The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-12-13
usuRpATIoN OF POWER BY CITY
GOVERNMENT
Ocala, Fla. Dec. II, 1912.
EdIfnr Ocala Banner:

castles ia the air. II fell through. The
authorities took il upon themselves
90 enlarge the town without any con-
sent 81 the people They laid it out
mile square from the court house.
A portion OF this was nothing but
palmetto scrub; no houses, no moth
ing They commenced to collect the
town and county taxes. On my own
place the town taxes were SIS. We
received nothing in the Lords world
Ia return The people commenced
kicklng against such gross injustice,
and commenced working, night and
day. getting every item of improve
ment az the town. and the law on the
subject One lawyer said he would
hunt up the law for us for $25. We
gave il 20 him He came and said he
could md nothing on the subject. An
other lawyer said he would hunt it
MP for $3.50 (the Florida law. Moth
Ing daunted We worked on. One day
Mr. Tucke dropped into a brother
him lay the book. wide open, with
the full law. He copied it, sent it to
jacksonville and had it published.
The legislature was in session. Two
men went to Tallahassee with maps
and evidence. with the law, and laid
them before the session. The legis-
lature put Ocala back to its proper
limits The germ has lain quiet for
a while. but the millions of baccili
begin 10 break out afresh, demand
ing more territory and more money
20 run the town on a more up to date
basis How are they going to get it?
Wait and see. They preach 'im-
provement." Don't l know the i'm
provement. and on what basis? Be-
fore the cement is dry, and the sand
slfted into the cracks of the bricks,
comes an order for the money, Or
your lot will be attached!
Now. let US examine ourselves, and
land England's came from Rome,
and Rome got hers from Athens. You
see the connecting link, and it is well
90 give il close study. 1t is with
the keenest regret and deepest sor-
row that / am writing these lines for
publication. am for evolution and
progress in all lines; but please let
Ia be on a just and solid basis why
hug the delusive phantom of hope I'M
ti the enemy has bound you hand
and foot?' and, like in the old Egyp-
tian days. the corpse held you for
the debts" just or unjust.
Eve. sons and daughters of freedom,
awake TO glory,
Hark' What myriads bid you rise!
Your children, sons and grandsires
hOary.
Gaze on you now Gas of old with
trembling eyes!"
Let no oily tongue deceive you,
and let no money buy you off. Christ
said SO often as you have done it
INTO the least of these little ones, you
have done Il unto me-"
Nov. which is the greater, the
omission or commission of sin?
leave that with you.
nov send you a copy from Case
and Comment" the Lawyers Cooper
alive Pub Co. Rochester. n. Y: zig
norant aldermen pass some amazing
ordinances They attempt to regu-
bate some matters over which they
have NO more legitimate authority
than they have over the religious OBJ
nerxances OF their constituents. I'm
constitutional interferences by city
officials With the rights of the people
have become common. A remarkable
llul might be made of instances in
which city governments have not
onlY attempted, but actually carried
out. oppressive usurpations of all-
shortly
Among the most glazing, and by
far the most damaging of these have
been the ordinances for so-called i'm
protements by which owners of
muslest homes have been robbed of
them to pay for alleged benefits =
Some cities. I've might include all,
aud come near the TRUTH have for
Years made an local assessments on
an unconstitutional basis, though
nome and perhaps many, of them
may have been made with substantial
lnatiee but some of them have been
Rroasls UNJUST as well as unconstitu-
tional - Louis ordinance at
tempted 90 establish a building line
fur loi owners on a certain street or
boulevard But the court, in st. Louis
~ nll tNol p l.. r. A. 226, held
that Il was an unconstitutional at
tempt 90 deprive the owner of his