The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-05-14
Taxation.
Editor F'lorida Agrculturist

EultOf lOIlua ASfculturlSt.
In your paper of the 9th inst, YOU re-
quest contributions and discussions upon
the subject of taxation. While | agree
with you upon the necessity of better
system of assessment of property than
the present, / am not like yourself will
ling to concede that it cannot be better
done by the assessing officers, under the
law as it is. The law requires that Off
Ger to appraise the real estate from in
spection, by himself, not from the re-
ports OF others in the absence of the
owners" How does the Assessor per-
form his duty? He publishes in some
neMsnasa H. 4 La. y : TI,siirssg a INK
min at .,sair or IlIcse F1faces, anu Often
the threat is made that unless they shall
drop everything and attend the Assessor
there will be double assessment made.
The Assessor is paid for his work, but
who pays those who are compelled to
dance attendance to him? To illustrate
The Assessor must inspect the land and
appraise it; and can readily visit sixteen
houses in aday; but if the sixteen tax
payers must meet him, it will break
their days work, and they must each
lose one half day, equal to a half dollar
each. have failed to find any law that
allowed this proceeding, and if there be
precedent for it, it must be found in
the New Testament where the people
event up to be taxed" as did Joseph
the husband OF Mary, to Nazareth.
4 Ii one man cannot do this work, why,
then appoint as many as necessary, even
to carrying out your suggestion of a
Board of Assessors in each precinct, by
so providing by law.
Following the Palatka NeWs you
assert that "these abuses can be met
only by a change in our organic law" ;"
1t is not to be expected that a constitu-
ton will contain code of laws on this
or any other subject. Such constitu-
ton submitted to the voters for adoption
would most assuredly be rejected by a
majority. The subject of taxation be-
longs to the. law, not to the constitution
except few general principles. The
constitution is not so bad in it's taxation
article, as the bad Legislation, or rather
no legislation that has taken place under
and outside of it. The fault lies in the
improper men sent to the legislature.
The elective power of the people should
be extended to nearly or quite every
office in the State. Under the constitu-
ton towns can be created, and the peo-
pie might elect every officer IN those
towns, as is now done in cities; even
the New England or New York system
of townships cannot be engrafted into
our statutes. Art. w, Sec. 81, provides
'..The legislature shall establish a uni
form system of county, township and
municipal government" Under this
clause, what we have of county govern
ment exists. The laws governing the
counties were all in force anterior to the
adoption of the constitution; SO there
has never been any legislation under
this section, except to organize cities.
No township government has been es-
tablished.
The adoption of the constitution, of its
own vigor repealed and changed many
of the old laws and there should have
been commission provided to report a
code of laws consistent Herewith. This
has not been done, but on the contrary,
we have digests of laws, reaching back to
the very beginning of the territorial ex-
istence. There is no assurance that if a
convention should be called and new
constitution framed and adopted, that
legislature would pay more heed to its
provisions than they have to the present