Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-02-17
OUR LAWS.

OUR LAWS.
EDITOR INTELLIGENcER: We be-.
lteve that farmers ought to consider.
consult and write on that which is to
the public benefit as we'll as any one
else, and the best way to do it is
through our county paper; therefore,
we would invite the attention of the
readers of the Intelligencer to the fol.
lowing:
We send men to the legislature
every year to enact, to amend, and im-
prove our laws. For sixty-two years
this process has been going on in Mis-
souri,, and we might ask. how much
better are they now than sixty years
ago3 We have every day some COM
plaint about them, particularly about
our assessment and road laws. We
would like to make some remarks
about them. as we think that great i'm.
provement might be made. First, our
assessment should be made In the
spring of the year. Tor the sell same
year that the tax is collected. for vari-
ous reasons. First, man does not
know what he is going to be worth, or
what he will have in property the next
year. Every man should pay tax on
what he has the same year. Second.
1T man has been assessed, last August.
with 81 900 or 81, 900 worth ofpersen-
al property, and he moves away this
March to another state he is not going
to come back hero next fall to pay the
the tax ss ;censsquently it stands against
him on the collectors books probably
for fve or six years. 1t leaves the
the county under the impression that
there Is 10 much due, when there may
be none, for that man may have paid
a tax on the same property In another
state where he moved to, as most Of
the states have their assessment in the
spring of the year. Again-It is too
much work for enc man to assess the
whole county. Therefore We ought to
elect one assessor for each township,
But says our law the assessor has the
right to appoiut men to help him. The
people don't want appointees. They
want men whom they know to be COM
petent to do the work right. Now
they have to submit to whoever is sent.
Again-Such township assessor would
find more property than a county
assessor, for he would know almost
every ones standing and ciroumstan-
cos, whereas the county assessor has to
take just what they tell him. Again
We have heard and know that people
have been asked for back taxes from
five years back. We thought that the
collectors book must be q terrible
botch We think that the sheriff ought
to collect all taxes, within three months
after they are due and square up the
books. Patience is great virtue but
too much of 1t is . crime. Our road
laws may be very good in part, but we
think it very wrong that man, who
has no property, who works by the day
or month to make living, should
work four days on the public road. and
rich farmers who have mules and hor-
ses to tear up the roads do not do as
much to keep up the road. We believe
that every able bodied man should
work two days on the road, but not
four, and that there should be tax
levied on all axable property sufficient
to keep up the road. Therein our
county court made great failure last
year.
We know very we'll that they appro
priated $4,000 out of the county fund
on roads. but was that right P To neg.
lsct the one and do the other. The peo.
pie are not satisfied with it. Each
township. also. ought to have its owr
money that it pays into the treasury, to
spend on its owu roads. Again
Would it not be better if our road over.
seers were elected by the people and
that said road overseers were under
the supervision Of the township asses
sorl Said assessor would be travelling
over tho township in the spring of tho
year. and would sec where the mosl
work was needed and where the mos
money need be spent. Let each town
ship take care of its own roads, (ex
cept large bridges,) and not have {
road commissioner sitting in the coun
ty seat to appoint road overseers, anc
does not know how the roads, are ex
cept what the people tell him.
j. H. X.