Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-26
TIME TO CHANGE.
Discrimination in Favor of the Wealthy
as Against the Poor in Taxation.
The Non Residents Land Should Be Taxed at
It's Full Value and Force Him to Sell
or Become a Settler.
WICHITA FALLS, TEX, Sept. %, 1889.

WICHITA FALLS, TEX, Sept. %, 1889.
To the Gazette.
In THE GAZETTE of the DIST your
Washington, d. c., special contains an
interview with Hon. e. L. Dunlap of
Victoria, Tex. Among other subjects
discussed by the gentleman from the
Texas coast was that of the assessment
of property, improved and unimproved,
in Texas, on which subject he (Mr. Dun
lap expressed himself as follows:
us there anything of Importance coming be-
fore the next legisature?''
cone of the most important measures which
will receive attention Will be an act compelling
the assessment of unimproved lands 1T the same
rate as improved lands, The prese mt disCrim-
ination amounts to a fine on industry, and it
Will be removed. -
The gentleman is right, and speaks the
mind Of tens of thousands of good citi-
zens of Texas.
That there Is ''fne' i'm
posed on the man who improves
and cultivates the land in Texas Is plain
to all Instead of favOring and assisting
the actual settler, it is the large nom
resident land owner that is favored
1t is high time that the discrimination
in favor of the wealthy as against the
poor in the matter of taxation ceased.
Just as long as those who own immense
tracts of land can carry them by paying
a nominal tax, just so long will they do
so. Their land should by all means be
assessed as high if not higher than i'm
proved land. There should be some en-
enlargement given and inducements
offered to those who show by their
actions and work that they
intend making Texas their home.
There are those in Texas who own
thousands of acres of land that con-
tribute nothing to the upbuildihg of the
state, or the town or section Where their
land is located. Who will neither dis
pose of the land at fair prices nor i'm
prove 1t in any way, but, as the county
and town are improved by the actual
settlers and men of small means, those
wealthy land owners keep raising the
price of their land in proportion to the
work done by the poor people. This
would moi seem so hard were it not for
the fact that the land owned and I'M
proved by the small farmer is assessed
for double that of the large land
owner. Hence the man that contributes
nothing to the upbuilding of the country
is encouraged to continue that policy,
while the man that does contribute and
ASSIST IN the ueNelOpIueuI Oh the COuuJIy
is 'fined' or taxed for so doing. In
the early days of some of our Western
states-Nebraska, Kansas and other
states-the actual settler was discrimi-
mated against in the same manner as he
is now in Texas, and the large land
owner held his land for higher prices.
The representatives of the people finally
saw the injustice being done the actual
settler, and the result was the unim-
proved land was assessed at its full value
and the owner was compelled to as
sist in paying for good school
buildings, new bridges, good roads and
public improvements generally. The
nOn-Tesidents were made to share in the
expense as well as the profits, and they
finally became actual settlers or disposed
of their land to those who did. This
same policy put in practice in Texas VIII
do for our state what it did for other
states. 1t is but right and proper it
There are some of our
land owneFsgho would no douht oppose
this proposition, but the intereseaof the
majoRaysshouId be considered, and it is
70 be hoped it will JOHN HOWARD.