The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-03-29
LETTER FROM
JUDGE WALLACE
lie is Opposed to Any Further In
crease of City Taxes.
SCHOOL BUILDING NOT NECESSARY
.Coumuuicated)

Tie time has come, m my Judgment,
/ when the taxpayers and property
/ al this city. " hO are only Interested ~
/ good citiz-u~ in the expenditure OF public
money. should Boz heard and represented
/ uu ilc subject of taxes and public eX-
T pcudtun., that H.. SHOULD be- heard not
DO a caption. spirit OF uriustiabe criti-
ci-m. but in % spirit of reason and con
l.cyatve suggestion. and while it may
TO- h"c.-~nrN tu speak plainly, my pur-
p,.-' is solely tp influence safe course oil
action fof the welfare OF our city. !
write above taxpayers and property
holders. because the merchant tax
payer. who isa renter is charged rent
DO pr. portion To- the taxes paid 10y the
nvu.r oi the property rented aud IL
equally Interested that mo- more taxes
should he laid on the property than are
nec s~arv Tor the support OF the citygOv-
eminent and Tor JudclOus and impartial
expenditure.
II Is in "a measure easy Tor a man OF
means 10 pay taxes, but the large ma
lorlty Of property taxpayers OF the city
ar comparatively poor people and wild.
OWS. the latter Wlthuuta voice IA 10 rep
rescu,ation with very limited means,
and excessive taxation takes from them
some of the very nece-saric- OF life.
believe ia the education of the people
10y the public expense, and ! am willing
All all times 90 advocate IL aud TO bear
my proportion of any ludciuu- tax that
Will assist toward that end: but | am
for thc best tenchrrs aud teaching, not
ior bui.ling school temples by excessive
taxation when thcf ARE not necessary.
~ was said hy un Englishman at the
opening OF the Johns Hopkins University,
Don't put Your money in bricks and
mortar. hut iu thn heads Oi your schOl-
ar-.
avn informed that the city l. up To-
ITS constitutional iimit in thcway ulbor-
rowing money. and has debt oitwcnty'
five thousand dollars to pay ont Of its
current revenues io, It's new gas works,
that iu order Co pay this debt It has been
thought necessary tO Increase city taxa
F ton from II - to - go ON the l0Oa~-
-.-~ed vaIucoi rcalanl PERSONAL property,
and think the time ha- come 10 call a
f halt ouiurther increase oi taxation. We
have reached the danger line and any
INIIfI NfAH NIANE ~ iAA tAANNtlf W EfA'tf- -
IDuuOsitinn against thOsein authority by
. ttr people who pay the bills. suitable
and ample accommodations should he
furnished for teaching all the children
bat a twenty thousand dollar temple ~
f learning. iu addition 10 the present ne
cummolatiOn-. Is not necessary Tor THE
small overflow cot scholars taught IN
rented property. nor If 10 eXpedent TO
/ bud. one I'm thr present financial cOndi-
+ tion of hecity. without intending To
uuu-tly cr'ti,ise my friends IN the City
f Council. AL worthy citizens az Ear a. !
/ know. think may say. after the uuior-
uunte work ON the various public i'm
provem.ut- during the last three years
+ which have several times required rcmed-
J ial WORK. that some of them have At
least cause to doubt the inialihility
uf their Judgments, aud ! am tax
+ ing lue liberty I'D suggest that a
brave man au3 legislator should not
f b. driven t0 d1 "a wrong act 10y the dem
agugue cry that BE- dare not voteagainst
anything having the name Oi free
+ school attached to H. mo- matter what
f the scheme b. and however unworthy
and in,Xpedrut II may be-. The livery
+ of Heaven cannot disguise an evil
|dppl ID twenty thousand dollars Is to
F ba thus expended. either special tax
must D.. luli for that purpose, which
f w0lii B.. about one per cent. ou the city
property, or ii the money Is In the regu-
Jar taX blIi. a. is intimated. the regular
/ tax bin is raising twenty thousand dol
/ ar- more money from the people than
/ they should annually pay, and the next
tax BIN should Boz to thateXtent reduced.
+ However. t. come to the object of this
communication. Ii necessary there
/ should be- concerted action ON the part
I of the taxpayers 20 make themselves
heard and ii they will organize. or any
considerable number 0i them will or
ganize. their power (as they hold the
balaucel will b. influential. But why
should such action he made necessary?
40 one who ob-erye- public sentiment
can iai 10 know that a storm * rising
which. If not quicted. will bring NUM-
cipal revolution, aud II can only be-
qnieted. ii at all. 10y immediate conserya-
. tive gction aud by theassurence that the
candidates for the City Council, no mat
ter what name they go by, shall pledge
themselves before the election for econ
omy. rctrouchment and tax reform, and
that the taxes collected from the people
shall be- limited strictly 10 the necessary
EXPENSES oithegoyernment economically
administered. 10 the maintenance OF the
credit of the city, and to such iudiciOus
EXPENDITURES measured 10y what may be
necessary for the welfare of the city and
will innnre solely to the public good.
II would be- a great loss 70 Frederlcks-
burg 10 be deprived OF the services OF
some of it's efficient officers and gOod men
who now hold positions. and | write
this paragraph in their behalf, for ex-
perience proves that when political
revolutions come. az in Philadelphia
lately, a clean sweep OF both good and
bad is made.
am no politician. nor officer seeker,
nor agitator. but simply citizen and
taypaver. who has never voted against
"A single Improvement and who is only
Influenced in writing this by his interest
i'm the welfare of his native city aud oil
+ his fellow man. II my views can be an
swered satisfactorily should be glad to
be- convinced OF myerror, but "clap-trap
will not answer them; only reason can.
4. w. Wallace.