Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-20

mstter shout which you have the exclu-
. sive right OF action, and OF which you can
bsst Judge as the immediate represents
tive5 Of your respective constituencies,
vet may l venture to suggest that my
own view shout the proper disposition Of
the cssh surplus in the Treasury Is, first,
to gee that the people from whom it was
derived in the shape of taxes, shall be-
come the direct benefoisries OF liberal
share Of II. And this brings up for con-
siderstion very serious and delicate
question. II we we're simply required 10
determine from the estimated taxable
values OF the state what rate Of taxation
should be maintained to produce & rev.
eDpe sufficient to meet the ascertained
operating expense, based upon necessary
current expenditures and outstanding sp-
preparations, the proposition would be Of
easy solution; but there are other mate
rial factors to be taken into account.
Our stste is in q formative condition.
Its property values are fiuctuEtipg AID
subject to serious disasters. And, in
addition to this, the receipts derived
from taxstiou ere not uniform during the
year, Tne great bulk OF it reaches the
Treasury in December and January, and
for full one hslf of tue year tile expendi-
lures exceed the receipts. So that, to
prevent temporary embarrassment and
ENABLE the Treasury 10 meet the lawful
demgnds upon It, you must provide s
sufficient margin o tide the government
over these months. This is the dictate
of business prudence, and the best
ststeEmsnship is but the most thorough
common sense 10 the aff.irs o. ordinary
life, enlarged and applied 10 the business
of the state.
Besidss, as the county and municipal
leVies for ad-valorm taxes are controlled
by the rate Of the state levy, a1d it is to
be presumed that they only levy such
amount as will be actually necessary to
conduct the affairs OF their county, city
or town. 1t follows that q reduction in the
state tax would tend to their serious en-
bsrrassment. Now, by reference to the
Comptroner's statement in answer TO my
inquiry on that subject, it Will be OBJ.
served that his estimate Of
SAFE MARGIN
to meet this contingency is 100000 and
his estimate of receipts from 1887 taxes
TOR the current year, as against sppropri-
atoms now in force, show an excess in
receipts over disbursements, exclusive OF
the balance on hand at The beginning OF
the fiscal year OF only 1928, 699 SO.
To this we might possibly add the sum
: of whatever collections might be made
| from back taxes. But financial estimates
must be based upon the solid data of
sscertained facts. The imagination is q
. poor financier, spd wholly without thrift
or reliability. AS this certain amount OF
, money Is indispensable to the existence
80 ho %
, arises-how then shall we extend relief to
the taxpayers without reduction Of the
presen5 tax rate to such sn extent as
|. would afford any appreciab.e benefit, and
without, st the same time, depicting the
receipts below the requisite margin abso-
lutely necessary TO enable the treasury at
ell times to meet the just demands
upon it.
To this end 1 respectfully offer the fol-
lowing suggestions for your considers
ton: Leave the rate of taxation as 1t
now is, and "a the total ad-vslorem taxes
amount TO 81 $685. "a you might set
spert one third OF this smount in the
treasury from the cash tsurplus, and di-
rect, by enactment, the remission of that
proportion Of thu ad-vslUrem tex Of each
TAX psYer when collectiunsare made com
~
means a distribution of this, or such 9TH
er proportion of the surplus SO you deem
iuat ard wise, can be made to the whole
people, who are best entitled to tyour IA
Vorable consideration in disposal OF this
money, and by leaving this sum in the
Treasury to the credit of the revenue &C
count, you simply anticipate the cOllec
tions to that extent; save the state from
the cost Of its collection and take no risk
of impsiring its ability to operate upon.
A CASH PAYING BASIS.
This, OF course, may be considered &
hardship upon collectors, as it would de-
prive them Of that proportion Of The legiti-
mate fees which they would otherwise re-
ceive unless you see proper to protect
them by consideration Of their claims
II by the time the Twenty first Leg
islsture assemblies it should be ascer-
tanned that there was still surplus by
reason of the tax rate being too high,
they could sgsin remit the overplus to the
people, and then more advisedlY adjust
the tax levy to suit the requirements Of
the case. And the only loss to be sus-
tanned by the taxpayers would result from
the loss OF the interest on the excess, if
any, not required for the current ex-
| peUSSS Oh tuG RONeEUmtus. 1Dlc HpUlt!
be too small to each citizen to be deemed
Objectionable.
In support of the ACCESSIBILITY CT this
suggestion, call your attention to the
fact that there will be deficiency in out
standing appropriations for the judiciary
department, quarantine and other de-
manus, estiu ated by the Comptroller to
be $3.50, 900.
And the following bonds will become
due as follows: 5000 900, 6 per cents,
mature 1890; $4,000, Z per cents, ma
ture 1891; S65,000, per cents, mature
1891, snd no sinking fund mas been Gre
a.ed TO meet them.
Four hundred and eighty-three thou
sand, five hundred dollars Of these bonds
belong to the public schools, university
and the several asylums.
| question the wisdom OF paying these
later bonds at their maturity, in view OF
the fact that they belong to these special
funds and as it is difficult to obtain safe
investment the money would probably re-
main for g time idle in the treasury, with
consequent loss OF interest which would
fall upon the people in the end. But as
1921, 900 OF them are drawing per cent.
interest, psid by the stste, while 1t only
receives per cent. from the counties, if
not in contrsvention Of the constitution
fbau Ghould he fskaD mn ar nativity and