Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-11-18
Legality Ct the Delinquent Tax seIe

1 nc IlERALD last week reminded
the County Board Of Supervisors
that there was a defect in the pub
LEGATION made last May of lands
delinquent for taxes of 1876, and
suggested that the Board should
apply a remedy. 1.-THE matter had
not thus been brought forward per-
haps it would not have been named
in the Board, for, though several
members thought that something
was wrong and perhaps something
ought to be done, still each mem
Der had his mind and time employed
at special duties assigned him and
felt that as what was everybody's
business was nobody's business, no
one was left to bear the individual
responsibility Of giving it no atten-
ton.
Mr.. Hier came to the conclusion
that something should be done,
and introduced, as will be seen by
reference to the report of proceed
ings, a resolution of inquiry, SIM
ply. His resolution to inquire into
the matter was carried and the
chair appointed as the committee
Of inquiry Messrs. John G. Clark,
w B. Clark and Hammer Robbins.
The evening of the same day these
gentlemen made report, two Of
them opposing any action by the
Board, and the hrst-named favoring
action-all agreeing that there was
legal defect in the publication The
report by Messrs. w. B. Clark and
Robbins comes first III order in the
proceedings. 1t is document
that would bear having several ed
itorials written upon it. It's very
wcighty affair. There has been
nothing Ike itas state paper since
General Hancock famous letter on
the tariff as a local issue. 1t asserts
that the publication was not made
the full time required by law. But
then it says there was another not
made as required by law in 1874.
Such excuses for letting wrong
go uncorrected have been heard of
before, it is true, but their place
heretofore was always in the nur-
scry. When little Jimmie was
called UP for hitting his sister his
excuse was, Sh-h-she (boo-hoo-
hoo) hit me first" Second, this re-
port claims that possession for
three years under tax deed issued
upon the certificates of the lands
covered by them will give absolute
title to the tax title holder" and a
little further on says that "No tax
deed is issued that may not within
three years after it is recorded be
set aside for defects in the proceed
ings upon which il is based" The
two gentlemen making this report
express in it the opinion that the
Board has no power to call in the
certificates issued last Spring and
certainly cannot compel any holder
to surrender them. But the other
report, made by the chairman Of
their committee, had actually point
cd out statute that requires the
Board to order the money on those
certificates to be refunded.
And here we call the readers at
tcntion to Col John G. Clark's re-
port on the subject. We assume
that every man who reads the two
reports, with the capacity Of under
standing what he reads, will see
that Col. Clark is right in premise
and conclusion and the others
wrong. We doubt whether mat
ter Of difference ever came up for
the consideration Of a county Board
where the law and its application
were so explicit, and this report
gives the facts briefly and plainly
Then it will be asked, why did not
the Board adopt his rcport3 We
answer, it must be because the
members had no time to carefully
consider the matter. The Grant
County Board of Supervisors meets
Tuesday noon and finishes its bus
mess Friday night 1t has three
days and half in which to do as
much work as it would take the
Wisconsin Legislature three weeks
and a half to do. In a matter like
this it has to depend on the judg-
ment and integrity Of committees.
As in all other cases its disposition
was to go with a majority of this
committee, especially when the
presentation of the report was
backed by the assumed candor of
w. B. Clark and the grandlIoquent
fustian of Hon. Hammer Robbins.
But when they come to read the
reports carefully they cannot do
otherwise than decide in their minds
as did ~ b. Cart, himself that the
majority report was wrong and the
minority report correct. MeSsrs.
w. B. Clark and Robbins under
took in their report to make the
Board and the people believe that
the list in 1879 was published only
from April II to May s, and that
the HERALD presented to the Coun-
ty Treasurer a claim for payment
therefor. If they did not know bet
ter it shows that they sometimes
make very shallow effort in inves-
legations of public concern. If
they did know better the reader
may characterize their attempt as
he chooses. The truth is that the
publication of the list in 1870 be-
gan April 10th, and it is not true
that the HERALD ever presented
any claim whatever for the publ
cation Of that list. We will here,
however, quietly remind the gentle
men Of the Board that in adopting
that report they adopted every part
of il