The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-02-12
FOR IMMIGRATION.

A circular letter, signed by ]. F. Richmond,
Chairman, and G. F. Adams. Secretary of the
Executive Committee of the State immigration
Society, has beer sent to every member of The
Legislature for me purpose of calling his atten-
! ion particsnnl " to the matter OF Immigration.
! The closin. tragraph OF the circular reads
lhus: n
COgniZant of the fact that measures encOurag-
ing State immigration should properly belong to
a bureau created and controlled by the State,
This Association asks the legislators to calmly
and dispassionately consider the advisability and
propriey of appropriating one mill tax 10 be
| expended in such manner and through such
channel as shall be deemed best to properly ad-
verlse the varied resources of Florida. This
Association is in readiness either to carry this
work under direction of the State to donate to
The proper State officials all ofits papers and other
property, or in whatever manner the Legislature
may suggest or designate as the further action OF
this Association, and will cheerfully co operate
and endeavor in the future, in the past, to
serve in every possible manner The wishes Of the
people. Will you kindly give Us an expression
of your views and oolige?
The State Association is on the right
track. This idea of a one mill tax has
been persistently urged by the Reporter
for the past two years. There is but one
possible objection which can be urged
to the plan, and that is the apparently
which must come out of the tax payers.
But let each individual tax payer in
Florida estimate for himself the actual
amount which this one mill levy would
add to his taxes, and decide for himself
whether he can afford it. 1t simply
means an increase of taxes of one dollar
fo- each one thousand dollars of taxable
valuation. The man who pays taxes ON
five hundred dollars valuation would pay
an increase of fifty cents, and on a valua-
ton of five thousand doll .rs he increase
would be five dollars The total amount
of the State fund thus raised for immi-
grafton purposes would aggregate about
one hundred thousand dollars. This
money pro )erly expended would add to
the population of the Sta.e, increas the
demand for property, and thu, enhance
values almost beyond estim alton. Let US
pay this increase of taxation for five years
and how much would our property be in
creased in value by an through the
expenditure of the money? Twenty-Five
per cent increase would be moderate
estimate. Probably SO to 100 per cent.
would come nearer to It, 1t simply be-
comes q question with each individual
tax payer OF rlOrlua Oau auoru w
pay the one mill tax for the increase of
value of my property and business which
it will bring about?"
The State Association, through its Ex-
ecutive Committee, might go step far
ther, and prepare and cause to be circa-
lated in every precinct of the State petit
tions to the Legislature asking that such
one mill tax be provided for. There is
certainly one man in every voting pre-
cinct who would be willing to circulate
such petition, and he could doubtless
obtain the signatures of nine-tenths OF
the tax payers of his precinct. Such a
petition would insure action on the part
of the Legislature.-Orlando Reporter.