Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1895-01-18

ISIS IN our state Today After patient and
careful examination OF the law. an unable to
see where 1t fails to provide for an honest, Inn
partial assessment Tho fault seems to be
rather in the admins tration OF the law, than
in the law itself II the proper officers com.
piled strictly with every provision of the laws
relating to assess mont and taxation. there
would be little cause for complaint More Sc
we're penalties mi hit be attached for viola.
tons OF the law, but that remedy would hardly
accomplish the desired results. for when an
assessor makes his return, with property
assessed at from ten to twenty five per cent
OF Its real value. and swears that he has to
the best Of his judgment given the true value,
he knows, and everybody else knows, thai he
commits willful perjury. But how can you
pIove that he has not used his best JUDGMENT
in deciding values?
What, then, is the remedy? In the first
place 1t is impossible to get an equal. Just
valuation OF property under our prcsest sys-
tenn When you divide up this assessment of
pros perty among q larre number OF men,y GU
increase in the same proportion the difficul-
ties In getting a uniform valuation. 1t would
be great step in the right direction il there
were but one assessor in each county, and he
should be appointed for a term OF four years
by the judge OF the district court in which
that county IL looated, thu appointment to be
approved by the county commi SsIoners, who
should also decide the number OF deputies
that he should have, and should also approve
his selections BY having the appointment OF
the assessor made by the Judge and for
period Of four years. he Is removed from the
temptation to favor parties for their political
influence and he would be far more indc-
pendent in his attempts TO discover property
that Is withheld from assessment Now we
have about sixteen hundred assessors, soly
men with little practical experience selected
more because they have little else TO do and
Sail an1a RNUfR a. lnna htI
assessment down so that his township may
pay less than its honest share OF the taxes.
These men are elected for one year, and are
dependent for their reelection upon the
men whose prote rty they are valuny.
The county commi 'sioners should be re-
quired not only to equallze rs at present, but
It SHOULD DO their sworn duty 10 raise tho as
sessment OF any peoe OF property that they
found placed below its actual value and in
case county assessors are to do the work. the
time Of assessment shoull date from January
LIST. thus giving two months more time for tho
assessment But there Is little hope OF I'm
provement until more faithful administra-
tion OF the law can be had 1t makes less DIFF
ference what the law is than how 1t is ad-
ministored. There ought also to be some
right OF appeal from assessments that are
grossly and outrageously unjust Now tho
assessor fixes the valuation, the commission
ers refuse to change It, and the taxpayer Is
OBLIGED to submit to what he knows Is LEGAL
lied robbery am we'll aware that the right
OF appeal would have to be restricted. but the
very fact that the right to appeal existed,
would make the county commits sioners more
willing to do justice
Collie tion LAWS.
The legislature OF 1893 enacted law to reg
ulate the sale and redemption OF real estate
under execution, etc 1t was doubt ess tho
purpose and desire OF the trainers OF this act
to furnish relief to those who had mortga-cd
their homes and were unfortunately unable to
meet their obligations but the law seems TO
have had directly the opposite effect from
what was intended
The past two years have witnessed rapid
withdrawal of capital from the state, and the
amou mt would have been much larger II 1t
could have been collected II Is estimated
that si5, 900 900 have been withdrawn tho past
two years by parties In the East. who had
loans secured by real estate, and who have
lost confidence In Kansas investments while
nearly all the large insurance companies and
savings banks which have been accuSt ONE
to make loans here positively refuse 10 take
any new mortgages until the laws are
changed
I take it for granted that there will be no
difference Of opinion as to the advlsabillty OF
securing inve stmcnts OF foreign capital The
wonderful de velopment of our grand youn
state-unparalelcd In the history OF the
world-has been due. to very great extent,
to the free inves tment OF capital from the
eastern part OF the country. This has been in
the main largely beneficial to both sections.
The lender has received fair rate OF interest,
and the borrower has In most cases made
money by his inv es tment while thousands OF
others have been greatly heneiltc j by tho
rapid development OF the state and the con
sequent increased value OF all property.
Without these inv estments there would be
L. raftn In nNNE
state today.
II is worse than idle-it is
simply idiotic-to brand every East
ern man who has sent mone' TO
theI state TO be invested. as robber and an
enemy; and the results OF this course have
been to work n serious injury to the bor-
rover In fact, but for the impairment OF our
credit by the legislation undcr discussion and
the public sentiment 1t represented, there
would have been no such demand for the
payment OF mortgages, from which We have
suffered so immeasurably but lenders would
have sought to extend their loans at n re.
duced rate OF interest
tits hardly necessary to discuss here tho
question OF whether the mortgage indebted
ness Of the state has been benefit or an In
Jury. It exists, and the great mass OF our
people desire to honestly pay their debts at
the earliest possible moment 1t is gratify'
ing fact that can properly be mentioned In
this connection, that the census returns show
that three fourths OF the mortg age Indebted
ness represents either the purchase-money OF
the farms or permanent i'm provements thoro'
on. And the further fact might be mentioned,
that the increased value OF the real estate in
the state from 1881 TO 1897 the period when
most OF the debt was created. was largely In
excess OF the total Of all mortgages and
nearly sufficient to pay the entire indebted
ness and all OF the interest thereon for the
ten years And this increased value was
largely the result OF the enterprise and on
ergy that prompted men to buy farms and TO
place MORTGAGES on the farms they already
owned that they might increase their acres
or make betterimprovements thereon. The
present condition. with confidence entirely
gone on the part Of investors, is an unfortu
nate one for the borrowers. While the re-
turn OF favorable agricultural conditions and
good crops would be an important element in
restoring cor fidence. still 1t is not the princi-
pal one. and the strongest proof OF this state
ment Is found in the fact that money on real
estate loans can be obtained much moro
easily. and at less rates OF interest in Mis-
souri, and Nebraska than It can IN Kansas.
You may enact as many laws as you please,
but you cannot disturb the immutable law o
trade that makes the rate OF interest Dope
upon the security and the ease with which the
loan can be converted in to ready money
and ny legislative enactment that depreci-
ates the security and less ems the ability
TO force the collection OF debt, incrs asses the
rate Of in terost and works a common hardship
on all borrowers. Under the present law the
borrower can without paying interest or
taxes, retain control OF the property PLEDGED