Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-01-10

present session. OF tnb ie4lsiAtuie 8uu WulCp
may be ta.en into account In providing FOL
the next state tar levy.
TAe state treasurer, In his recommendation
calls attention to defects In some appfop,iA-
tlOn bills heretofore enacted, In not providing
specific conditions under which wArfAnN
were 10 be drawn.
More care should be given to the enrolment
OF BILLS An cgreglOu, and very serious blunds!
was made In the enrollmcnt Of the bill passed
by the past legislature making al ApprOprls-
ton for the Girls Industrial school ut Bel0it
Tue enrolled bill made the appropriation
sl9oj instead Of 81 400 and, bat for tho trans.
fer Oi 5000 from the governors contingent
fund. the school at Beloit must have been
Il scd for some months In consequence 0f this
hlunIer. The amounts should bu written out
In full, not trusted to figures a'One, and cer'
tainly correct enrolment should be assured 10
zone way.
As fxoi by tho state board OF equalization,
the total value Of the taxable property Vi the
state 10 1874 WAS $ijI50i,7ll.
Ihr reports from SONS institutions not hay.
Ing been received, III Is impossible at this date
10 give the aggregate amount Of estimates Tor
the next two years.
ASSESSMENT AND TAXATION.
The treasurers report shows that various
counties 0 w the state the aggregate amount
OF 1891 % delinquent tsxss. nearly 10000 u
which Is due from two counties .lOn5. Th5
indebtedness, should b. collected or the ac'
counts balanced GA the DD0ks Of The treasury.
Al the total amount 0f state revenue must, OF
course be N .de good by other counties, the
tolcraLlon 0f sucl delllqusnces results In
fayorili.ln 10 the delinquent countiei. and, ~
time has not made THIS iayDrLlsm equitable,
some measure, should BE- NIXON W compel tho
Z payment Of these withheld taxes. even though
/ -Oino Of ihun hayo been Delinquent Tor many
years; 80 that Justice, as nearly nj Is nov
practicable shall be done 70 0ihor portl01l OF
The state whose baden, during all these ystfs
have been sorreapondlnsly Increased. Every
dollar thus Justly cxaetritfDm counf Hes walcl
have shirked their sharg Of tho pubic blrdci
In The pat VIII lessen that mleh tAe burdens
OF otle- Ia tbs future.
IL has been customary but whether required
by thu con ttllOn Is for sou to deturninc,
iir the le9ihtaio to fix, not merelf tho
am1u 4, but the rlte Of tao state INK liGy cx
cupl for tho maintenance OF tho University
Al this action prccodes the now assessment,
tho iogl sa,ufe mast, of cou rse, ua3e IT. rate
UPON tile as,ossmunt f0ll- Of the preceding
year, aud elch y ar the gross am ut required
Of each county has to be determined By lne
state b0Ald VI equalization aad certified 10 by
county CLERKS 20 mat each comfy clerk may
determine tho rnte for his county and put II
upon the TAX rolls.
tn, state treasurer i0c0mmonds that the
legislature shall merely fix Tn, aggregate
amount to bu raised by taxation Tor state plr-
poses, leaving the rate 70 be determined each
year by thu state b)afd OF equalization upon
lha Assessment for that year l'le rate Instead
Of the amount could be certified 10 by the
county clorks and pat up1a tho tax rolls t
once, This Anpeafs 10 DO sensible. business
Ike suggestion Again, the actual receipts
may oltun TALL shlIt OF the levy paeau'a OF tho
Law permitting counties 10 claim cledi! Tor
double and erroneous ASSESSMENTS TINS law
should b. so changed that the states Fevenue
shall promptly w paid, and paid In full, leav
lug tbs counties TO bear the consequences u
their own errors Of assessment and W carry
thels own delinquent lls.s Then tho Stale
levy would produce tho exact amount nec.s
sary to c1v0r the states requirements. and no
county could shlrk II burdens and east them
upon Others by allowing delinqueneies to ac
emulate year by year and be lufgottsn. Ltt
the states taxes ba paid IN full ut all events.
Inability h. meet obligations promptly lsa
much more serious matter TO the state than 10
county.
In ihli connection your attention L. called
to the request Of lhv regents Of the university
that q nyed rate Of threefOnrths OF one mill
bv levied annually Tor university purposes so
that the ain ,unt viii grow with the wealth of
the state and with the requirements OF the IN
stitution. should the legl stature require the
Assessment o., property at rs actual value or
rather compel IT. Tor 1t u already required OF
course the proposed university rate would DO
700 high
Property should Ne asses cd at lts actual
yallo Ii Is said that were any county 10
comply with tbs Law, the remaining counties
would throw upon these the burden of state
taxation The legislature should, therefore,
make the compliance safe Tor counties dis
posed to ho honest THIS must be done by
giving the owners Of property strong selfish
motive ior returning Il at its actual value
Snppus, 1t should be provided that In any
kind 0f legal CONTROVERSY over any kind OF
property, ~ for tho collection Of Insurance, or
olhpr obligations, the valuation put upon 1t
on the assessment roll for the year to which
the controversy related should, a3 against the
owner or custodian ut that time and pur-
cbasers since, DO conclusive ~ to It's actual
value, every property owner would BIO eager
10 have 1t properly Assessed. Very soon, prop
urty Improperly ASSESSED, would prove to 10
unsalcablo NJ q lair price, and cupidlty would
learn lesson for the future. suppose that "
should DO provided that no action Of any
kind, not even q criminal prosecution, should
ba maintained without production OF a certl.
fed COPY VI The assessment list showing that
tho property had been listed Ortaxation as
OF lie preceding March, or proof that on INC
lst OF March the property was no where within
the stnte and had not been removed there
from TO eyade taxation every ownor OF prop
Vrly would be oagor to have all his property
listed And such u provision would be isl.
No man should DO given the protection OF
courts and Of tho police who dishonesty
cyudcs payment OF his reasonable share Of tho
expense oil maintaining them.
To avoid publicity as n private Affairs
which won arise from the filing by banks
with the county clerk Of a list Of obligations
held every bank ght be required 10 send To
the bank commissioner u Isl Of all obligations
held by II on the lst day Of March with an cs /
Innate Of the actual cish value OF enen ubll' /
Vllion and require 1t to return only the AZ
l,rugate Oi these estimated values 20 tho asses
kur with ut given details; II might also be 1
provided, that no artlon should BY had apOn /
any OIL cation, or removal OF ans, held by a |
bank or hanger on the precolIng lat day u |
March without TIN pr0dnpliDn u the corllO
cate " the bank comm ionnr that such obi |
CATION wns duly listed AZ The value ,'atcd aud I
that no Judgment should he rendered Tor
more than the estimated value, II such est.
mate was not bona No.
These arc but hints Of general plan which /
might 10 worked out and which would ~
ypfse existing coalitions and make property.
owners niger to bo taxed Instead OF eager TO
escape taxation. Those laws are Away, best
executed which giYa 4 strong motive for I
In the ffsi instance instead Of rely
Ing upon the fear OF only possible punlsh
ment
FEES AND Salaries
The Regarding Of local officers and espe
cIally OF the justices Of the peace and the
officers OF the courts has REACHED such pro.
portions that tho . whl practice II main ain
i lobby to prevent legislation reducing fees or
salaries tor them. something
must be done to stop the growing evil 4 can
geloping public sentimen demands that Ill
oiholra shall b. paid fixed salaries reasonable
In amount. and not be permitted 10 grow rlch
In u term or two by lleecing the people, We
do not permit district court Judges TO charge
fees TO be turned into tho treasury, and there
is really no more reasnn why q justice Of tho
peace should do 80 TIE difference |. only In
The amount involved IN ihe lligallpni and
one would snppnse That II either should 4
charge ices It would bo The district Judge
rather than the justice u line peace, who holds
\ supreme court u to The poor Who cannot ap' T
neal 1fiudre9 should not rHnfva tea nipilf
II the courS should not, as they are q part "
hu machinery. Justice should be absolutely
ree. A righteous government might with
lfoplisty even provide Ut public expense, o
thorough legal ADVISER for the poor.
II 4. shall be said Ina, litigation would tins
" Increased, the objeetor may ba roiefred TO
10 eminent an authority As Herbert epnlcar,
Who has written at more length Ia support Of
by contrary opinion.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS
The report Of the trpsises OF the state chart
able Institutions will Nv laid before you. u
las NOT yet reached this ollce In II you VIII ,
ind complete aud detailed information Of The
leeds Oi thesd various Institutions, together
with Information Of a general character iOf
he benefit OF the public.
The institutions embraced In this report are
IS follows. State Insane asylum. Topeka In.
tltutl0p for the Education OF the Deaf aud {
lumb Olntha, lnstltution for tha Education I 4