Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 240 of 1,110

HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.

estimated by the small sum proposed to be
expended; in fact, they are beyond enuneration,
to the State, of opening up to successfutl
navigation a stream penetrating her interior
a distance of seven hundred miles from
the seaboard, securing the rapid settlement of
millions of acres of rich and fertile lands by
thrifty and enterprising emigrants, which are
now lying idle and yielding but little revenue
to the State, and none to the owner. The
saving in the single item of pine lumber in
one year will fourfold repay the amount expended,
besides the advantage of the great reduction
in prices in the items of salt, sugar,
iron and other articles of necessary consumption.
The immense pineries of the counties
of Anderson, Houston, and Walker, are almost
valueless in their present condition, because
of the slow and expensive means of transportation
to the prairies, where every description
of pine lumber is in constant demand.
Navigation to Dallas, three months annually,
would reduce the price of pine lumber onehalf,
thereby bringing it within the reach of
every farmer to supply himself for the improvement
of his farm and home.
"To raise the money by private contribution
would naturally become onerous upon those
who are determined upon the success of the
enterprise, while those, for reasons whether
selfish or otherwise, refusing to contribute,
would reap an equal benefit. Therefore, your
mremorialists are impressed that a more
proper and just course would be to levy a
sufficient tax upon the property in Dallas
county to raise the sum of five thousand dollars
in specie, and as the citizens in the town
of Dallas have signified their willingness, let
the tax be so levied that one-third of the
whole amount shall be paid by those owning
property within the corporate limits of said
town. Your memorialists are aware that more

properly this petition should be presented to
the legislature when it assembles, but the
delay of such a course would compel the loss
of the advantages at least one season, and
perhaps more, the importance of which needs
only to be mentioned to commend its reason.
Feeling that you will not hesitate to act in a
public matter of so much magnitude, and
especially when those to be burdened are
asking the action, we therefore ask your honorable
body to pass an ordinance authorizing
the police court of Dallas county to levy and
collect a tax of five thousand dollars in specie
upon on all property in Dallas county subject
to ad-valorem taxation, said tax to be
assessed upon the schedules or lists rendered
to the assessor for the year 1868, said money
to be expended under the direction of the
police court in removing the obstructions
in the Trinity river, between the town
of Dallas and East fork. Provided, that onethird
of the amount shall be collected from
property situated within the corporate limits
of the tQwq of Dallas; and provided further,
that tle tax levied shall not be more than
twenty cents on the hundred dollars, except
on property within the corporate limits of
the tqwn of Dallas, which may be taxed as
high as sixty cents for each hundred dollars.
D4LLAS, TEXAS, June 4, 1868.
"Ben Long, M. Thevenet, J. A. Freeman,
John Davis, Henry Noetzli, Jacob Vogel,
Henry Brannon, Wesley Brannon, John Poindexter,
J. Pinckney Thomas, Henry Boll,
John Boll, John F. Barbier, Win. A. Hartze,
Joshua Addington, John L. Pyles, H. C.
Caldwell, D. J. Oapps, Thos. J. Brown, W.
W. Peak, T. A. Wilson, J. J. Applin, Ed. 0.
Browder, J. B. Louckx, J. H. Wilson, J. W.
Galbreath, M. G. Pitts, T. J. Pitts, Howard
Mercer, R. D. Jones, F. F. Green, Thos. S.
Moore, R. W. Daniel, B. B. Howell, Daniel