Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-10-31

Two More "Fiatsp Burned.
To the Editor Of the HERALD:

To the Editor Of the HERALD:
My attention has been called to a
statement in the Gazette OF the esd
inst that, lst, | originated and put
through bill limiting the time for
the redemption of taxes to three years
instead of FIVE years as heretofore.
I'd. That scared the passage of
bill making mortgage sale final as
soon as sold. One year was formerly
allowed for redemption.
Both these statements are absolute
| ly untrue. | neither originated or Sc
cured the passage of any such meas
ures.
l suppose that paper alludes to
Chap. l43, Laws Of 1877 and Chap.
334, Laws of 1878. The former re.
lates to mortgages and the latter to
taxes. The law relating to mortgages
was introduced into the Senate by
Senator Wing, of La Crosse, and is
as | understand, substantial copy
of the statute of Minnesota on the
subject of foreclosing mortgages. 1t
passed the Assembly almost if nc;
quite unanimously, because it was be
heved by all to be great improve
ment over the law as it was before.
Before that the law was, that imme.
dlately after Judgment of foreclosure
the creditor might advertise and sell
at once. The result of this was, that
to the cost of foreclosure was immedi-
ately added the sheriff's fees on sale,
and the printers fees for advertising
the sale. The debtor then had one
year after the sale in which he could
redeem, but to do so, he must pay
the sheriff's and printers fees on sale.
Under the new law, instead of an i'm
mediate sale, none can be had until
one year after the judgment. The
creditor must wait just as long and
the debtor gets exactly the same
length of time in which to redeem as
before. But under the new law if he |
redeems within the year he can do so !
without paying the sheriff's or the |
printers fees on the sale for there is |
no sale within the year, and therefore
no fees for selling. The result of the |
new law, then, is that the creditor is
not benefited and the debtor is not |
hurt. The only persons hurt are
sheriffs and printers.
Respecting the charge as to the |
tax law, the facts are these. The SUI |!
preme Court had decided that taxes |
and tax sales were all invalid where the
lands were not assessed from actual |
view and at their actual cash value. |
The effect of this decision was that in
the whole northern part of the State
all tax sales and tax certificates We're
necessarily invalid because from the |
immense size of original towns rem
dered necessary by the scarcity Of the |
inhabitants, it was physically impos
sible that the lands could be assessed |
from actual view. As was said by |
some from that part of the State, ga
crow could not visit all the lands of
some of the towns within the time al.
lowed by law to assess them.
Most of the lands up there are own
ed by non.resdents and many OF |
those owners are professional tax
fighters, evading the payment of all |
taxes that they can. Many of the |
northern counties had large quantities |
of tax certificates outstanding, some |
of them az much as 100000 to $780,
900, all of which could, under this de-
cision of the Supreme Court be re
turned to them and the money they |
called for demanded. Besides hundreds |
of law suits had been begun against |
! some of those counties by land own.
ers to set aside the taxes upon their |
lands. To these suits there could be
no defense because of the decision |
above named, no matter how Just the |
tax was And those counties between
the liability to pay the costs of those
suits and to pay back the money TO
holders of the tax certificates were |
practically bankrupt. They had no
money in their treasures nor any way
of getting any and under the law as
it stood they could not possibly levy
a valid tax.
Of course thew came down to
Madison clamoring for relief and of
course they were entitled to relief. |
Many bills were introduced to relieve
them. None of those bills became a
law. The trouble was to frame law
that would give relief to tho north
part of the State and not embarass
the south part. The state of things |
in the two parts differs as widely as it |
is possible to imagine. Laws adapted |
to one section are almost inevitably |
unfit for the other. None of the bills |
introduced met the views of both Sec
tons. The Assembly and Senate
could not agree and dead lock be-
tween the two houses ensued. A |
committee of conference between the
two houses was appointed and the
law passed was framed by that COM
mittee. 1t may not be perfect nor
the best law possible, but it was the
best law which it was then possible |
to get through both houses, And the |
passage of some law was imperitively |
necessary. 1t does not change the !
time of redemption from five years to
three years as charged, because the
time of redemption was three years
and not FIVE before, and 1t leaves the
law in that respect as it found it.
Respectfully,
w. T.. CARTER.