The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-01-21
MORE ABOUT TAXES.
REPLY TO Il UoR1ssspoNDxasu,

EDITOR JouRNAL:--Lse see in the columns
of your last weeks issue a communication,
from one 4. B. Raymond. l concur with
him in his opinion Of The JOURNAL, but
concerning bis casus be4i wish to set forth
u few facts and figures. He remarks, in the
first place, that taxes have increased 1900
per cent. in eight years. The official rec
ords show that in. the year following the
organization of the Township of Raymond,
that part of the town in which Mr.. r. lives
paid, on each dollar of valuation, tax of
72.46 mills, of which % mills were for all
State and County purposes, and 49.46 mills
were voted by the Town and School Dis
trict and returned to them for their own
use, the assessed valuation of land being
1921 per acre; while in the year 1873, the
same land being valued at 1878 per acre,
the same part Of the town paid \ tax of 321
mills on the dollar of valuation, less than
one-half that amount being required for
all State and County purposes.
During the last seven years Mr.. r. and
his immediate ueighbors have paid for all
State and County purposes an aggregate OF
114.35 mills on the dollar of valuation,
while during the same time, for town and
school purposes, they have paid an aggre-
gate of 1854 mills on the dollar of valu-
alton, which shows plainly that they haze
a voice and responsibility in the matter,
Mr.. R. to the contrary Notwithstanding
And this leads to the conclusion that if they
would practice a. little more economy
among themselves, they would have less oc'
casion to grumble on account Of high
taxes.
Mr.. R. walls further that the assessments
were ignored by the State and County
Boards of Equalization. Could they have
done otherwise under the existing law
which says plainly that all property must be
assessed At its true and full value in money
think that even Mr.. r. would not have
the hardihood to assert that his own prop
erty has ever been assessed at its true and
full value. The true and full value of al
property in money Is the only basis upor
which correct and equitable assessment
can be made, and rigid enforcement o
the law is necessary; for as long as proper
| ty-holders persist in defying the laws they
must be made to pay the penalty.
One very important cause of high taxe'
il, that some people think that the Count,
is out of debt, and that With lots of money
in the treasury it can afford to pay double
prices for services. For instance, in 1877
this same Raymond together with four o.
five "kindred spirits" surveyed less thar
seventeen miles of the state road running
through the town Raymond, and for the
simple survey alone they brought in Z
claim against the County of $241, which
was 50 manifestly e1orbit.nt that it failed
in its passage by even the stearns County
Board of Commissioners. He finally, by
dint of know not what means or inhuen
ces, obtained from the Supreme Court
judgment for enough to amount with costs
| and interest to $212.55. A few less of such
overcharged claims would very materially
decrease taxes through thi. county, bu1
Mr.. R. did not evidently take that into
consideration: Even if he il not disposed
to fiddle while Rome is burning" he will
probably dance little, and then he will b
At "Li6erty' to Ftpay the
FIDDLER"
St. Cloud, Jan. 18th, 1875.