Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1865-02-04
>;TtRnlY MegNN;. FER 1. no


The lDes4s,-rdi at lAs; SATURDAY coaiain>
another characteristic CoPierheAd article IN
r-.ard TO IT,. mode e, as~e>>ui-ri Of Internal
E.yenur. We do no, know A. the wailings
q. N individual who has always allowed the
narrow Gni s,lfsh interests of party 10 oyr-
ride his love of country. are entitled 10
any manner of notice, either ir,m the officers
a>.ail+d or our~r!f, but as silence nigh. be
construed into AN acknowledgment of the
truth or same portion Of the article, We will
briefly allude TO its main points.
The article is based upon letter from Mr..
Burbank, deputy Collector, who, in closing
his statement of the Ostrander case says:
This case is but in keeping with numerous
"otllers, where parties have earnestly en-
"deayored to give in assessments, pay just
-'taxes, and conform with the law, but under
- the administration Of Assessor Sparks, have
"signally failed" To this the Democrat.
with owl-like gravity. responds: "Truly
"said, this case IS in keeping with numerous
"others." This is, at least, an admission Of
impart,al,fy, so far as Mr.. Sparks is con-
cerncd, and the only question now to be de-
cided is, whether or not Ills procedure has
been in conformity with the law. Mr.. Sparks
believes it has. Special Agent Downs says it
has, and we cannot believe that any one can
carefully read the law without forming the
same conclusion. All law is necessarily ar
bitrary in form and operation, and no person
upon whom the duty .devolvcs of giving vital
ity to its provisions has any right to put
different construction upon it than the plain
letter and spirit would justify.
The Democrat goes still further, however,
than merely to assume that the law has been
too rigidly enforced, and says: cit is, per-
chaps, not generally known that the Asses
"sor gets onr-half the fine imposed upon de-
"linquents as reward for his vigilance, and
ave know Of at least one Deputy Assessor
"who has been extremely vigilaut in imposing
"upon parties fines for failure to comply
-strictly to the rules adopted in returns, and
"where no other.excuse could be found for the
"mposition of so per cent. additional, the
"Assessor has assumed that the returns made
"were false, and for this must be subjected to
"the penalty anyhow" Now the language
quoted is falte in two particulars First,
The Assessor does not "get one-half the fine
" imposed upon del;nquents." The ignor-
ance displayed by the editor Of the Democrat
would BIZ amusing. did it not involve serious
reflection upon Mr.. Sparks: that he imposes
the penalty simply and solely for reward. and
not because the law makes it his duty to do
so. Now if the Democrats so poorly posted
upon this main and essential point Of its
argument. how can it be presumed that it is
we'll informed upon any Of the requirements
of the law9 We would respectfully suggest
that it is unwise to take the assertion of Tom,
Dick or Harry, without drawing conclusions
from the law itself Had our friend have
given the subject ordinary consideration, he
would not have fallen into an error which up
sets his whole argument. Second. Says the
Democrat, "the Assessor has ASSUMED that
-'returns made were false, and for this they
"must be subjected to the penalty anyhow"
The truth Of this charge depends upon the
statement preceding it, that the Assessor
"gets" one-half the fine as reward for his
vigilance" Now If the Assessor does not
get" the reward, he must b. influenced by
one Of two oshrr motives. lie must have a
peculiar and impartial spite against large
class Of the taxpayers. or he mn-s b-lievs il tn
he his duty undrr Tn. law TO enforce is pr
visions. wi'hou. fesr or favor a. his o,l,-af.-s
at csSee r-qaire~ him 70 %. Those arsusiHs-
I'D With Mr. SPaFks gill not h. lag in de-
eiaiss which O, the tvo natives prss.y's b..
oskrixi srsina
The ms~s srnusiur f-ssur~ IN the D-~~rrwf.
Trad Il III sssz-asre manifested - nquir-
sn- The As~~~-ors n0tir-s 70 b rublisb.j Il
'h2' F.~E~r. - ssrHis q rsserzi ssrrals.isa-
Tsss's isa--e r~sr-~hin<, WIZ. hiss yoar
sol NJ D~w~y~r- scsrr~iy skrr-- fSzr1hs of
yer 200 pa.raas es~& sY<l s=s th- sss-r-
tssesexis- ysur pAPer ~ss sl~xs~d - tie
oa~ kmHel 10 e.rA s.b-xssexirs sw psklashisr
ih~-~ .sris~-. ..A ss-. hs~ vezia Un;ss NEE
b. ins~med- d such pziisestiss Is e~zfs-d 70
oae party r@rr-azd that ths D-~S-
r1aff b. the ~ny. hawevsr- &c ~sl ssxe /
ia. rhs nsssre srPssrsA- e the e.~ a DR. +