Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-13
A PARTIAL AWAKENING ON rHE TAX
SUBJECT.


ening Of the people of Oregon on the
subject of tax reform ia county and
state government. The discussion Is
spread into several counties where facts
are coming TO light to prove all that
has been charged in these articles, TO-
wit: that officials are receiving exorbi-
tants profits from Office-holding, and
that the manipulation Of the public
taxes by certain banks is lucrative
feature of political spoils. The tax
payer is robbed 10y the politician, who
In turn pays his friends out Of the pub
lie treasury and speculates With the
piblic funds for private emOlument.
The agitation began In Lane county
some weeks since, as result OF an In
vestigation by the farmers into the
methods of doing county business. Ii
showed enough facts to constitute.
grlevous charges against certain Off
claIs. The people Of Laue county are
convinced that under cover OF law the
sheriff has been taking about four
times the compensation for his services
that the Office should cost, and that it
could be honestly and efii ;ieutly con-
Quoted for. Tax payers in other coun-
ties are coming to see that they are
victims of the same abuses. The peO-
pie are getting uneasy these hard times
and are going to demand that their
servants the public officials be servants
q I'd not lords and masters, and that
one or two terms AS sheriff or some
other county Office, do not convert a
poor man into banker, and they re-
m ,mber that In addition to paying the
vast SUMS involved In these fat offices
they must also pay all the saloon bills,
newspaper bills, livery bills aud the
whole expensive round of political cor
ruption that 1t takes to get such an
Office. The old highway robber paid
his own way. The modern tax robber
and political boss, as In the cases of
Sheriff Noland Of Lane county and
Banker COwan of Linn county, rob
the people In their official capacity but
make them pay them for doing it.
Facts are just coming to light in Multi
nomah county through the invesuga-
tion Of non-partisan committee of
taxpayers that show an appalling state
OF public corruption. Officials have
not only neglected their sworn duty in
accounting for public funds, but refuse
TO give any satisfactory information as
TO their condition and whereabouts,
Sheriff Kelley blandly informs the
committee that he now has $3l9,6i4 IL
In three banks. He says these funds
are not now available. That is his
only excuse. He can not check against
them. The banks he says have
Promised him TO make mighty cousol-
ldated effort to raise $50,00 by Dec. lst.
He does not even know that they will
be able TO raise that sum. The money
was collected by hIm from the people
between March aud September. He
d "a not even take the trouble to turn II
over TO the county treasurer AS the law
requires, but turned 1t oyer to the
banks. One of these Portland banks
q mt $50, 900 TO bank at Ellensbarg,
w 'sh., to help a bank there. How
much more OF those county taxes of
this year went to help other rotten
b .nks no one knows, not even Kelly, /
nor Malarkey, who bears the sOme-
what faoetious title of county treas /
u'er. One thing only the committee
eau learn for certain, aud that is, the
people paid Il. Treasurer Malarkey
claims he has turned over $l2l 900 of !
state taxes but for which he produces /
no receipt. The worst feature Of all
this jugglery with the taxes wrung
from the people these hard times IL,
that while II is not "ayailable" for the
uses for which II is intended by law.
The people are obliged to pay interest at
he rate OF 8 per cent. and have var
ants Issued for this stolen money, aud
hese warrants discounted from ten TO
wenty per cent. On the Multnomah
ounty school fund alone $500 mouth
interest must be paid for year. The
interest on the outstanding county war
lnts 10 over twenty thousand dollars "A
ear interest. Money enough has been !
aid 20 cancel all these warrants, yet
10 people have 20 pay this interest.
lch government Is not only fraud {
I'd robbery but an Insult to the COM I
on sense and business intelligence Of {
Q people.
We are carefully preserving the facts ?
all thls agitation OF the tax question.
. believe the time ls ripe for reform
the state aud county government y
i will save the people hundreds OF :
'usands Of dollars In the neat five
rs. II Il nseless 10 talk OF reform s.
our county aud state governments :
lessenlng The burdens OF taxation, n
10 the people can be aroused 20 the
u lsn.,sa.alfv NJ taking hOid NJ thal