The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1893-03-18
4 Question OF Privilege.

Our city council held a meeting
Tuesday evening. In the report given
out to the official paper, the Telegram,
for publication, we find the following
item Of a personal nature:
The begging petition of J. Lutte
/ Christie to have his personal tax SGT 81
reduced to so was laid on the table
after it was explained that Mr.. Chris
/ tie took no notice of the cOmmunica
ton sent him by the committee in
charge of the matter.
( 1t is not often that we stop to cor
rect false statements about ourselves,
but this one is 50 full of false
hood that it seems to require it. just
why the council should give out such
! a report passes cur comprehension.
To start with We never asked that
our personal tax be reduced from
$27.62 20 $40. To make it as brief as
! possible, let us state the facts.
When the board of review was in
session last season they sent lis q
/ statement that we had been assessed
on personal property 500 if memory
/ serves us rightly. We thought this
little steep, perhaps, but not far
enough out Of the way to warrant
spending a day before the board to
/ try and get it reduced, and also trust
ed to the board to put Us on an equal
footing with cur neighborS.
Nothing more was heard from the
matter until about the middle OF Dee
ember last when we received a notice
from city Treasurer Walaeth stating
! that our personal tax amounting to
/ $l5-I2 would be due january first and
desiring that we pay the same. Two
days later we received another notice
from Mr. Walseth addressed TO the
''SuperiOr Times, care }. Lutte Chris
! tie demanding the further sum of
! of so 80 personal tax making a total
OF 81 o.
Now we thought it time to inquire
into the matter. TIE Treasurer didn't
know anything about it, ana refused
to accept anything less than the full
/ amount Of the two demands, and we
as emphatical!y and positively refused
TO pay that amount The city treas
/ uTer, and alderman Linncn told rs to
communicate with the council and
that that body Would,right the matter,
\ few days later we were in the city
clerk 5 Office and there found alderman
Bcglinger who was a member of the
board Of review lie knew all about it.
The board had thought our tax was
not high enough and had socked on an
other $500 to our printing office. We
asked him if he thought it Was right
and he said he did. We asked him if
it had been the aim of the board to put
all on an equal footing in these mat
terS, and lie said that was the intent
Of the board. We then asked him to
please review the work the board had
done as shown 10y the books then III his
hands and note the results. He look
ed down one OF two columns and
frankly admitted that we had been to-
tailed up entirely too much and he also
with the city clerk told lis to c0mmun-
icate with the council and it would be
made all right, and subsequently we
did so
That communication is probably on
file in the city clerks office, 50 anyone
can see it. 1t simply calls the attention
of the council to the fact that an evi-
dent injustice had been done as, and
that they would no doubt correct
the same This was all, Not word
said as to how mach it should be cut
or Il suggestion limited at
How the council could give out such
a report as this we cannot see. Coun-
cilmcn Liuncn and Beglinger tell Us
to correspond with the Council. DID
they do so simply to get a chance TO lie
about and insult us? We want
these gentlemen to understand right
here that we DO not t&mcIy submit to
such dirty work as this Because they
are councilmcM they have 10 license
to yilliiy their fellow citizens. Where
were CouuciImcn O'IIarc ana smith
who are wei acquainted with oar af-
fairs and who must of necessity know
that the tax Of S!7.G2 WAS no less than
robbery: MI. Smith has an elegant
home elegantly furnished and carries 4
50, 600 stock of groceries, with horses,
wagons ana slel-hs, and yet he pays a
tax ot only about 80. Mr.. James
Bardon has probably not less than
SO, $50 Of personal property in his ele-