The Placer herald., 1870-11-12
CHARACTERISTIC.

The amanuensis who presides over the
printing establishment sold by Boggs to
the Railroad Company, is alarmed about the
taxes to be paid in this county. Our office
is our own, and we independently speak the
truth when we discuss public matters, no
matter how many purchased newspapers and
suborned officials may growl or vince. We
have always paid our taxes and never coun-
seled any man or set of men to refuse pay
ment, where all paid alike; but when laws
are made that let the rich escape, then we
said and say again that all should escape
alike, and this is neither revolution nor law"
defying The great offence we committed
was in saying this:
Taxation must be equal and uniform, or it
ceases to be taxation and becomes robbery of a
portion of the community. 1t is the duty OF ev-
cry man in the county to pay his Just proportion
of its expenses, but when the laws ar
ranged that the large property-holder can and Will
escape, then it is time that all ceased paying
taxes, and continue to resist until the officials
and laws will reach and make all pay alike IN
proportion to what he owns
We suppose the organ objects to this doc
trine. Be it so. We believe in having laws
that will compel all to pay alike, and in hav-
ing officials that will enforce the law against
all alike; and that is where we differ from
the ring monopoly mouth-pece. There is
no man with thimble full of good, honest
brains but what knows that NJ. ii. Calder
wood is not nsr cannot be a Tax Collector.
When he took the oath last December as a
member of the Assembly he ceased to be
Tax Collector, and can never be made one
again until he is elected by the people. Per
sonally, it would make no difference to us
who collects taxes, so they are legal officers
and that all must pay. Our objection to
this legislation is that it violates the Consti-
tuition, is void, and will be taken advantage
of by the wealthy, while the honest and in
nocent pay. We had no objections to the
delegation passing a law for the election of
Tax Collectors, in February, March or April,
and that is what it should have done, or
conferred the duties on some officer who had
been elected by the people, so as to have
brought the Office within the ruling Of the
Supreme Court. When the organ talks
about Democratic Legislature passing this
law, it knows that four-6fths of the mem
bers from this county were Republicans, and
that it was a measure of the delegation alone,
and that they alone are responsible for it.
The little thing whines out that the Super
visors contemplate reducing taxes. Why
did they not think of this when they sold our
Railroad stock for half a million or more of
dollars less than it was worth? Ignorance
and vlainy have cost the people of this coun-
ty enough in the last six years, and the pub
lie intend to right these matters and the SOON
er it commences the better. The Supervis-
ors have bungled over the mortgage tax
question until they have about one-third Of
the mortgages on the Roll and two thirds
not on, and there they stand in their own
muddle. Bah! If we were offered the Lon
don Times for defending such miserable,
bunglng, tricksterng, silly, sinful creatures
and conduct, as has held sway in our coun-
ty affairs for the past few years, the fate Of
our neighbor would, though on diminutive
scale, deter U.S. There are criminals who
become gentlemen in comparison with those
who apologize for the crime.