Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1884-01-10

debts, including all character of
claims recognized by them as valid.
they could put their bonds cover
ing such indebtedness on tho mar
ket, and the Board of Education
would feel authorized to buy
them.
SCHOOL LANDS.
The bill passed by the regular
session of the Eighteenth Legis-
ture has been found to be very nm
wieldy, and the board has had
great difficulty in putting it into
operation. 1t has been ascertain
ed, from experience, that the sys-
TEN of local agents in the counties
was both expensive and unsatis-
factory, and under the liberal pro-
visions of the law, allowing the
board to change the rules laid
down in the law, many changes
have been made.
The new rules require the bid
ders on sales and leases to describe,
accurately, the lands they want;
and they are also required to swear
to the correctness of the deserip-
ton. In this way, the board not
only saves the enormous expenses
to the school fund of classifying the
lands actually sold, but also saves
the unnecessary expenses of classi-
flying those that no one now wish
es to purchase.
The board is not offering any
watered sections for sale or lease
and in regions where water is very
scarce it might be advisable to
withdraw the waters and a small
quantity of land from sale, per-
manently, and dedicate them to
public use. In this way, vast
areas of dry country could be util-
lied that could not be if the few
living waters there should fall in
to private hands.
l also recommend the reserve
ton of strips of land, at suitable
intervals, for.public highways, SO
that in future there can be neither
trouble or expense attending the
opening of roads.
l herewith transbmit for your
information and consideration, q
communication from the Commits
sioner of the General Land Office,
whose vast experience in such mat
ters render his suggestions valu-
able.
TAXATION.
The amendments to the Consti-
tuition proposed by the Legisla-
ture, submitted to and adopted by
the people, so changed the law
that one-fourth of the general rev.
enue will no longer go to the sup
port of free schools, and until ad-
ditlonal legislation is had, thirty
cents on the hundred dollars will
be levied and collected for general
purposes, and no part thereof will
be set apart for the school fund.
1t will, therefore, be necessary to
levy a specific tax for free schools
The amount to be levied is at your
discretion, not to exceed the maxi
mum named in the Constitutions
1t is suggested that with the
one-fourth of the occupation tax,
interest on bonds and land notes,
and funds from other sources, that
a levy of ten cents on the one hun
dred dollars worth of property
will be sufficient to maintain the
schools the requisite time.
The report of the Board of Edu-
cation; together with the estimates
furnished by the Secretary, and
the Comptroller's report, will
greatly assist you in arriving at
the rate of taxation absolutely
necessary.
Of course thirty cents on the
one hgndred dollars worth of
property, now levied for general
revenue purposes, will not be nee
essary. With the increase of tax
able values, the revenues win in
crease. Twenty-Five and one-half
cents has been sufficlentin the past,
and l suggest that eighteen cents
on the hundred dollars will pro-
duce sufficient revenue, with that
derived from other sources, to
support the government. The en-
suing year will demonstrate wheth-
er it is sufficient or not, and, as tho
Nineteenth Legislature will meet
a year hence, the amount can then
be increased or diminished as may
be found necessary.
In arriving at the amount of tax
necessary to be levied, it must be
borne in mind that the large ex-
penditures for the present year,
comprising appropriations for the
North Texas and Austin Lunafic
Deaf and Dumb Asylum,
the Alamo, Agricultural and Me-
chanical College, and others ag-
gregating about a half million dol
lars, that will not have to be re-
peated.
There should not be in the
treasury of the State more money,
of any character, than is absolute
ly necessary to meet the current
on an economical basis
To permit funds belonging to
the common schools, university or !.
asylums to remain in the treasury
while the peoples
means are being taken by taxation
raised to support these institu-
tons, is as clear violation of the
as to make direct
levies of larger sums than is Ie-
quired to carry on the government
in an economical form. To admit
that there is more money in the
treasury than is necessary to car
ry on the government in an eco
nomical way is to admit that the
peoples servants have violated
the Constitution. This, however,
cannot always be avoided IN
large and rapidly growing State
ike ours, but we should strive to
conform as near as possible to the
demands of the Constitution
ATTACHMENT LAW.
After the adjournment of the
regular session of the Eighteenth
the Executive receiv-
I'd number of letters from mem
1ers of that body, enquiring about
he attachment law, which was