Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-13


81 think the coming Legislature viii
repeal the present mortgage tax isu."
sid Auditor General George ". Stone
~ the sweets yesterday. Tho lac 70
an absurd one and never ought 10 have
been passed. Hitherto the auditor
generate Once has acted - PAIR OF
governors 70 the county trsasursrs Of
the state. Close track wAs kept of the
TAI re,urns and every mistake uas sent
back 70 be rectifled. When . new tai
Law vas paused the auditor general with
hls chief assistants and the attorney
general carefully examined the Law
and construed II. Now every county
treasurer construes the law 20 suit hina-
self aud there are slgnty-four different
Constructions Until 1880 the tax hrs
tories OF the state we're kept Ia perfect
condition BY the auditor general. since
that time there has been no possible
way of obtaining them except ~ writ
ing 70 the treasurers OF the different
counties aud, IN nine cases out OF Ten.
Is cannot BE- obtained correctly from
him. In case the treasurer u lad out
tor denomination he won't take the
trouble 10 keep up his tax histories
during the remainder OF hls term IN
office. His successor refuses u
poet them up 70 date. bocauss
it Was the other mans business 10 have
done %. The result 10 that II viii
soon b utterly impossible 70 get . clear
title 70 land cold after 1890. The pres
ent law MAS passed IN spite OF protests
| by men that knew what they were
talking about. But the public had ~
idea that the auditor generals office
had become . hospital for played-oui
| politicians; 90 both Luce and Wlnani
recommended the new law without
really knowing what they we're recon-.
mending. The bill MAS hnAiiy passed
and the result - . muddle, just ~
| predicted there would be. The aver
age county legislator. you know, never
occupied position that paid IS day
| until elected to the legislature. Then
be thinks he 10 Of 30 devlilsh much ln,-
portaucc and has such = superb GRASP
Of the necessities Of the state, that any
consultation with stste officers would
be beneath his dignity. Somebody
tells HIM that . certain law ought TO be
passed. Instead Of consulting the
state officer whose department tha
law would affect, ne immediately
drafts bill. and his confreres pass it
When the law Coca into operation it's Z
dazzling 6zzle and the man that intro
duced the bill can't understand It,"
81 don't believe Iowa was ever more
proepsrous." said w. II. Reynolds, OF
West Liberty ~ the Bridge street house
"In spite of Governor Boicc's clam
that the farmers are on the verge o.
rum and bankruptcy, their condition
10 better than that Of the Michigas
farmer, or the agricultural of an,
other state know of. have been al
over the state, and never saw bette
looking farms, better looking build
ings, or . more prosperous condition o.
things in general than / saw there
Crops this season were comparasiveI,
the lightest they have known in years
They were good enough what Their
was of them, but few farmers plantss
. full crop of corn. The early part o.
the season was so wet that few though
corn would have time to ripen; but
did, every ear of it. Most of the farm
ere, however, had Thousands of bush
sls left over from last year. 90 the,
are not suffering any. The wheat cro]
WAS not very heavy, but at the preeen
price the less wheat man has the bet
ter of be il; 20 they are . gamer Of
that point, too. The calamity howle
has been working early and late il
Iowa for some time now; but his state
ments oil lack the element of truth.
"Whenever new hotel 10 opcne,