New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1884-03-05
Albin corres pondence

Albin Correspondence.
SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT.
EDITOR REvIEw:--YOur readers are
glad of something to laugh over. occa-
si0nally. But we have something to
TALK about and THINK of some.
times, which is not laughable. Such
is the subject of taxation. This reach.
es the vital parts of our sensibility.
Taxation is necessary to support social
life, but unjust, and unequal taxation,
like an overdose of medicine, poisons
and destroys the object sought to save.
the assessment for 1883. as we'll as
some other previous years in this
county, and especially the southwest
part of it. Some cannot account for
their big bill of taxes; and why was
the valne of personal property raised
in their towns a certain per cent. by
the county board of equalizers? Our
assessors are elected by the people for
the purpose of valuing such personal
property, and they are supposed to be
intelligent, qualified men, AS the stat
ute made aDd provided in that case
only provides aud authorizes to elect.
They are sworn and bound to do their
duty lawfully to the best of their abil-
tiles, and are paid for such work, but
if such men are not elected and fail to
do their duty, why is it accepted OF
them and paid for? If they are such
qualified and faithful meE, why then
is their work changed and perverted?
These men find something in the shape
of household goods and farm machin-
cry, which they think must be priced
at some value, and so it is; but when
that low price comes before the coun.
ty board of equallzers, or sometimes
the State Board, it is raised so, 100,
or 200 per cent. When If such house.
hold goods and farm machines were
taken to market and sold at market
value they would not bring enough to
pay the carrier! But why was the
west and south western part Of the
county so distinguished! 1t is very
probable, that a greater amount of
equally valuable goods could be pick.
ed around the door-yards, rn-yards,
blacksmith's yard, fence corner and the
outside lines of fields in the north east
part of this county, AS old tables, bed.
steads, cupb0ards, stoves, plows,
drags, wagons, reapers, mowers, rakes,
threshing machines and beer bottles,
than all the household goods and farm
machinery owned in the south west
part Of Tho county all put together.
The tax payers of this county, and
probably this county Is not alone in
the fault, have great reasons to COM
plain that very many of our public of.
ticers occupy positions and render
about as much service in value as Il
wooden stump would. They do not
seem TO expect the people to look to
them for any service. not as much as
to think for the public good. All they
seem to think of js-dinner-pay-and
ride with somebody home. If fault
IS found, the person who raises the
objection Is accused Of wanting an
office, OF that he wants to make peo-
pie believe chat he IN somebody. Such
a plea is a pretty sure sign Of a bad
case, something like the trick Of that
sea animal, which, when pursued, let's
out of itself dark fluid which black.
ems the water, that he himself escapes
in the dark. 1t is no disgrace to as
pir. after an honorable office, and it
is better to be somebody than a wood
en- stump-a dummy! We always
have had our county attorney, county
auditor, county surveyor, and county
commissioners. since the county was
organized, but whenever we under.
take to OPEN county road we are
| beaten and hundreds If not thousands
of dollars have been expended in vain
by reason Of errors in the proceedings.
Our county treasury has been plum
| dered of several thousands Of dollars
by reason of somebody's negligence.
We are taxed every year and the mo.
| ney is paid out for doing work which
is ether not done at ali, or 50 badly done
as to be. of no value to the public.
| A few years ago the State undertook
to help the needy in this county and
some others, by Il loan OF seed wheat.
It was entrusted to our county COM
missioners to furnish the wheat. etc.,
something was furnished at one dollar
per bushel, when No. l wheat was
worth 80 TO IS cents. Some OF those
poor farmers scraped the money and
paid that loan, when it was assessed
| against them, by pinching themselves
and families others plead poverty
and have not paid it yet. l think it
might be safely said and proved, that
it was of no value to any of those
| farmers who received it. That 1t Vas
a mixture of several varieties Of
wheat and noxious weeds seeds, all in
seperable and growing together, but
maturing at different times, and there
by destroying itself AS a crop. have
not yet learned of anyone of our pub
lie officers making the first movement
| to protect the poor farmers who were
so wronged! But instead, we are
called upon now to pay for that re-
celved by those who could not, or
would not, pay for it in this county.
We hear.of HIS excellency, our benev-
client governor, extendlnga helping
hand to the sufferers in those terrible
storms in this state last year, and that
is all right aud good-pr0bably not a
human tax payer would object to pay
ing his share of such; but why are we
called on, after paying for the stuff
we got, 20 pay for that of our neigh
bors! Is it not too bad for the ONE
HoRsEF AkMER, and THAT BEING A
BORROWED HORSE, after paying for
his own borrowed dead horse, to have
to pay for that of his neighbors!
Could not this thing be equalized? If
the writer of these lines is in error in
any fact presented. 1t is his honest de-
| sire to be informed and correc, ed
through the columns of the REVIEW.
| It will soon be time to elect our of.