The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-03-28
Taxation and MFR. Hind.

] Tie CIldI nlctAC LII LII iCltCI VI 1dICL
18th, should certainly satisfy your read
ers of their truth. Your offer to point to
prominent Democrats who have been as
grossly wronged by the application Of
these laws as either of the Republicans
who complain, should in itself be sutfi-
cient evidence to convince our citizens of
the unftness of our present officials for
the positions they hold. l must confess
to a curiosity to see and know the man
who would remain prominent member"
Of any party that would be guilty of
wrongs like these and respectfully ask
you to give me names, the cash value Of
land when purchased, and assessment for
'83. That | have not rushed into print
without seeking redress from our board
these gentlemen can bear witness. By
petition and by personal request have
asked them to give me that relief which
they all admit ought to have, but under
one pretext or another they have contin-
ually refused, and insisted that before
they would take any action | should first
pay the taxes as assessed, which under
protest [ have done, and yet they refuse
to act How different their action in a
similar case. [ quote from minutes of
a meeting of board of county commits
sioners held on the 7th of March. I'm
the matter of the valuation of the st.
Johns & Halifax R. R. Co. it appearing
to the satisfaction Of this board that $4,000
per mile is a fair vaulatiOn to be fixed for
the purpose of taxation on said road for
1888; On motion it is ordered that the
collector be and he is authorized to col
lect the taxes against said road upon such
valuation and report any excess as an er-
ror in the assessment to be included in
the list of errors to be certified to by this
board in final settlement" Precisely
what [ asked them to do in my case. Is
this Justice? If this is not evidence of
discrimination what is it &? and it must be
from partisan motives for my personal
acquaintance with all of these gentlemen
is so slight that personal like or dislike
CdIlIlOb have lllIbClCCu ULCI1 dGCISIOI
Again if you dislike the charge of a par
tisan board why have one? The Repub-
icans when in power allowed the Demo-
Gratis to be represented by one of their
own party. This precedent the Demo-
Gratis have refused to follow and hence
we have the anomaly of a party calling
itself Democratic refusing a majority of
their fellow citizens a voice in their coun-
ty government. Did the thought never
cross the editorial mind that every argu-
ment you can advance why your city
government should be non partisan or
political is Just as pertinent to the cOun-
ty. The golden rule is as right in politics
as in all lifes duties. The fact re-
mains that while relief has been granted
to others [ have had to pay some $78.0 90
over and above what an honest nOn-par-
tisan valuation of my property calls for.
The county commissioner Mr.. Marshall
evidently is in ignorance of the point at
issue. never mentioned Racim0 prop
erty and never owned it. Why he should
introduce it | cannot imagine. Permit
me a word in reply to your remarks
personal to myself, that my private fam
lily affairs have any interest for your rea-
ders l much doubt, but as you have chos-
en- to refer to them after the chop logic
style of the attorney to shield your clients
the Democratic officials and to attract at
tention away from the point at issue, you
cannot refuse me little space to state
| facts as against your fictiOns. First, the
property Mr.. Hind has acquired during
| his residence in the state including zero
can be purchased at one half your own
valuation. VIII you buy? Second, the
property of the Democrat you refer to
Mr.. Hind never has claimed to own,
never did own, or under any circunlstan-
ces as the records show can he ever own.
But what if he could ? would he then be
a fit subject for a Cowardly robbery un-
der the pretenCe Of taxation? such ethics
might command themselves to a Robin
Hood but never to honest men, That [
have not succeeded 50 well financially or
politically as the junior editor of The
News is doubtless owing to the defcien-
cy on my part of many brilliant gifts
with which nature has so richly endowed
him and somewhat to the fact that my
political sympathies are more with the
poor and the oppressed, and even the des-
/ pissed African than with their former
owners, and also to the lack of that legal
knowledge and training which, is general
/ ly considered not only prerequisite but a
I essential for the judicial Office. If theru-
NOR be true that he has recently fell heir
/ to a considerable sum am sure his old
neighbors will rejoice at his good fortune,
and should an attempt be made to de-
fraud him of any portion of it however
small, and even though the wrong be at
/ tempted under the guise of taxation I
| should expect to see him resent it Just as
earnestly as he would an attempt to steal
the hard earned dollars he made while
/ bnrn following the DIOw