Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-08

no eN press authority 10 Issue any Otner
species of bonds. Ii these counties
were authorized Ivy law 10 fund their
debts, including all character of claims
! recognized by them AS valid, they
could put their bonds covering such
Indebtedness on the market, and the
board of education would feel author
lied to buy them.
SCHOOL LANDS.
The bill passed 10y the regular SEES
sion OF The Eighteenth legislature has
been found to be very uuWieldly. and
the hoard has had great difficulty in
putting 1t into operation. 1t has as
certained from experience that the sys-
TEN of local agents ia The counties was
both expensive and unsatisfactory,
and under the liberal provisions uf the
law, allowing the board to ch inge the
rules laid down in the law, many
changes have been made.
The new rules require the bidders
on sales aud leases To describe accu-
rately the lands they wapt: aud they
are also required To swear 10 the cor
rectness of the description. In
this was the board not
only saves the enormous expense to
the school fund of classifying the
lands actually sold, but also saves the
unnecessary expense of classifying
those that no one now wishes to pur-
chase.
The board is net offering any wa
tered sections for sale or lease, and in
regions whore water is very scarce it
might be advisable to withdraw the
waters and small quantity of land
from sale, permanently, and dedicate
them to public Use. In this way vast
areas of dry country could be utilized
that could not be ii the few living wa
tiers there should fall into private
hands.
| also recommend the reservation uf
strips of land, at suitable intervals. y
public highways, so that in fuIu
there can be neither trouble or eXpen
attending the opening of roads.
! herewith transmit for Your
information aud considerations
a communication from the commits
sioner of the general land oifice, whose
vast experience in such matters rem
der his suggestions valuable.
TAXATION.
The amendments to the constitution
proposed by the legislature, submitted
To aud adopted by the people, 80
the general revenue will no longer 20
to the support of free schools, and uu-
til additional legislation is had, thirty
.euts on the one hundred dollars will
he levied and collected for general pur.
poses. and no part thereof will be set
apart for the school fund. Ii will,
therefore, he necessary to levy "A spe-
ciiic tax for free schools. The amount
to he levied is mt your discretion. not
TO exceed the maximum named in
the constitution.
1t is suggested that with the one
fourth of the occupation tax, interest
on bonds and land notes, and funds
from other sources, Il levy OF ten cents
on the one hundred dollars worth of
property will be sufficient 10 maintain
the schools the requisite time.
The report of the board OF education
together with the estimates furnished
by the secretary, and the comptruller's
report, will greatly assist you in ar
irving mt the rate of taxation absolute
ly necessary.
on course the thirty cents ON the one
hundred dollars worth of property,
now levied for general revenue purpos.
IS, will not be necessary. With the in
crease of taxable values, the revenues
viii increase. Twenty-Five and one
half cents has been sufficient in the !
past, and / suggest that eighteen |
cents on the hundred dollars VIII pro- ,
duce sufficient revenue, with that de- I
rived from other sources, 10 support I
the government. The ensuing wear
Will demonstrate whether ii is sutli- |
cient or not. and, az The Nineteenth
legislature will meet year Hence, the
can then bC increased or di-
rs may be found necessary.
In arriving at the amount of tax
necessary 10 be levied. it must be
borne in mind that the large eXpendi. |
lures for the present year, com
prising appropriations for the |
North Texas and Austin lunatic asy- /
lums, deaf and dumb asylum, the
A lapio, agricultural and mechanical !
llNlf.mlllioh dollars, will not have /
60 be rept ated
There should not be in the treasury |
of the state more money of any char |
acter than is absolutely necessary to
meet the current demands on an eco
nomical bnsi4.
To permit funds belonging to the
common schools, university or asylums
TO remain in the treasury unpr0duct-
i've, while the peoples means are
being taken by taxation raised TO sup
port these institutions, is IA clear
violation of the constitution as to make
direct levies OF larger sums than is re-
luired to carry on The government in
IN economical form. 10 admit that
here is more money in the treasury
han IL Necessary To carry on the gov
,rnmpnt iii an economical way IL to
admit that the peoples servants have
the constitution. This, how
aver. cannot always be avoided in n
arge and rapidly growing state like
Durs, but we should strive to conform
rs near as possible TO the demands of
he constitution.
ATTACHMENT LAW.
After the adjournment of the Eight
,enth Legislature, the executive re-
'eived n number of letter. from mem
,ers of that body, inquiring about the
law, which was asserted
lad been passed. As no such bill ever
cached the executive office | deemed i
proper, in issuing the call for the spe-
'ial session. 10 mention the subject
hat the law might be re-enacted.