Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-08-01
The TAX LIsT.-The publication Of the

delinquent tax list seems to be pregnant
source of anxiety and concern to the rat
paper down street, these warm days. AT.
ter yours of slumber over tho subject,
during which time 1t has uttered no pro.
test or warning, 1t has, under the stimu'
lating influence Of the bogus reform
movement, suddenly discovered that the
publication of the tax list, according to
the letter and spirit of the law, during
the past few years, is one Of the tlagran.
abuses of the age, and that the BULLETIN,
in performing the work at legal rates, is
an offender of the deepest dye. In the
interests of the "ovcrburdened tax pay
ers ~ of Buchanan county" it feels i'm
PEELED to rush into tho breach and cap.
ture the tax list, or cripple it. On our
own account we make no objection to
the effort The tax list is in the hands OF
tho Treasurer, and as we have never in
the past, so do we not now propose to
ask that official for the privilege of pub.
fishing it. We are not Indifferent about
it; we would like it at q fair price. which
is nothing less than that fixed by
Jaw, but We propose to leave, without
dictation, the responsibility of publishing
it with the Treasurer, where it belongs.
But we do propose to examine the dem.
agogue plea of the Conservative that it is
doing what it is solely out of regard for
the interests of the tax payers.
A few weeks since, we had occasion to
administer deserved castigation to the
rat paper for one of its Enthusiastically
sneaking tricks. So sore was it in con-
sequence that it Immediately cast about
for revenge. 1t hit upon plan which
regard for the dear people had not sug-
gested to it in all the past seven or eight
years; namely, to compel the BULLETIN
by fictitious competition to publish the
tax list this year at losing rates. 1t has
not contemplated the publication of the
list itself; it has not the facilities for do
ing it, but 1t simply determined if possible
to set a price for the BULLETIN so low
that we would lose money by it. The
purpose of revenge was at first boldly
avowed, and manifested itself in taunts
and melo. dramatic swagger over the pro,
posed raid upon the "BULLETIN's sheep
farm" OF late however, the reserve,
who carries the brains of the establis.
ment, has apparently suggested to the
putativc head OF the concern that the mo.
tive of revenge had better be retired,
and high sounding profession of regard
for the interests Of the tax payers substi
tuted. Accordingly we find the Con-
servatice this week, in its congenial role
of demagogue. assuring the dear people
that il is going to save the "overburdened
ax-payers of Buchanan comfy" several
hundred dollars, by rafting the tax list
Now in the first place the people who
pay their taxes promptly, and who, We
may assume, form three.quartcrs Of the
people of the county, have not particle
of interest in the price paid for the print
ing of the tax list. They do not pay q
cent of it, neither would they save a cent
if it were published gratuitously. Again
of those who do pay it, large proper
ton are non res idents This reduces the
list of those upon whom the Conserva
tires hypocritical sympathies are ex
pended, to very small number compared
with the whole. The price fixed by law
for publishing the tax list is no more
than a fair compensation. 1t is bu
about fvc-cights of the compensation al
lowed by law for other legal advertising
and it involves three times the expense
and the keeping on hand of large
amount of type which are practically
dead capital at all other times
But as we said, VIC impose no obstacle
in the way of bona tide effort to secure
the printing of the tax list by our neigh
Dor. We have never figured or rattet
for it ourselves. 1t has come to us al
original notices and other legal matter
has come, voluntarily upon the part o
the officers, and we have charged the lega
rate for doing the work. We are no
conscious of being monster or robbcr
or rs Riscly elegantly expresses it, guilty
of "partisanism," in so doing, and WI
have no apologies to offer.