Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-04
TAX MATTERS IN COLPAX COUNTY.
A Democratic Taxpayer Airs His Griev-
ances-The County Pays 90 Per Gent
for the Collection of Delin-
quent Taxes.
To the Editor of the New Mexican:


Springer, N. NJ, Feb. 2s.-Will you
kindly allow an ''old time Democrat
sufficient space in your paper. inst to
state a few things in connection with
the tax matters In this county? While
l do not take your paper for The politi-
cal news 1t contains and can not agree
with you, yet you are talking right out
lin meetin" as regards taxes, and you
seem to be the only editor who does so.
| do not like to write In Republican pa
pers and would not do so If our own pa
us old-timers save the Democratic party
from impending defeat which is being
brought about by young "up-starts,
who are in politics for personal gain. l
do not believe all our papers In this
county are what youterm Subsidized" as
regards this tax matter, but for some
reason they keep quiet. A local editor
here in the last issue of his paper notonly
sanctions the contract our commission
ers made last October with two extra at
torneys to collect taxes Tor 20 per cent,
but advocates the payment Of even so
cent for such purpose, and as he states
1.-The matter should be continually kept
up" not only in. this county but las
we'll as in every other county In the ter
ritory." tg&
Now this may be all right according
to his way of thinking, but most of us
here think it a poor way. | am not q
fluent writer like our able editor and
cannot express my ideas as grammatical
ly correct, but l do not believe in paying
SO per cent nor 20 per cent for the col
lection OF taxes, to special attorneys or
collectors. We pay a collector and n
district attorney to do this and hiring
extra collectors or attorneys seems to
me to be poor business. Our editor
says: ''The territorial law is deficient
in the matter of tax collections" But
he does not state how. | am not a law
yer either, but / don't understand how
these special collectors can make the
laws any better and thereby collect the
taxes, and our editor does not state that
the special collectors or attorneys
Though they have acted as collectors
only, 81 far are better collectors than
our county collector. Take it for
granted, the editor mean they are, the
law is strong enough to make the col
lector do his duty or remove him. This
also will apply to the district attorney.
No, Mr.. Editor, it will not do to blame
the territorial laws" WI must blame
everybody who was a party to this con-
tract made for spoils and the newspa-
pers that uphold it, and we Democrats
here, who have fought political battles
for over 20 years, will fight even this
battle and stand between the taxpayer
and absolute wrong, as we have always
stood, knowing it to be the only true
ground an honest Democrat can take.
Others may differ and say that we are
not polite and do not. help II people
when in power, that We may, perhaps.
gain one Republican vote by this dis
honest contract, and my reply is that
while we may and no doubt will gain
that one Republican vote, that the con-
tract will take from us 200, and perhaps
400, honest. true and tried Democratic
votes.
Yours for honesty and especially in
tax matters. TAXPAYER.