Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-01-22
Consider Well the Situation.

Consider Well the Situation.
cur Sol.u~ >LoM!d r,mciui"I Will,
c.n~id,riu. tho rrNruur law. 10 in
-.,u., mc..m- If arritiu. At Il Ju~t IL.
>r>-Inrni ii imir"Nrd realty i"r tax.
alton. "Ca>h IaiU, ! very inlcti-
nit. unless II j. construed to- mrm
th, dollars and cents property wuul'
hr!ug under the hammer. and that
can scarcely be- determined without a.;
practical demonstration. Cost value
would he unjust after the fearful de
probation OF realty when measured by
the gold standard. and during tn,
panic 1t ha- brought upon Us. 1t j,
manifc,tly unfair to place the valua'
ton at figure that imposes tax
levy which the use or rental al tn,
property will not pay, to say nothing
OF repairs, insurance, and 4 fair return
for the money invested. Still thi.
has been done.
There is one class OF taxpayers
whose interests seem to- he ignored on
forgotten in discussion of the WAYS
and means for an equahlc adjustment
of the yexcd questionable man oil
moderate means, who has invested all
his money in property that has kept
the raw and hammer busy when there
was reasonable prospect of an ade-
quate reward for enterprise. The
rich man can invest in government
bonds and pay no taxes, and he has
been allowed rebate for prompt pay
ment upon property that he finds it
profitable to keep in sight, privilege
that is denied the equally willing tax
payer who has no bank account to
draw upon. 1t is proposed to exempt
the poor man who lives in the country
to the value of home worth $500,
but his brother who lives in the city
may have just as many mouths to
feed and bodies to clothe without any
such beneficent provision.
1t does seem no more than fair, if
such an exemption is given the farmer,
that the mechanic should have pre-
fcrred claim to the tools by the use
of which he earns his daily bread, and
perchance he may own a modest cot
tage which is just as much home to
him and his family as though sur
rounded by broad productive acres of
land, that would seem to possess a
claim for like recognition.
Let our lawmakers take all such
facts into consideration when drafting
the law which imposes heavy penalties
and a high rate of interest if the
property owner fails to pay his taxes
when due, requirement that is just
about as possible for some to perform
as it would be to jump through solid
wall of adamant. Farmer Todd il
Illustrated this difficulty of obtaining
money on the best of realty-the
farm-in a speech last summer in
Columbia hall, when he stated exist
ing conditions by saying, at is i'm
possible to obtain 81 900 loan on a
$4,000 farm, and if it could be OBJ
tanned the farm would 60 to pay the
debt at maturity and a deficiency
judgment be hung up against the I'M
fortunate debtor" Nobody can rea-
lie how difficult it has been, and is,
to obtain loan on the best of secur-
ity, unless he has tried it, and the
promise for the future, with failing
banks daily reported, gives no hope
of better conditions near at hand.
The futility of securing prompt pay
ment of taxes by heavy penalty and
usurous rate of interest, was proven
years ago when GO per cent. of taxes
went delinquent with q maximum
penalty and interest imposed, and be-
fore any hope of a remission Of part
of the lien had been aroused by action
of the last Legislative. AS a "scare"
expedient it was then in as full and
active force as any device of threats for
confscation of property that can now
be framed, and it was impotent for the
simple reason that the property owner
was absolutely powerless to create
something out of nothing. Is the
prospect any better now? Or would
the State be benefited by applying
the knife to the throat of those who
have bourne the brunt and burden of
the day in placing the State and nearly
every community in it, in the front
rank OF progress
And when the last Legislature,
prompted by popular sentiment re-
bated a portion of the unjust penalty
and exorbitant interest-an action I'M
precedented in the annals of legisla-
tion-the result was not what was ex-
pected, from a continuance of hard
times and unproductiveness of the
property that had been assessed to
death. The State should foster enter
prise and protect the citizen who has
shown faith by works that now hang
as milestone to his neck. 1t is the
proper policy to build up desirable
citizenship, instead of pulling down
those who are weak and weary from
severe endeavor.
STATE LIBRARIAN. Gov. Rogers
has appointed Herbert Bashford, of
Tacoma, State Librarian. The ap-
pointee is young man who has grown
up on Puget Sound, and become noted