The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-06-19
Nasty Legislation.

IN, Legislature has been improving the time
ofthe adjourned session. Severalimportant bills
have been passed, and others have been under
discussion. Among these is the Tax and AS
sesment bill that was passed by the Assembly
after few sittings, on Thursday of last week.
The point in this bill that has attracted the
notice and remarks of the press, is that doing
away with the advertising of the delinquent tax
list previous to sale. This clause of the bill has
been condemned and found fault with, because
it takes away good job from the printers we
think this is the least objection to the clause.
1t is an easy matter to get up sensation by
figuring up the cost of advertising all the de-
linquent lands in the State, and then call the
whole amount so much that the people are LAX
ed, for the benefit of the printers MS Is
an unfair way of putting The question: All
stead Of putting the cost IN the aggregate as
S5o oo0 or $50, 900 that the people are tax
"A ssk any individual, whose farm has been
returned for taxes through mistake or careless
ness of officers if he would not rather pay the
cost of advertising-25 to 80 cents-than have
it sold without his knowledge, and then pay
twice that amount TO redeem it. 1t is con-
venience to everybody to havs the tax list pub,
liehed, that they may see for themselves wheth-
er all is correct, while the pay for that service
ia borne by so many, that it is hardly felt. The
cost of advertising is the least expensive part Of
the proceedings against delinquent taxes
About nine-tenths of the delinquent tax list is
l. ma lam -
They do not find fault with the small charge Of
advertising their lands before selling. So far
from that being the case. they invariably take
the paper that Rdvertises these lands and count
the cost of advertising and the subscription to
the paper their most profitable investment. The
fact is the voice of the people would soon de,
mand the repeal of that clause of the bill, if il
should become a law. Hundreds of people
would have their farms sold out from under
them from no fault of their own, but from
sheer ignorance of what was being done. These
are some of the objections to this clause of the
| bill aside from any consideration of the printer
! We think this clause is but one of the many
objections against the passage Of the bill. II
/ is one of those sweeping measures that demand
care and consideration before becoming laws
Any measure that contemplates radical changes
in long established usage and practice, require.
thorough study and careful revision, before i
is adopted. Such law must offer great re
forms and improvements upon the present prac
tice, TO compensate for the Inconvenience ant
trouble of the change. And this bill has no
had, and could not have the or considers
ton either, in the time it was before the Assem-
bly,. If there is one thing that has cursed thi
State more than another, it is this hasty thought
less, crude, ill-dgested legislation. Two third
of every session for the past ten years has beer
spent in repeating the acts of the previous one
We need stability in our laws, more than any
thing else. They have been meuded and alter
ed to death. We venture to say that if this bi
should pass this session, if not repealed entire
ly at the next, it would be fruitful subject fo
amendment and alteration for ten years to come