New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1862-04-04
NEW OREGON HOWARD COUNTY, IOWA. APRIL T., 1852
[From the Iowa Stats Register.n

An evil that needs prompt Legislative
remedy, is practiced by many County
Treasurers who are in the habit of
charging from 81 to $S5 and sometimes
even SIS, for informing citizen what
taxes he has to pay. A or B goes to
the Treasurer and is informed what is
due, without hesitation. But G or D
(who happen to reside in some other
County, or it may be, in some other
State, cannot get the same informa-
ton by letter without paying bonus
to the Treasurer or his Deputy, of not
less than 81 and as much more as his
conscience will allow him to charge.
This fleeing must be submitted to, or
a similar exepnse must be incurred in
the form of agencies. This evil calls
for prompt remedy. 1t has grown
to such proportions, as to be serious
fraud upon honest tax payers, whose
burthens are heavy enough, in all con-
science, to entitle them to exemption
from such swindling contrivances. Why
should it cost a man any more than the
postage stamps for return letters, to
get civil answer to inquiries made by
mail ? If the resident taxpayer is en-
tiled to an answer at the Treasurer's
desk, free Of expense, shall the addi-
tional burthen of Treasurer's fees, be
Imposed upon the man who may, per-
chance, reside a few miles beyond the
county line ? It is high tine for hon
est legislators to answer this question.
Some Of them have no conception of the
amount of black mail that is levied up
on the public in the form ! have nam
ed.
In proposing remedy for this
abuse, it will not do to conire the re-
striction to the Treasurer himself. His
Deputies are frequently, and, we may
say, generally used as convenient
scape-goats for the mal-practices already
alluded to, and numerous others. You
write letter Of inquiry to the Treas
urer and it is answered by his Deputy,
who calls himself, it may be Attorney ;
and who is, perhaps the partner Of the
Treasurer, and divides the profits of
the speculation with the principal. In
this way the Deputy gets the money of
the nonresident taxpayers in his hand,
and with it buys warrants on the State
and County at shave, and the differ
ence between these warrants and the
cash-to the extent that he is permit
ted to use the former-goes into his
own pocket. What the Treasurer may
not do directly, he can do as efectual-
ly by this circuitous route. Thus it is
seen that the nonresident Taxpayer
is denied all the benefit Of the depreci-
alton Of county credit, while he is COM
PEELED to pay bonus for an answer to
a simple question that is answered in
other cases without charge. We are
accustomed to speak of nonresident
land-holders as curse to the State.
While this may be true in limited
sense, it certainly is not true to an ex.
tent that justifes any such gross injus
tice. Laws to be respected must be
uniform and equal in their operations.
There is constant complaint on ac
count of the vast amount of taxes delin
quent. 1t is susceptible of the cleares1
demonstration, that large amount o1
this delinquency is due to the malprac
tees and incompetency of County Treas
urers. The difficulties and annoyances
incident to the payment of taxes by
non residents, causes delay OF months
and frequently years, where prompti
tude and fair dealing would bring about
a contrary result.
The question is often asked, but sci
dom answered, why it is that the south
ern States are the only reliable portion
Of the globe for the production of cotton
1t is simply an arrangement Of nature
The southern States alone receive the
proper amount of heat and rain in the
proper season to perfect the plant. In
dia and Africa have heat enough, AND