schools have been paid, while
the state debt has been reduced mil
lions, and three millions of idle rev.
enue derived therefrom now lies in
the state treasury. The state tax,
then, exclusive of county taxes
and of municipal taxes, all to
be multiplied into specialties by this
proposed amendment, is to be greatly
increased instead of diminished. The
state tax, now fixed by law at thirty
cents, is to be increased to fifty-five
cents for revenue accumulation and
for schools, while an additional
levy is to be imposed for paying the
public debt. The state tax is to
be increased one hundred per cent
under the operation of this proposed
amendment, while for years the pro-
priety of reducing taxation has been
apparent, and, even with the state
tax reduced to thirty cents, the sur
plus in the treasury grows at the rate
OF largely over million dollars each
year. With all this, of which the
people are cognizant, the seventeenth
legislature, in it's supreme wisdom
asks that this tax be increased to
about sixty cents on the hundred dol
lars valuation, instead of thirty
cents as now. From all quarters of
the state the advocates of increased
taxation were assembled at the CAPT.
tai, and consequently this fine system.
proposed in the interest Of increased
local taxation and to be used for the
benefit of local rings. was formulated
and presented to the people. The
proposed system was known by its
authors to be monstrous, for not sat
lshed that the people would accept it,
a special committee was organized to
SIT IN vacation, drawing the peoples
money, to prepare and present an adj
dress to the people of the state, urg-
ing them to vote for these amend
ments. Of course the people are
ignorant and ready to impose upon
themselves onerOus burdens, that
they may each year see the wholesale
system of confiscation of private
property, see sacrifices made in the
interest OF land grabbers, for the sat
lsfaction of a greatly increased and
unnecessary taxation. But the state
tax IS only modecum of the tax
gatherer's spoils. In the same pro-
posed amendment it is declared, in a
spirit OF apparently fierce restriction,
that mo county, city or town
shall levy more than twenty-five
cents for city or county purposes, and
not to exceed fifteen cents, for roads
and bridges, on the hundred dollars
valuation, except for debts incurred
prior to the adoption of this amend
ment, and for the erection of public
buildings, street, sewer and other per-
manent Improvements, not to exceed
twenty-five cents on the hundred dol
lars valuation in any one year, and ex-
cept as is in this constitution other
wise provided" Were it not for the
immense latitude granted under these
exceptions one might calculate local
assessments, but their range are longi-
tudlnal as well as latitudinal, and
most local taxing powers being we'd
ded to the scheme of gathering all
that is permissible, time and sheriffs'
executions must present and sum up
the amounts deriVable therefrom.
The men who were actively engaged
in the preparation of this proposed
tax amendment, and those who now
urge its adoption, may deceive the
people and secure its adoption, but
the odium in which they will be held
when tax-gatherers begin to put it in
practice will be anything but profita-
BILE to political aspirations. The leg
islature had the benefit of none of
the constitutional checks provided
for popular safety, its acts being ac-
cepted by an executive eager to
secure the approval of those who
might mould public sentiment in IA
vor of individual endorsement. 1t
may be replied the people are to de-
eide whether they shall be
taxed as proposed. They will
decide, but do we not see
that those who design to entrap them
are already presenting them with
false arguments, calculated to delude
and to deceive them into doing that
which is unnecessary, and which is
even fatal to public interests. Those
who contradict this are invited to
recollect that over one million dol
lars of revenue was, a little over a
year ago, wasted on state bonds, and
that as sequel to this, to-day there
are three millions dollars in cash lay
ing idle in the revenue vaults of the
state treasury, and four millions of
sui P1uo LIDS Ucou dcCuIu uldC6u IN
three years on tax of thirty-fve and
then thirty cents on the hundred dol
Jars valuation.( But of course the peo-
pie of Texas will vote for this amend
ment, if for no other reason, because
the legislative committee appeals to
them in flattering, deceptive docu-
ment, to endorse what the legislature
has proposed. No stronger argument
could be used against the adoption of
two of the amendments than the fact
that the legislature recognized the
necessity of brief being presented
to the popular tribunal in their favor
by the very agents who proposed
this scheme of confiscation.
THE TRICK OF SOUTHERN RE-
PUBLlCANS.