Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-04

TAXATION.
Taxation is the only permanent and re-
liable source of revenue. The only ques-
ton to be determined is whether the bur-
den shall be borne equally and justly by
all or by those only who are patriotic and
willing to contribute
In order to equalize the burdens of tax
alton every person should be required to
pay according to the value of his entire
estate. The right to tax, or the duty TO
pay taxes, arises in consideration of pro-
lection given by the government in the
enjoyment of life, liberty and property.
Since the lives and liberties of all are
valued alike, the amount Of property
owned should determine the amount of
taxes due Capital, whether employed
in agriculture, commerce, whether prof
liable or Improbable, whether or not
employed, receives the same amount of
protection, and should contribute alike to
the support of the government. Money
and credit constitute a very large and
important interest i'll this state, and they
should bear their portion Of the burden.
To tax certain occupations and pur-
suits more than others, or to tax in pro-
portion to the profits of any business, is
not only an unjust interference with the
liberties Of the people, but highly impO-
lite in Gripping enterprises and discour-
aging the energy and industry of the
people.
There are many cunning devices of
capital TO shield itself from taxation; it
should be taxed in all its varied forms as
other property. It is well TO observe
that it mostly assumes the forms of cred
its, and unless it is taxed in these forms
it will not be reached through other
channels.
To tax promissoTy note taken for the
sale of property is not double taxation,
for the property remains subject to tax in
the hands of the owner while the estate
of the vendor is not diminished, since he
has only acquired a new legal right in the
form of note, which is alike the subject
of protection and taxa ion.
The fact that the government recog-
niZes money Obligations and enforces the
same at a heavy expense in the admins
tratiOn of justice, forms an undoubted
basis for the right of taxation.
The demands for the support of the
government should be met, and revenue
y officers should be clothed with ample
power and compensation to enable them
to discharge their duty promptly and eff
GENTLY. In other words, let the officer
be well paid and fully armed with power
to execute the law and the duty VIII be
promptly performed.
FINANCED.
A summary of the receipts and dis
bursements of state revenue during the
year shows the following, viz:
Balance on hand August
Receipts. ordinary sources
of revenue. 81, 2l5, 924 O5
Receipts from United
States government, in
denlnlty fund........-., 922, 541 81 49, 1856 81
Total receipts from all
sources, with balance on
hand August 81, 1857. 81 ,O27, 457 Oh
Total disbursements. 81, 056, $50 p
transfers ............. 49, sO % 768, $50 30
Balance on hand August
81, 1885. .....-.....--.... 81, 259, l26 Il
Table No. l details the source of these
receipts, shows the total disbursements
and separates the transfers from the rev.
enue account to other funds
An itemized statesment of disburse-
ments is exhibited in table No
1t is very gratifying that this healthy
condition of the state finances can be
shown. Almost the entire 1887 taxes
had been collected and reached the state
treasury before the close of the fiscal
year. This is an improvement over all
previous years, in the dispatch with
which taxes have been collected and
transmitted to the state treasury; in fact
there Is but little room for n better ex-
hibit under the laws now in force regu-
latin% the collection of taxes, and in my
Judgment bur little need of further legis-
lation on this subject. Our revenue
laws, as amended by the Twentieth
legislature, are now under
stood by the tax officers of
the state, and the effects of their opera
ton have been fruitful to the state and
the people. With reference to the
prompt settlement of accounts by tax
collectors, the law as it now stands re-
quireS final settlements before the first
day of May; but there is no efficient law
by which promptneSS can be insured in
accounting for that portion of the tax
rolls uncollected at that date. Each tax
collector is charged with the entire
amount of the assessment rolls of his
county, ana he may be prompt in re-
hitting all his collections before this
date and vet fail to effect final settle
ment with the state because of the fact
of his being unable TO file with the de-
partment proper vouchers for the uncol-
16CIeu taxes.
1 respectfully suggest to your excel
leucy the expectancy of law being en-
acted fixing n date prior to the first day
of May for the meeting of the commits
sionerS' courts of the several counties in
the state, for the purpose of passing upon
credits, to be filed, of uncollected taxes,
such as insolvent lists, sales to the state,
erroneous assessments, etc.
TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT
In arriving at the resources and liabili-
ties of the state for the next two years,
we consider the sources from which the
revenues are to be derived, against the
appropriations asked for by all the de-
partments of the state government, IN
official replies TO letters from this office,
requesting estimates for the necessary
appropriations for their respective de-
partmentS. However, these estimates
are not taken as an entirety, as it be-
comes necessary, in order to approximate
as near as possible the result of the fiscal
years operations, 10 consider part of
TWO appropriation years, as the appro-
priationS now in force differ somewhat
from the estimates of appropriations TO
be considered by the next legislature.
Summing up the tables, we have the
following, viz;
Poll faaaf. on hon ri E. arffr-4