Tarrant County TXGenWeb - Citizens Protest Annexation

Tarrant County, TXGenWeb

Citizens Protest Annexation

The following article originally appeared in the May 1997 issue of Footprints, the quarterly publication of the Fort Worth Genealogical Society. It is reprinted here with permission.

PETITION

Contributed by Eleanor S. Hutcheson
Fort Worth, Texas

Protest of Citizens contiguous to the city of Fort Worth Against being added to said city, except by a voluntary action on their part, accompanied with a statement of the indebtedness of said city [reproduced from the Holdings of the Texas State Archives]

Dec. 20, 1890

The State of Texas
Tarrant County

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Texas.

The undersigned Citizens of said County who reside in a Territory near the southern limits of the City of Fort Worth, west of and adjoining St. Louis Avenue, and south of and adjoining Terrell avenue, as will more fully appear from the map of the City hereto attached and marked "Exhibit A" do most earnestly protest against the passage of [blank] Bill number. Entitled [blank] Because -

1st - We do not want to become a part of the City of Fort Worth.

2nd - To force us to become a part of the City will be undemocratic and violative of a fundamental principle of Republican Government.

3rd - Very much of said Territory is owned in large unimproved bodies; and in Homesteads, while other portions of it are used only for farming and pasture, and hence, cannot become a part of the City (without extreme legislation now protested against) under the principle announced in the decision of our Supreme Court in "case of "The State Ex. El. W. F. Taylor vs Edison et al 76 Tex 302."

4th - Fort Worth owes an immense bonded debt, her total indebtedness is considerably over one million dollars while she has an inflated valuation of $22,000,000.00 and a City Tax rate of $1.08 on the one hundred dollars and we do most Respectfully and earnestly protest against being made to pay any part of this vast debt created without our consent.

5th - There is not a Storehouse, or even a Butchershop in said Territory and in our opinion its incorporation into the City is sought for with an eye single to an increased tax list to enable the issuance of more bonds.

Very respectfully
/s/ [following signatures]

J. W. Wilkins J. C. Terrell J. A. Lee

J. T. Burt J. Q.? Sandidge J. C. Terrell Jr.

John X Chapman [his mark] D. W. Wilkins Mrs. R. A. Asbury

G. W. Shine B. B. Paddock E. J. Harris

S. V. Barber E. P. Bradford J. F. Dashiell

V. T. Harris A. G. East S. M. Robinson

D. H. Swartz J. M. Cobb E. T. Rust

H. W. X White [his mark] Mrs. J. J. Goodfellow E. J. Cardwell

Mrs. J. S. Pittinger W. F. Remington Mrs. John A. Martin

S. E, Meggs? W. L. Meggs S. S. Potts

John A. Gomamichel Miss M. J. Brown E. L. Leach

Thomas Leach T. S. Able Mr. J. E. Rogers

J. W. Gilbert Mrs. John Rogers M. J. Brown

E. A. Bauman R. R. Steith Mrs. H. L. Edwards

W. C. W. McKee D. B. Powers Thos. A. Tidball

C. W. Canady J. H. Leach

D. S. Ross Jake Johnson

S. 0. Moodie M. D. Haines?

[letter attached]

The Fort Worth National Bank
Fort Worth, Texas
Jany 19th 1891

Hon. J. C. Terrell,
City
Dear Sir

Below I had you state of City indebtedness as obtained from City Secretary's books this morning, towit:

Water works bonds (assumed by City 1st
$150,000.00

Water works bonds assumed by City 2nd
50,000.00

Street and Sewer bonds 7%
158,000.00

Street and Sewer bonds 7% 2nd series
96,000.00

Funding bonds 5% 3rd series
275,000.00

School bonds 5% 4th series
90,000.00

Water works, 5% 5th series
100,000.00

Sewer bonds 5% 6th series
125,000.00

Floating debt
50,262.84

Total debt
$1,094.262.84

All interest on bonds payable semi-annually in the City of New York.

The City government do not count the Water works bonds, 1st and 2nd $200,000.00 as a part of the City debt, although the City bought the water works and assumed payment of the bonds.

Very respectfully,
/s/ Thos. A. Tidball

This page was last modified 18 Jun 2002.