The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-03-23
LOCAL OPTION TAXATION

LOCAL OPTION TAXATION.
We remarked the other day i'll com
menting on bill offered in the legis'
lsture by MIR. Gossett, with the object
of subjecting city and town bonds TO
the approval OF the attorney general,
that We were drifting from the 1unda'
mental principles Of the government
of the fathers in interfering with local
self government. The joint resolu-
ton proposed by Mr.. Breeding au-
thoTizing local option taxation is hap
PLY just the other direction, and is IN
a straight line with the principle OF
local self government. The right OF
local taxation is a restoration OF a GUS
tom that sprung from the form OF a
free republican government and re-
turn to first principles, beneficial
within ilselia and beneficial as an ob
iect lesson. 1t has recently been re-
sorted to in Hyatlsville, Md, and has
been found to relieve to some extent
taxation from enterprise, and COMPEL
ed the impediments in the way OF en-
terprise to share the bur
dens of taxation 1t has
also placed the corporation OF
that town upon the very best finao cial
basis and added largely to the general
improvements made from a revenue
more Justly and equally distributed.
There Is not city in Texas that has
not felt the bad effects upon its pros
perity and improvement by few
capitalists holding lots in the most
eligible sites for an increase in value,
while tho owners pay little or nothing
in taxes on what they claim 10 10 un'
profitable real estate. AS city eX-
pands, building up block after block,
these spectators in real estate pur'
chase the most eligible sites and hold
them for an increase of price, leaving
a hiatus here and there that Injuries
the conformity and beauty of the i'm.
provements. These are the impedi-
merits in the growth of cities that u
local option tax will to some extent
obviate.
Such vacant lots or lands within or
adjoining city, as we remark ed, are
held on speculation by capitalists for
ri'e ia rIico. Il - Tari.oA.
to enquire by what means do these
spectators hope that their vacant
lots will rise in price? Certainly not
by any Efforts Of their owners, for the
lots lie there covered with old cans
aud rubbish Of all sorts, an eye sore,
and disfiguring to the surrounding
improvements. The owners do nothing
to make them more valuable, but the
citizens who build around and abont
them make these vacant lots more
valuable and the owners are profiting
by the enterprise and capital of the
other men without even assisting
their fellow citizens in the payment Of
"a fair proportion of revenue for the
support of the city government and
city Improvements.
There are moss back spectators in
town lots and lands in every city and
iowa that succeed in lodging q fair
taxation ON their vacant lots ana hold
them until other men of more enter
prise increase their value by build
ing around them and, as it were,
by magic remove these lots from I'M
occupied and waste places into the
very center of active business, then,
aud not until then, do the owners of
the vacant lots consent to sell them at
one, two, three, four and five hundred
PER cent on their investment, without
having done single thing to increase
their value, but waited until the enter
prise and capital of other men made
them valuable. Pass the bill of Mr..
Breeding's giving each community a
right to tax itself and these mossback
SPECTATORS dead weights on progress,
in any city and town in Texas, will
be made to pay fair proportion of
taxation while they are waiting for
other men to increase the value of
their vacant lots and unimproved
lands.
4 PLAN TO CORNER TRADE
The aid of The STATESMAN has