The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-09-28
He Likes the Republican Rule the
Rest
FEDERAL POINT, Sept. %.

FEDERAL POINT, Sept. 20.
special Correspondence PALATKA NEWS:
In regard to the surplus in the county
treasury, taxation, etc, as compared
with the so-called carpet-bag days, by
the editorial in your issue of the 22d,
allow me to say, under the carpet-bag
rule | paid $25 per year taxes, under
Democratic rule / am paying $50. 1t
will be remembered by the old citizens
that lived here during those days, that
before the war Florida was hardly worth
mentioning as financial State, and
what little wealth there had been was
nearly all swept away by the ravages of
warfare, so that the so-called carpet
baggers" had bur little to work with,
there being but little property to tax,
less money wherewith to pay them, con-
sequenuy there was but one method
open-to re-organize the government
and put the State and counties in work
ing order by straining the wealth of the
commonwealth. This was done and,
naturally enough, the State and county
paper was put at discount. Yet the
foundation Tor future prosperity was
laid before the Democratic party came
in power. Free schools were estab-
lished, something new in the history OF
the State transportation facilities were
fostered and encouraged, immigration
was encouraged and fostered, and the
country had made good start on her
rapid road to material wealth and gen.
eral prosperity.
The Democratic party has had the
good Judgment to continue the policy as
| IL. Mt
baggers," and because the State has pros
pered they attempt to claim the whole
| credit and greatly exaggerate the faults
of the Republican party while in power.
| They are extremely jealous OF their au-
( tho Tity, that they allow none but menu
| bers of their own party to hold any Of
| flee, however trivial. Instead of Ieduc-
ing taxation they have increased it, by
| lowering the rate and greatly increasing
| the valuation of the taxable property.
| That the taxes are higher IN this
/ county than in the adjoining ones
/ l have only to cite my own experience.
| own proper in st. Johns county that
/ is not called upon to pay one-half the
I tax that it would did 1t lay in Putnam
| county. | certainly would not be willing
| to cast any undue reflections upon any
! of our county officials, as L deem them
! honorable, well meaning gentlemen, but
/ when It comes to lndoTslng their every
action or holding them up as patterns of
| economy. ability or supcrhuman finan-
| ciers. must beg 10 differ.
4 Nearly whole generation has come
! and gone since these old days of recon
struction. of despised " carpet-bag rule,
/ and since then the county has filled up
with new settlers and with young men
/ to the manor born. who have no recol-
/ lection of these times, and to many il
! NAV seem incredible when L say that
then there was hardly a settler on the
river south Of Palatka. while Palatks
was simply a little village, not much
larger than Federal Point is to-day, and
the whole southern portion of the State
was almost unknown. Jacksonville wa:
a small city of shanties. In fact, nearly
all there is OF Florida has been made
since the close of that fearful struggle
that cast nearly every household in the
nation into mourning for its dead, and
DESTROYED nearly every enterprise In thi:
fair land of ours, and this new popnla
ton can have but faint conception OF
the work performed by these old carpet
baggers, who brought order out of con
fusion, and laid the foundation for the
building of the most prosperous State Il
the South. No one claims sanity hon