The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-18
TAX PAYERS MEETING.
Meeting Of Enthusiastic Citizens at Mar
ket Hall.
A SET OF RESOLUTIONS WERE ADOPTED
tion--specches on the
Subject.

last nlBnt IN RESPONSE 10 cdll ioI LuaSF
meeting signed by Mr.. George Sanders
and others TO take some action upon the
tax clause In the city charter amendments
now pending before the legislature
Major w. II. Crank named Mr.. George
l.. Porter as chairman, but that gentleman
declined and Captain j. c. Hutcheson
suggested that as Mr.. George Sanders was
Instrumental in calling the meeting that
ne should be made chairman. He made a
motion 10 this effect, and the motion being
carried, Mr.. Sanders look the chair ana
called the meeting 10 order. lie referred
10 the letter OF the Hon n. e.. Klttrell in
Sundays Post as the chief cause Tor mold
ing this meeting. lie had called the meet
ing having mis- call Endorsed by several
citizens, and said 1t was In the interest OF
discussing the Limitation clause in the pro-
posed city charter amendment in reference
to the collection OF city taxes. lie did not
want any abuse of city officials but sim
ply discussion of the matter before the
meeting.
He said that the first business would be
to select Il permanent chairman.
Mr.. B. A. Riesner was named as perma-
mont chairman, and being introduced, he
announced the next business to be the Sc
lection Of a secretary.
1t was suggested that the chairman name
the secretary OF the meeting, whereupon
Mr.. Rlesner named for that position Mr..
u. d. Bryan.
The chair then announced that In his
opinion the next business would be the
selection OF a committee to prepare resolu-
tons in order that something tangible
might he gotten before the meeting for
discussion.
Captain s, Tallaferro moved that the
chair appoint a committee Of I'VE on reso-
lutions.
The motion prevailed and Mr. Rlesner
named as the committee ]. c Hutchinson,
William Hartung George Sanders, Ed
Riordan and Tom De Young
This committee retired and soon present
ed the following resolutions. which were
read by Captail Hutcheson
Resolved That the city Of Houston has
been grossly and wilf0lly negligent in the
collection of its taxes and It's accounts
with the citizens thereof have been so
onrelessly and incorrectly kept taat great
injustice has been done and is being done
in the effort TO enforce taxes for many
years back, involving the following wrongs
against which the peace and quiet OF the
citizen and OF his title to property require
that he should have rellsf;
J. The city by actual design and pur-
pose not TO collect the bond tax for MANY
years, nurpOsclY permitted the same to
accumulate and 90 uncollacted and the en-
forcement at this fine can not be Justly
conducted because the books have been
negligenuy and carelcssly kept and are
fun of gross errors, from which d great
many citizens who have paid their taxes
have been uniustly published sued yeXed
and harassed. though in fact their taxes
have been paid
?. After so many years a great many
citizens who have paid their taxes and
have not carefully preserved their re-
oeipts, have no means to defeat such unjust
claims so presented against them and art
Therefore subjected to the payment OF
taxes which they have paid and TO costa Of
court. interest and attorneys fees largely
IN excess OF tho original tax and fGui
years IS a period Of time long enough tc
enable the city 90 Opllect its taxes and q
period of time long enough 10 require the
citizen to preserve his receipts
8 great deal of the properly OF tho
city OF Houston has changed hands since
about the Isl day OF January 800. tha,
being the period when marked activit, he
gan IN this city In the transfer oi real es-
tate. and by the failure OF the city to en-
force their collection against previous own
ers, or to have their books 30 pCstcd as
that the tax upon the property could be
readily seen. parties who purchased that
property. believing at the time that all
the taxes had been paid thereon aal all
of which would have been bt for The
un1ustly called upon TO pay taxes which
ought to have been paid by tho previous
owners and would have been paid II the
city had done It's duty In that regard. and
no such taxes should now be enforced
against the present owner.
4 The delay of such collection on the
part OF the city, like all credit extended
has caused wasteful neglect on the part
of many lmprovident citizens to my heir
taxes year by year and thereby u large
accumulation of taxes which they arc I'M
able 10 pay are now aggregated again Z
their homesteads and small properties, Ia
virtue of which the same are sacrificed and
lost.
8. Suits have been prosecuted. ,udg-
ments have been obtained and tho home
sieads OF destitute families have been sold
10 spectators, In some instances for one
tenth and one-twentieth Of their youes,
and suits now standing will produce STINT
lar effects wiz great many other OF IT'S
citizens because they are unable 20 pro-
feet their property, and & is better 'ha. The
city should lose In consequence OF les own
neglect than that such citizen shoull lie
compelled 10 suffer IN the manner Ia which
they have been. aud IN which they mus,
be compelled 10 suffer for the prosecu. ion
of such claims.
Resolved, That this meeting doth hereny
request its representatives and senator's IA
pass an amendment to the charter OF thls
tuted or prosecuted TO judgment nor any
tax imposed which has been due ami owing
for period of four years from this date
back
Resolved. further. That all parties a.
against any back tax now four years past
due may plead limitation OF four years
and laches and delay against any measure
by the city In any suit already institute Cd
or hereafter instituted
Resolved. That the period of four years
shall be Limitation on taxes past due
in this city.
J., c, Hutchinson
Geo. T, Sanders. !
VIM. Hartung.
Thos, DeYoung
dissent from the majority report Hc
far Is II applies 10 past taxes due by par.
ties on their own property but | concur
that parties who have bought property
with past due taxes over -four years on Il
shall not be required to nag same
]. H. Riordan.
The reading OF the resolutions was in
terrupted With applause at the conclusion
OF every section
Captains Hutchinson. in speaking to the
resolutions. said there were some things
that should be said upon the subject mo-
mentioned in the resolutions He wanted
n mr. Ia arb. h,ta y