The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-22

men. musicians and others till their name
is legion; taxes them. As IL men should hc
nned ror ministsrins TO the wants 81 nv
Ieilowenien While earning living ior
themselves II scours aud scrapss
threshss end winnows tho earth aud the
sea for something 70 tax, aud l;kc the
tariff. y hss caught nearly everything we
eat ~ wear OF occupy from the swadling's
clothes OF Infancy 70 the nhroud and cot
hr--taxlnS labor products aud perfonai
properly does II all And all this with
cut once placing before our State the
question, us this rishtg Is Il honest %
Tine men Cor working Is IL gooi policy
70 conhsoate man's labor n he bring
goods, or make Ice or cleanse lincn. or
build harn or anuse an audience with
music and reoitationsg :"
| aver shat this system OF taxation ham
rers production. favcrs the rich grinds
the poor. breeds trusts. ENCOURAGES fraud,
nQropcii1-s Land aud makes men homeless.
Neglecting the Wise and Just System OF
raising revenue by a tax ON tho yaias of
land. which would charge men for what
The government justly can claim. slnce Il
ia a value created by the while people
this law, as before shown charges men
for things 10 which the esvernmeut has
no right, II proposes 20 charge cornufa-
lions Tor their tangible material property
md for their franchise also. II the fran
all Il can Justly claimG The corporation
receives its franchise from the public.
Does Il receive anything else? Docs a
railway get engines, cars rails. ties. depots
and section houses from the government
Vsrbum sat
Again this law Is unjust otherwise. Il
taxes merchant who buys $1,000 worth,
5 mills on the dollar and taxes the mer-
chant who buys $1,000. 600 three teuthS OF a
mill on the dollar, No such outrage would
be possible under the land value tSS.
Farmers would not pay sve-tenths ~ the
taxes while owning one.tenth the wealth
as they DO now. They would only pay on
the unimproved value OF their land. a
irife as compared with what they pay
nov. But the owners OF franchiaos and
immensely valuable lands in cities wonld
pay as never heretofore. Tho millions ~
land value that are now kept out OF view
because Of the mystifying effect Of the
futile attempt to raise revenue on tho
evasiyc personal effects Of the rich would
be laid opcn 20 the gaze OF an enlightened
public. No other resort being Ind than
land value. I could not escape The sys-
tenn would conform TO the 'canons" here
inhefore enumerated. and the evils SO ably
exposed by Governor Savers would be
remedisd by this natural taxation,
The fatal defects in this proposed law
are not the creation O. the honorable
men who compose the tax commission,
They have done as well as we couid hope
for so Ions as they adhered to the fatally
defective system that Is rapldly losing the
favor Of those honest minds that canvaas
II dispassionately. No commission can
make a Just tax law that shall cmhody
he monstrous principle 81 taking for public
use that which belongs to the individual.
This commission. with all theip arduous
and faithful toll. have as ] think. siRnslly
failed in the task assigned and their law
should be rejected and the revision OF our
tax laws should be begun de novo.
The system herein recommended Is but
iressed by so many irrefutabla facts iha,
II is worthy OF investigation and trial Nv
a brave and free people. The Ills we snf.
fer are well known TO them; they demand
reform and they have the right % try any
system however diiTersnt from out pres.
ent one II they perceive In Il nduhitablc
signs OF the better dav that MI true men
are hoping to see dawn with the century
now 20 near Tie advocates OF this 'sys-
TEN demand that our constitution D,
amended GRANTING local ontion to cities nni
counties as 10 tho manner in which such
communities shall raise their pro rata 81
ihe state revenues Let this NO daae
Let Galveston Dallas o. any other city:
let Grayson. McT.ennan or any other couii.
~ have the free privilege OF tsxng them-
selves IN their Own chosen wav So raisiNe
heir shave ~ tho taNes includInr such
properly and excluding such propertr M
lhev nav deem most liiseiv 10 promote
their own happiness ana welfare
TarArrtnt