The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-01-24
raa .rENALrY" nuxBUe AGAIN.

70 conscieafioueiy believe sss proposi
lon 70 postpone the psaAlty en- the taxes
) ffaught with Eauoh danger 60 the Ssats.l
Every yoar, for some fine, Q |
has beea introduced
nto our legsslaiurs 20 postpone the
on per cont. penalty for <l,e nom
aeyment Of taxes. Every good cit
zen has rejoieed that IL has been
defeated NJ often as iDtrOdaced.
This MEASURE has generally beeR In
by some politician, who
thought he would gain favor with
the people by advocating 1t. Now
we are surprised to see
some Of the newspapers urging 1t.
The proposition has always, hereto
fore, except last year. come from
some Of the old-settled counties,
such As Lcavenworth or Douglas.
Last year It was introduced into the
Legislature by q roaring orator from
Southern Kansas. Ifit Is iRtroduc.
ed this year we hope &c will be un-
ceruSnOniously kicked out as 1t was
lsst winter la the Senate. Who ask
Soc this usasnre2 Not The people
Of tbs State, ccrtainly. 90 far as
opr observation hss extended. and q
hns boon considerable, the heavy
Taxpayers Of TIE cltios are tia ones
Eho hAvo aSlzDd for the passage OF
such 0 law. To our knoWledgo
thero has nerer been 9 angle peti.
Rion from die farmers and mechan-
LsSaskihg for tGs passage. Mem who
psy heavy taxes want the nee Of
thelr money ., f1w months longer
without costing them anything:
They are the ones who want tina
penalty postponed, and.theg are ac'
mated solely by selfish 1Botivess
OF course VIC srs not discuss!ng the
Justiee Of the penalty or the taxes.
We simply propose to speak Of the
policy OF postponiny tho penalty,
and the efcct such postpooemeni
would have upou our finances. BY
the tenth OF January two-thirds Of
the people at least, In the interior
counties, have their taxes paid. The
delinquent isE-lists In this part Of
the State are mostly composed Of
specnlstors, non.residents- aud "u1S
known" owners. What sort OF jus-
Zee would Il be, nftcr the large ma
iority OF the residents have paid
thsir. taxes, to postpone tho penalty
for the non.Tesidents and specuis-
tofes- BIZ tho time the Law could be
passed good many people win
have paid tho penalty. what viii
he done for thsn2 Put them and
the treasurer 20 thu 'roubl6 AZ pay
tight back? ! Z
In most cases the taxes are those
ths people have voluntarily voted
-niroB thsmseaves. They are bar
,iensome and 1t would bs q great
blessing if they did not haFc them
TO pay. But the people OF tho State
expect TO, and largo majority OF
them do, come square up and pay
them. They believe that IL the way
10 do bnsiuess. We done believe
they Wonld be any bother prepared
70 pay In May than in january.
We heard an Intelligent gentle
man arguing, the other day, that
January was tho worst time in che
year to pay taxes, because U was the
period for the settlement OF the
hNliness of the year. aud then, above
all other times, drafts Were made
upon mans resources by creditors.
This Is true, but it 10 q one-slded
statement OF the case. He il turn
gets HE share In the general eeltle.
ment, by receiving the pay nom
those who owe him. II q man has
aoy surplus money, IL IL az this time,
when everybody who can 10 paying
mp, and the money is psselng from
hand 20 hand. So that really the
argument 10 IN favor of thIy season
of general settlement. People have
got used to this time OF tar paying,
and generally begin to prepare for
!. months beforehand. There are
TWO things we must positively
meet--tsIes and death. The Gov
srnment could not run . moment II
the tOxos were not paid. There
nust be . ume, positively fzed, for
their payment. There Ia no getting
around THE. And on this time Of
payment tho whole financial policy
Of the State e arranged. Postpone
tho penalty TIL May and there
you'd not DO q cont OF taxes paid
I'll May. Are We prepared to die.
arrange The whole financial ma.
eAIneFy OF the Slater 81
Besides all Ghis, almost every
school district aud county have is-
sued Gad sold bonds in large sums.
rhc State has done the same. In all
thcss bonds tho people have enter
CD jSto q compact with the pur-
chasers that &C o certain timo tho in
tercst on those bonds should be
paid. We muet keep oar contract
with the purchasers OF our State,
and school bands iavIo;ale,
cF orr credit viii soon suffer and
hero will be no snoh thing as sell
ag Kansas boads hereafter. Post
poue the ponaltY, aud thereby the
paymeD, OF tho taxes, and We ViO-
Late OuF pledges, fail TO pay tbs In.
teresl Gu our bonds and dAmage cor
rredl. abroad aud at home VERY ma.
terially.
The passage or su:h 90 &C, would
be very bad precedent TO set, be-
cause l. would certaiEly be repeat
ed. Pass sUeh Law and next year
the people would bold back their
!sSes'iu expectation that the next |
would do the same thing,
and so It would go frou year TO |
wear. Downright sopudislion WOuld
he almost ~ honorable a Prcpo-
dtioD as this one to postpone the
penalty for tho benefit Of the Tow.
But aside from other reasens, we
believe such a law would be uncon-
stitutional. It certainly would 90
Gar as It might effect our State
bonds. After defining the manner
In which debts may be incurred, for
sEe purpose Of ''dsfrAyIng cStrsor-
binary expenses" "mskisS public
Improvement etc.. the constitution |
says:
And every such law shAli pro-