Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1883-02-17
OUR LAWS.

OUR LAWS.
We print upon the outside of thi
issue . communication signed j. Il
K, on the above subject. j. H. X. i.
q new correspondent, and We hope ht
will frequently favor the Intsllig enoel
with his views, as We entirely agree
with him, that farmers, indeed all citi'
zsns, should consider. consult and
write on subjects of public interest
aud benefit. The county newspaper
Is . good vehicle Tor the dissemination
Of opinions, the expression of wants.
and the correction of evils. Nothing
10 more wholesome than the public ex'
preston Of the views of the substsn'
tial, solid citizens Of the country. Fol
these reasons We invite them all, in
Lafayette county. to use our columni
freely in tho discussion of question:
of general interest. We shall print
their letters just IS freely II we diss-
gree from ~ If We agree with them.
rsssrving, Of course, the right to
criticise them. This we intend to do
with the letter Of J. Il. K.
As there is always something In the
point OF view from which . person
locks At . thing. 1t may not bs amiss to
say that our correspondent is a repub.
lican. This does not make his com.
munication any the less welcome. but
1t modifies the condemnation Of our
laws with the thought that, probably,
the critic might have thought them to
be better when his party was in power
In the state. whereas very great ma.
Jority OF the people think they were
much worse. So much depends on
how one looks at thing!
To consider our corrsspondsnt's sug.
gsstions sssiatim. He says. I'VE send
men to the legislature every year to ELL
act, to amend, and improve our laws.
For sixty-two years this process has
been going on in Missouri, and we
might ask, how much better are they
now than sixty years ago7" Principles
Of justice, equity, rights Of property.
life. aud the pursuit Of happiness. were
just the same sixty years ago that they
are to-day. We have carefully read
the first laws Of the state of Missouri.
If eur correspondent has ever done so
he will remember that they were based
on very correct intentions aud rsason-
ing, as tar - they went, but II We were
to repeal all thatis in the statutes to-day
except the substance Of the old statutes
of 1920, We should lack great many
laws which our people think they need.
None of the laws enacted sixty years
ago on those things essential to every
civilized community, such as admins
trstion, courts, civil aud criminal prac.
tice, punishment of crime, &c.. would
answer now. There are crimes pro-
vided against in the present statutes
which were unknown to the legisia.
tor of 1920. Beside, where would be
the laws protecting the people against
corporations. providing them an ade-
quats judiciary, securing women iu
their property rights, the laborer in
his wages. the tenant in his rights, the
widow and orphan in theirs 2 Where
would be the adequate protection of
the purity Of elections, and q hun.
drsd other things that might be men,
tionsd3 This argument might be ex-
tended indefinitely, bat it is hardly
necessary. ]. 81. X. cannot but see
that our laws are 20 much better for
Us of to-day than would bs those of
1920 that there can be no comparison.
We agree with what our corrsspon-
dent says regarding the assessment of
property In the spring. and for the
current collection year. There 10 a
bill Of that kind now pending in the
Legislature. and We should be very
glad II 1t could be embodied in our
revenue law. Some Of his criticism
of the revenue law, however, we do
not agree with. Fer instance, he says:
I'VE have heard and know that poo.
pie have been asked for back taxes
from i've years back. We thought that
the collectors book must be terrible
botchl We think that the sheriff
ought to collect all taxes within three
months after they are due and square
up the books. Patience 10 . great
virtue but too much of it 10 crime"
1t 10 true that taxes have been due and
collected for several years back, but
this was due to the lamenass of au
old. and not of the present law. Un-
der the law We now have after . year
or two there will be very few old
back tax cases. Our frisnd's idea that
the collector ought to collect all taxes
within three msnths is q novel one.
II he will be good enough to tell US
just how this Is to be done We shall be
very much obliged to him. That little
word all 10 very big one under some
circumstances. and 1t 10 30 IN this case.
AH tho taxes cannot be collected in
that time by any mau or any law. Iu.
deed for obvious reasons all tho taxes
can never be colleeted. Our pressn,
iaw and present collector will come
about a. near 1t ~ 10 practicable. The
current years tsxss will illustrate
this. The books were turned over III
September. The total tax upon them
was. state. Ss2, ,7o2 16; county, $751;
s2s 25; school, $27. .ss7 80; . total of
Sl42.6 .6l9 81. or these amounts there
has been collected. state, 1928, ,912 81 /;
county, s72, ,4O1 76; school. 1924, ,761 Al;
or total of $780, ,075 81. The rail-
road tax was e10,752 10, and it has ali
been collected, This, we think, is ex-
cellent work. Collections are stiIl
being made. and by the time the de-
linquent book for 1882 ba. to be made
out, March /, there will be not more
than $4,000 or $11. 900 of that years
taxes delinquent. This will be, In
round numbers,7 per cent. of the or
isinal amount. Whenever anyone
makes a law or finds a collector to Ell.
force it. that will do better than that,
hefore the tar ooea tn tha dal;nonant