The representative., 1895-10-30
TAX-TITIES AND TAX-SHARKS.

We do not want to say anything un
kind of dead man, especially man
Of some really excellent qualities. but
who did wrong from wrong way of
looking at things. We refer to the
late Chief Justice, Hon. James Gilfil-
Ian. We believe him to have been an
honest, honorable man, but he was so
saturated with the stuff they call
claw" that he was blind to "justice."
He was devotee in the temple of
technicality. He saw the rule more
clearly than he could see the reason.
Some thirty years ago the politicians
and place-holders of this. state could
not get the taxes rapidly enough from
the people, and they determined to ap-
ply pressure to them; and so they paid
Mr.. Gilfillan, then poor attorney of
St. Paul, fee of 500 to prepare bill
that would squeeze the last dollar out
of them. And Mr.. G. got up law
which was the basis of our present sys-
tenn, whereby notice was served on the
delinquent taxpayers through the
news papers. and a judgment taken for
the amount claimed, in formal law
suit; and the defendant shut off from
all remedy, after brief period allowed
for redemption: and thus thousand
dollars worth of hard-earned
home could be taken from the
owner irrevocably, for two or three
dollars. And then outside parties we're
invited, from all over the world, to
come in and seize the poor mans land,
under another law, which said that if,
from any defect, the shark did not get
back his money and the enormous in
terest due upon it, the whole people
of the county should make it good to
him. And then Mr.. Gilfillan was elect
ed to the bench Of the Supreme Court,
and he persuaded the Court to hold,
in the Chauncey-Wass case, that If
farmer paid his taxes on his farm, but
the county auditor neglected, from
mistake or collision, to mark it paid
on the books, and the farm was sold
for the non-pdyment of the tar that pas
really p aid, the fellow who bought the
tax-title, for few dollars, took the
farm, and the owner, who owed the
state nothing was kicked out Of doors!
A more villainous piece of injustice
was never heard of in any age or coun-
try, Christian or Pagan. But these
people seemed to think that the great
end Of government was not the pros
perity and happiness of the people but
the collection of taxes! And they have
kept this thing up, until now thirteen
millions of dollars of taxes are wrung
annually in this state, from the hard
earnings OF the people, and used to
build splendid buildings to crafty the
vanity Of favored towns; to send MIN
compoops to Paris; to lend money to
the banks to lend back to the people;
to maintain every kind of charity that
idleness and knavery can devise; to
create Christopher Colum bus Andrews
a fire warden to prevent timber fires,
etc, etc, etc. as if the resources Of
the people we're boundless and they
were rolling in wealth.
All these views we presented, time
and again, in the old A n IT, -Monopolist,
and on the floor Of the Legisla ture,
but we might just as we'll have roared
them into the mouth Of the north
wind on Red River prairie, in mid
winter. The dance of death and dev-
iltry went on. But at last the fools
begin to get their eyes open. The
Minneapolis Times, one of the fools,
the other day said:
"The Supreme Court Of Michigan
not long since gave check to one of
those Quasi-criminal industries where
ever men set money above honor
which is, unhappily, pretty nearly
everywhere. In the case which evoked
the decision referred to, the title was
in dispute to certain lands claimed by
the defendant on appeal under tax
title. The appellant, whether from
misfortune or neglect, had defaulted
his taxes for the years 1887 and 1888,
and the defendant bought in the land
under tax title, a loosely constructed
statute giving color to this surrepti-
tious title. The court threw this
claim out of court and restored the
land to it's rightful owner on condi-
tion, of course, that he pay the arrears
Of taxes.
THE courts decision was based on
TECHNICAL grounds and may not be-
come an available precedent to put an
end to this nefariOuS business, but
since it was rendered there is said to
have been marked falling off in the
tax title industry and temporary re-
vival of decency among capitalists.
small and great, OF Michigan.
tGM ri irron ic thu np1xy fof
which the shark industry has flour
ished, but it ought to be the last.
Among the many methods Of making
money out of the misfo rtunes Of 9TH
erS traffic in tax titles is, perhaps the
most deSpicable. 1t is reproach to
any state to give aid or countenance
to such business"
Very we'll said. Thanks.
Taxes ought Of course to be paid;
but there are many ways OF collecting
taxes without robbing man Of his
home, for few dollars. The home
should be sacred. Strictly it should
pay no taxes. 1t is the spot of land on
which God places family. 1t should
be walled in against the selfishness
and cruelty of mankind; and the very
lightnings Of heaven should play
around IT to defend it; even as the
fiery sword, turning every way, guard
cd the gate of Paradise.
And the breed of wolves should be
kept in legal restraint, lest some day
an infuriated people rise up and rid
the world Of them, by exterminating
the perverted and bh,odthirsty crea-