The Grange advance., 1874-06-17
The New Tax Law.

The new tax law will he pretty thor
oughly siited before the next meeting of the
Legislature. Judging from the tone Of the
country papers opinions, very exceedingly
in regard to it. Some think it almost all
it should be, while others consider it IRON
clad, and severely oppressive. The fol-
lowing sre the views of the Duluth Min
nesoti N:
The new tax law is silently doing good
work in compelling a prompt payment Of
taxes and it promises as the law becomes
better understood, to lie wholesome re-
form in the long continued abuses of the
tax laws. The proper officials of almost
every county Of the State were kept busy
last week in receipting taxes from delin-
quents, who, under the new law, would
have been subject to penalty of ten per
cent. addition and two per cent. per month
on both tax and interest had they allowed
their taxes to remain unpaid until June
lst. And in many instances these taxes,
under the old law, would have been per.
mitted to remain delinquent.
While the old law, when faithfully full
filled in all its provisions, was an excel
lent enactment, still there were those fea-
lures in it that were always taken advan-
tage Of by a class of reckless land spec
ulators in their greed to become rich in
vast landed possessions, and who by their
neglect to pay their lawful share of the
burden of the State, made an unjust dis
elimination between the small landed
owners and the possessors of large estates,
the poor man and the capitalist, for while
the man Of small means was always ready
to pay his taxes promptly when due and
at their full assessed value, the large
owners had found it more profitable to con-
test tax titles and run their chances of fin
ally compromising with the county, at a
large discount, than by promptly paying
with their poorer neighbor, when the taxes
were due.
Under the old law property generally
was assessed at very low value, and con-
sequently a bad impression went abroad
that trxes were inordi=arily high; while
under the new law the assessment of pro-
.perty is to be made at its fair cash value
and the State tax is not to be levied until
the returns are made. 1t is fact that d
reasonable high pro rata assessment nec-
essarily makes a low per centage of taxes,
and it is to be hoped that by following the
law, taxes during the coming years, will
fall 10 reasonable rate
The new law by its axactness, will COM
pei a prompt payment of taxes, for if they
are not paid at given time, makes it a
certainty that the penalties will be enforc-
cd by the judgment of the court, and it
will not he said of the new law as it has
been said Of the practical workings of the
old low, that the more landed property a
man possessed in this State the less taxes
he was apt to pay.
The theory of tax laws is, that all men
should bear the burden alike; and the
new law is step towards ful6lment Of
an heretofore sadly demoralized practical
working of an excellent theory.
FOURTH of July is to be cele brated
in good old.fashioned style at Will.
mar.
Gov. AUSTIN aud Ara Barton are tc
wake the echoes at Clevelsnd on thu
Fourth of July.
Docs are raising terrible havoc will
sheep in the vicinity of Kasota. The,
have killed 40 or so lately.
The L. s. & NJ. company has recent
ly discovered that somebody has stolel
100000 feet Of logs off its lands o.
Snake river. -l-.s.i r.
&C. G. SPE1LMAN, one of the officer
Of the Mill River Reservoir Company
Mass, has q cousin over at Taylor
Falls though the cousin doesn'
want il known. i