Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-03-22
IN OUR
VALLEY

sne Dill. newspapers In North and
I I[est Texas were flooded with protest
Z ing letters, some demanding that the
Governor veto the measure. All were
late. The governor had signed the bill
before public opposition had the time
~ develop.
Some of the letters indicate consider
able misinformation on the part of
the writer's, others are against the
principle of tax REMISSION. others poin
CUT that their counties were deserving
of tax remission, as much so as Cam
eron, others declared Cameron rich
enough to finance its own flod control,
end so on, ad infinitum.
The Abilene Reprter is prominent
exponent of public opinion in West and
Northwest Texas, and here is how the
Reporter looked at it:
"There are number of counties in
Texas damaged annually by flood wat
ers. There are a greater number OF
counties which could be turned into
regular gardens of Eden if they had
the money to construct dams to catch
and hold flood waters for irrigation
purposes. Many of them would do so.
Il they had the financial assistance of
the state government.
'These remarks are occasioned by
the action of the lower house of the
legislature in passing tax remission
bill affecting Cameron county. OF
which Brownsville is the county seat
The senate had previously passed the
bill. The measure grants remission
of 25 cents of the 35 cents state ad
Valorem tax to Cameron county for a
period Of 25 years. The county will use
this money and proceeds of bond is
sues to control the flood waters of the
Rio Grande.
Here is bill that affects every
taxpayer in the state. 1t amounts to
subsidy granted Cameron county, q
subsidy that is to run for 25 years.
similar subsidy was granted Hidaigo
county two years ago. The taxes thar
these. two counties will not have to pay
for the next 25 years will have to be
paid by the citizens Of Taylor, Jones
and $50 other counties.
"Some correspondent with an almost
tragic sense Of humor sent out dis
patch stating that no representative
who had gone to the Rio Grande Valley
with the junket party last week oppos-
ed the BILL
by all means let us get up junket
of legislators to West Texas. Taylor
county needs a big irrigation dam to
hold back the riotous waters of Cat
claw creek. Jones county needs money
for construction of a hard surfaced
highway through the shinnery. Tom
Green county has an aching void where
a vast irrigation project should be-
These counties have as much right,
morally and otherwise, to demand that
the state grant them remission OF
taxes for 25 years as Cameron and H.
jalgo counties had.
ssIn the house. the tax remission bill
was passed by a vote of three to ono
In the senate, it was over four to one.
The legislature has done nothing quite
SO raw, so unfair to the balance of the
state, in a coon's age. Those who sup
ported the bill should be called to an
accounting by their constituents
OF course. any Valley schoolboy could
take the Abilene Reporters objections
apart and leave very little to argua
about. The Reporters attitude s., snre
". to be pardoned for Abilene is about
as foreign to the Valley as is St Lous
or Chicago. Some of these days the
Valley will arrange a junket party 'cf
the Panhandle to the Valley. Then
they'll be sold, just as an originally
not over-enthusiastic Legislature was
Several letters writes 10 The Dallas
News voiced their objections to the
hw.
Davis Biggs Of Jsffersoa Texas, sai1
in part:
81 had supposed that the nice junket
Oiven TO our legislators was for adver-
tixement purposes only, but now see
that these Cameron county people were
k;llinr two birds with one stone. IL
Governor Ferguson fails to veto this
huge slice of pie ] have certainly made
a wrong estimate of her Judgment anu
love of justice and fair play.
H. P. HornDy OF Uvaiue' lcA'' "ho
close enough to thel Valley to be be'1
Ter informed, writes to- The News as
follows:
GAS a taxpayer Of the State OF Tex
r,.,,Ia Eke to ask why this un-
seemingly act of the legislature IN pu.,
ting through tax exemption measure
;n one day that gave to Cameron couh-
~ . Gift Of over s4.Ooo,OOo in the next
2b wears, or $163,oOo year.
1T may be that there are some la.:. !.
ac,ad with this that might make u
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