The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-11-10
FEDERAL POINT ITEMS.

The weather Is just exactly rlght-a'
though made to order.
Quite a crowd went from here to Pa
A large invoice of absentees who have
fooled away the summer in the north is
expected this week.
We had the pleasure of hand shake
with Mitchell REM, of Bridgeport. Sun
day, who has Just returned from bust
ness trip north.
The commission house drummer Is
waxing numerous in the land, while cir
culars from those enterprising firms who
want hand in the profits of orange cuI-
ture, are coming by the thousands.
The time is fast approaching when the
property owners will be called upon 10
step up to the captains office and pay
their taxes. The average planter will
probably find his improved land assessed
for about ten dollars per acre, and will
complacentIy draw his sheep skin and
deposit for the benefit OF the courts, ju-
rors and jails mere nominal sum, get
next man owns a piece of land that was
originally worthless. but by dint Of great
labor and expense has induced q few or
ange trees to grow thereon, that last
year produced five hundred boxes, the
sale of which would Just cover the eN-
pense of cultivation and fertilizer for
that year. his taxes viii be found added
up in five columns and the poor fellow
will sadly enquire, Why this is thus? rs
he fishes to the bottom of his well worn
wallet where he has been many time
for the bottom dollar. in order to satisfy
the craving of our political fathers who
are reaching for vile pelf with which to
Iun our jails and courts. This year his
crop may be very small, hardly worth
the mention, for seasons change, disease
will come to orange trees as well as to
other plants, but the memorable tax must
be ground out of him on the basis of
full crop let The season be as 1t will. no
reasonable man will object to pay his
Just proportion of tax necessary to pre-
serve good order, protection to life and
property or the needed public improve
ments. but he Will lightly demur to the
paying of the tax based upon an unjust
valuation of his property. Good and
bad seasons follow orange culture as well
a7 that of field crops, and while the or
ange grower NAV be willing to pay an
assessed valuation on bis land planted in
orange trees of double that planted in
field crops. yet it is certainly an unjast
assessment 10 rate the Cround 50 i'm
proved for more than that. / do not in
tend to cast any reflections upon the
work of our assessor this year, rs | am
not fully Informed as to his work. but
do believe that the valuation of property
is much higher in this county than in
several others in the state. OF course
this is rot right as il compels the tax
payers in Putnam county to pay a great
er prO rata of state tax than it ought to
do. The increased valuation of property
in this county over that of other countie-
is largely due to the enormous rates fixed
upon orange groves, which have in many
instances been crowded up entirely out
of ell proportion to other property. This
matter is worthy Of consideration by our
county officers as the fruit growing in
dustry is already one of great import
ance, with prospect of n large increase,
provided it can be properly protected and
encouraged as it certainly ought to he.
| hope 10 see an entire change in tie
method of assessing the property for tax
alton in this state in a few years. Such
a change as will make it possible for each
county in the state to bear its just pro
portion of the state tax. This can only
be accomplished by state board of
equalization, whose duties shall be to
classify the propecly throug ghOut the state,
that shall be the guide for each county
in their valuations for taxation. After
that is accomplished, let there be ap-
pointed one county assessor, with two
assistants in each precinct who shall con
stitute precinct board of assessors. The
two assistant officers will be familiar
with the property in their own section,
and will be better qualified to act in the
local assessment than one who is unfa-
miliar with the precinct can possibly be.
That a change is required no intelligent
man can deny, as the country has already
outerown the methods of ante belium
days. (")
VIM. F. Smithe. who died in Williams
burg. n. V. on Wednesday, aged 65,