The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-02-26
from Olympia Transcript, Feb. Z.
Bad Laws.

We have heretofore referred to the
outrageously bad laws passed at the
last session of the legislature. Former
legislatures were supposed to have
reached the limit of bad law making,
but it rested with the last one to clap
the climax for laws that have no Oh
ject to attain except to make an eX-
pense to the Territory; laws that con-
flict with other laws and with them
selves, and laws that the courts can
not do otherwise than declare inoper-
ative. One of the worst of these is the
revenue law. At the session of the
Board of Thurston County Commits
sioners this week some of the features
of the bill were brought out in attempt
ing to do the business of the county.
1t not only conflicts with the road
law, but it conflicts with itself; and
virtually ties up the hands of every
county commissioner in the Territory.
The new road law states that the
county auditor shall send supervisors
lists out in February; that the COM
missi0ners shall assess not less than
one mill nor more than five mills for
road tax; and that each supervisor
shall return his list before the first of
August. The revenue law says the
sheriff shall return his assessment on
the first of August. Now the question
is, how are the commissioners to assess
the road tax in February when the as
scssment roll is not returnable until
August? Then, to complicate matters,
the revenue law says the commission
ers shall assess the road tax in Au-
gust of not less than one mill nor
more than sir mills. In Thurston
county the roads and bridges are in
terrible condition, and aid to repair
them is asked from every district; but
this tumble of laws puts it out of the
power of the county to give, unless the
taxpayers voluntarily do the work,
and trusting to the county making it
right afterwards In the matter of
making assessments the revenue law
is perfect tumble. 1t says the ASSESS
ing must he returned in ten days; that
the sheriff shall shy in his Office to do
it, thereby compelling every tax
payer to visit his ptiice in that time;
that every one shah give description
of his real estate; THAT if he does not
do so surveyor shah be sent to sur
vey it, whose field notes shall be taken
for the description, and the costs of
survey shall he added to his taxes.
There is not one farmer in ten who
can give the description asked for by
this law; and it is preposterous to
think that every owner of property
will do so. The law further states
that three mills shall be collected for
territorial, with other taxes, and that
the county shall Immediately pay to
the Territory this full amount. If
this part of the law should be carried
ont it would soon tankrunt one-half
of the counties in the Territory. But
another part of this same revenue
law says this tax shall be collected as
formerly and delinquent lists allowed.
Here comes the conflict between the
territory and the counties. The terri
torial officials declare the first part of
the law is correct, and Thurston
county (and probably other countless
will resist its enforcement on the pro-
visions of the last part of the law. The
question whether this law has any force
or i imperative should be mt once
submitted to the courts, or there will
be an endless amount of litigation and
trouble with it. We have only givena
few of its prominent features, just to
show what an Inconsistent and obnoX-
ious law ii is. 1t is certainly strange
that such HOrcN-p0tch OF law should
have received any recognition by any
of the lawyers who were members of
of the legislature or by our governor
who processes to be keen lawyer,
who signed it. As for the Territorial
officials, most of them were looking
too much after an increase of salary
and politics to pay much attention to
it. The author of the bill, n Seattle
.fndncier, but not member of the
Legislature, is understood to have made
up the law by cutting out parts of the
laws of three or four states and past
ing them together-thus producing Il
low Inconsistent with itself and fartoo
expensive and unnecessary for the re-
quirement of our population. He un-
doubtedly thought ii was a good thing
to make a long law as it would create
II demand for patent trcasurers' and
auditors books.
q