San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-17
TEXAS RAILWAY
/. WILL NOT PAY
ROAD TAX
G. H. and S. A. Action
Menace to All Dis
tricts in State.

VICTORIA, Jan. 16.-The Texas
district road bond situation was fur
Their complicated Saturday by the ac-
ton of the Galveston, Harrisburg and
San Antonio Railway Company is noti-
flying County Judge p. p. Putney OF
its refusal to pay any taxes due road
districts in Victoria county.
The company requested Judge Put
|ney to arrange with the county tax
collector to accept its voucher in pay
mept of taxes due less the amount
due the read districts, which is SS17.37
and said il was acting upon the ai-
vice OF its general attorneys in view
of the recent decision of the United
States Supreme Court declaring the
.reation of lead districts covering less
territory thar an entire county and
he taxes sought to be collected for
.hese districts unconstitutional and
foid.
OTHERS PAY TAXES.
Judge Putney sent an immediate re-
ply to the railway company, saying:
II am in receipt of your letter of Jan.
uary IA regarding road district taxes
in Victoria county, and in reply will
say that there is no disposition on my
part or on the part of the commits
sioners' court of this county to COM
ply with your request. | am some
what surprised to know that your com.
pany is the only taxpayer in this coun-
ty that has even raised this question.
1t would seem from the discussions
here among our people that we are 60
| ing TO pay these bonds in some way,
the Supreme Court decision notwith-
standing. We cannot afford to repudiate
them now after we have sold them,
received the money and received the
benefit from their sale.
BONDS ALREADY SOLD.
Furthermore, the bonds are now in
he hands of innocent purchasers. l
yculd be glad if your company, after
nature deliberation, would make it
Unanimous in so far as Victoria eoun-
ly is concerned that we pay our just
debts.
Il feel that the building Of good
roads develops the country generally
and the development of the country
will naturally develop your property"
Judge Putney, upon receipt of the
railway company's letter, conferred
with County Tax Collector Z. w.
Klein for his opinion, which Mr.. Klein
expressed in the following written
Statement: After reading your letter
from the Galveston, Harrisburg and
San Antonio Railway Company, re-
Questing the elimination of road taxes
charged against that company on the
1925 tax rolls, beg to advise that /
am charged with and have to account
for every cent of taxes charged against
me on the tax rolls, for which have
given a large bond, and L have no
authority to eliminate or reduce any
amount charged on the tax rolls against
any taxpayer.
CONFUSION WILL RESULT.
"More than half of the taxpayers
of this county have paid their 1925
taxes, and as u matter of course, if
the railway company is exempted from
the payment Of road taxes all taxpay-
ers who have already paid their taxes
will be entitled to a refund Of road
taxes paid.
You may readily see what confu-
sion this will cause. Our 1925 tax
rolls have been received and approved
pOlu ny Iut anu
the state comptroller. II the tax rolls
are incorrect l will be obliged to re-
turn the same SO that a new set of
rolls may be compiled by the tax as
SCISSOR. This work will cost more than
the credit which the railway company
seeks and tax payments necessarily
would be stopped until new rolls could
be completed.
MENACE TO COUNTIES.
"All that / can do at this time is
TO demand the payment Of all taxes
charged on the rolls and l am sure
! that your court will not permit one
taxpayer to disrupt the tax payment
Of our entire citizenship, which is will
ing to pay the road taxes charged"
1t is reported that the railway COM
pany will take legal action to COM
pei the tax collector to accept pay
ment OF part Of its taxes and not
only take this means to avoid further
payment of district road taxes but to
] secure q refund of such taxes already
! paid, making Of this a test case for
the entire state. Such action would
coupel the various counties affected to
hol elections to in some way validate
thet district road bonds. For it would
virtually bankrupt most Of them should
thy be required to refund taxes of
sub long standing.