The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-07-06
The Price of Real Estate.

Editor Palatka News.
[ wish to call your attention to a reso-
luton passed by the city council on the
Both day of April last, in reference to the
assessment of taxes by our state assessor,
for the county of Putnam. These resO-
lutions, are, under our state laws, a mis-
demeanor covered by our statute, as
slander of title in connection with value
of property, called real estate. These
members of the city council venture to
say that real estate holders are asking
exhOrbitant prices, and hindering the
growth and prosperity of the city. In re-
ply to this, does the city council know
that any undue influence brought to bear
either with the tax assessor or with the
county commissioners, by outside corpO-
ratiOns, is sufficient reason and legal OBJ
lection in our courts for refusing to pay
the state, county and city taxes. Do
these ignorant and arrogant COuncilmen
know that the principles of government,
even in the most severe mOnarchiCal
DONCIS VI ILuAOpC5 IiO CuClt 5ulil lJtiDil
of power. No emperor wOuu,. dare to
put price on any property of any sub
ject of his kingdom.
There is nothing so sacred to man in a
republican government or in any other
government. as his right to his own pro-
perty and his right to its ownership and
its value. If the assessor of the county
makes a mistake on his assessment, which
every one is liable to do, is it a right of a
city council to meddle with it? These
resolutions are an insult to the intelli-
gence and integrity of the board of coun-
ty commissioners who are selected by the
people of the county at large, to do justice
to all parties, particularly i'll reference to
taxes
1t is presumed that real estate, in its
tax valuation, is placed on the tax book
according to its income. Wild lands in
some cases may be valued for sale at $1.25
per acre, but when sold and improved
the assessor returns it to suit the income.
| This resolution of council comes under
what is called the Agrarian laws of Rome
| in ancient times, when it was decreed
that every man should have share in all
the real estate of the country. The
-- fool family have left great many
/ heirs of their estate in this country and
! others, and in many instances, they get
Il little brief authority which turns their
! Ira3.r ,,,I ll1ll 81 e
| constitutional and rational government,
! simply, from pardonable ignorance and
imperfect education in relation to honor
able principles of social life and equality
/ county is incompetent for his position.
/ then the people of the county should say
! so, but it is not the business of the CITY
council to insult his capacity. If the
county commissioners of this county are
not capable of doing the business before
| the state law does not provide for any
member of any corporation to dictate as
to what they should do in any respect.
In this resolution, it is stated that diff
ferent parties owning unimproved real
estate are refusing to sell the same or are
asking what would seem to be an unrea-
sOnable exhOrbitantp price. 1t is presumed
that this resolution comes from a city
eye-glass speculator, who wears leather
| spectacles, with one hole grindstone in
front of him, thinking that he is the first
big frog in the puddle and boasting that
he has ousted republican toads for better
| or worse.
In the last election for councilmen. it
was supposed that a reform party would,
if elected, show a legislative ability in
the administrative necessity of the city,
but instead of this, adverse to republican
common sense power, ignorant or not,
we are fronted with dictational resolu-
ton utterly at variance with constitu-
tional liberty.
In solution of this particular extravi-
gance, we sum up a remarkable outlet
and detective insolence of what is called
the young democratic policy, which has
caused failure in more particulars than
any one wishes to state in a conservative
democratic organization.
ESTATE REAL.