The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-02-07

such system was double taxation and
| uuupie taxation was fundamentals ana not
,,naorsed by Jefferson. He then quoted
'euerson on the science of taxation.
rs an example OF double taxation no
SAID that II q person had paid income tax
una another tax should be levied ON GER
ueies used in consumption Il would De
uouole taxation, Lay taxation equally.
Inc representatives OF all the people OF
Texas are called together for the p,irpose
OF arranging tax system Is there any
luenclency7 No. Then why this cxtraordi-
nary session. The commission states that
there Is too much money being collected
ana the rates should be reduced and the
legislators were called together Tor the
purpose OF reducing the taxes on one class
OF citizens and piling them up on another
class. This was not deinccratic. The peo-
pie are compelled. by oath. TO value their
property at three or four times its pres
ent taxable value and this would increase
instead OF decrease the amount OF taxes
! collected fully Sl,7o0.000.
| The commission proposed. BY assessing
property at its full value, TO reduce tax
alton. but the proposition was untcnable.
4 In the past ten years Texas property
values had increased 154 per cent. On
this rbasis the value today would be four
and one-half billions OF dollars. AT fa l-s
cents lon the 500 this would bring In
S4,oOO,oo0 and only s2300,00O was needed
10 run the State departments What was
wanted with all this money, and the pep
PIE were to be tortured to extort from
them the true value of thelr property.
Inc revenue agent was an lnformer and
detective. The farmer might swear his
land was worth $500, YET the revenue
agent could swear II was worth $4,000
The result was that the farmer would be
I hned and the grand jury WAS TO indlci
/ the officers OF the law who did not en-
! force the law. And this is a democratic
system of taxation for Texas. We are
tcld that a majority or the people are
perJurers. 1t is nothing unusual in Texas
10Y land to be assessed at less than its
full value. farmer not posted on
values may put his land in al what he
thinks il Is worth but he is threatened
by the revenue agent-who lives in lux
ury-who thinks he has not given his land
in at its full value.
He again called revenue agent spy.
an inforner and detective. something that
all men of all ages had detested. On the
testimony of this agent. a farmer was 10
be arraigned before the grand jury; what
spectacle it would be to see one half
the people in county in Texas arraigned
for perjury and sent to the penitentiary!
How degenerate are the sons OF the slres
who won freedom for Texas; what sight
1t would be to see the revenue agent
mounted like a French marshal PARA ling
through the country with armed ro.ice
on each side with bayorets fixed and
band playing "Hells Broke Loose in
Georgia. The farmers of this country are
not blind. They can read. they can Sc,
and they can therefore see where this
legislation is going to. The object IS to
tax occupations and not the farmer; tax
mans right to earn living Had any
of these reformers been on Mount Sinai
when the laws were handed down ana
when il was said "Six days shall thou
labor they would have said wait until
he's paid his occupation tax" Mer-
chants are taxed alphabetically So
So up to X, who is taxed s3n0. The ques-
zion is what has become OF the rest of the
aphabc.? The proposed tax doubled as
It progressed and he wondered wha
would become OF 2 II he should he
caught As he figured it out should 4
be caught his tax would amount TO
$4,000 600.
The stamp tax resulted in the crushing
CT England. Our fathers resisted hand n
hand unjus, taxation. Texans We're ready
to pay their fair share Of taxes. but they
were opposed 10 the proposed dragnet sys-
TEN.
He took up the clause empowering the
grand jury to summon merchant to ap-
pear and bring his books 20 prove tina.
he had been guilty Of perjury he won
dere1 il The man who had drawn ihat
hin had ever read the bill Of rights, which
slid that no man should he compelled TO
furnish evidence TO convict himself There
is not a Judge in or out of Texas who
could or would enforce such law.
Every man Is presumed to be inno2ent
until he is proven to he guilty. In The
blaze OF the close OF the Nineteenth cen
fury the Texas Legislature would convict
a man Of perjury on such law. The tax
commissions scheme was double and in
some instances triple taxation and they
claim they have the right to do this, They
have the power but not the right TO do this
Double taxation is violation of the most
sacred pledge of the right of the citizen
to equal rights. Jefferson had said the
people would do right and that was where
the speaker stood tonight.
The tax commission had discovered that
the legislature had the power 10 tax. not
for the purposes OF revenue, but to place
an embargo on anything that was dis
tasteful TO them He quoted from the
constitution, which said that the legisa-
ture had not the right to levy taxes eX-
cept for the purposes OF raising money for
the necessary expenses of government,
Everywhere the democrats have held that
the power OF government must be con-
strued In the interest OF liberty of the in
dividual The business OF government was
TO keep one man from injurlng another
and protect property; yet in Texas it was
proposed to destroy lawful occupations.
He took up the chapter on taxation OF
LIQUOR dealers. The clause prohibiting the
sale or gift of liquor to minors, students
or habitual drunkards he severely scored
A man going to town, he said. would nave
10 carry pass to town signed by his wife,
sister or mother that he might get a glass
OF beer. The bill was brought IN 10 pile
up tie revenues of the state ana the peo-
pie are told that the CONSUMER must pay
the tax" This is true. Every man would
who could shift the tax onto the consumer
Taxes had always been levied on that
theory and all contingent expenses were
added to tire original cost of any article
and taken from che consumer and every
dollar OF this tax must eventually he
rolled back upon the po5r pe1ple-ihe
farmers and laborers, who composed 90
per cent Of the population of Texas. The
people could not be fooled on this propo-
sitiCn OF Indirect taxation.
Taking up the tax on gross receipts he
asked what was meant by gross receipts
Gloss receipts of money. stocks and bonds
uare all prDnertv. He asked where the