The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, July 1926 - April, 1927 Page: 44
330 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
French miners felt themselves slighted when they saw how exact-
ing the collectors were with the Latin nations; while the English,
Irish, and Germans were seldom required to pay the tax. They
protested against the foreign miners' tax and appealed to the
French government for protection. The San Francisco Echo du
Pacifique asserted that the tax on French miners was illegal, be-
cause the state had no right to levy a tax on mineral lands which
were government property; and also because the act violated a
consular convention signed in 1853 by representatives of the Amer-
ican and French governments wherein it was provided that the
French people in the United States should not be compelled to
pay taxes, except those which were equally imposed on all citizens.
The Echo advised the French miners to take the case to the Su-
preme Court of the United States.35
Mines and State Taxes. There were also the questions of quartz
mining, state taxes, and the settlement of the state. The southern
agricultural counties complained that their ranches were taxed to
their full market value; while the mining claims, yielding thou-
sands of dollars to their owners, were not paying any taxes. They
pointed out that the six southern counties, with a population of
6,367 souls, paid more taxes than the twelve mining counties with
a population of 11,917 souls. Yet the mining counties had forty-
four representatives in the legislature, while the six southern coun-
ties had only twelve representatives. To escape the heavy tax-
ation the southern counties advocated a revision of the constitu-
tion in matters of taxation, or the division of the state.36 Others
complained that the growing quartz mine industry, which required
the investment of considerable amounts of capital, was being re-
tarded for the want of titles in fee.37
"3Bulletin, June 23, 1860. The reason for the partiality was partly due
to the clannishness of the French and their lesser readiness to become
citizens. See Malloy, Treaties, Conventions, International Acts .
I, 531.
'"Cal. Assembly Jour., 1852, 12-13. Governor McDougal pointed out in
his annual message that the six southern counties with a population of
6367 souls had paid into the state treasury for the fiscal year ending July
1, 1851, the sum of $41,705.26; while the twelve mining counties, with a
population of 119,917 souls, had paid during the same period only
$21,253.66. The amount of capitation taxes assessed in the twelve mining
counties was $51,495.00, and the amount returned as delinquent $47,915.00;
while the amount assessed in the agricultural counties was $7,205.00 and
the amount returned as delinquent $3,291.50.
"Alta, January 28, December 8, 1852.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, July 1926 - April, 1927, periodical, 1927; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117142/m1/52/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.