The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-02-18
Mr.. Anderson Quotes the Law.

board of county commissioners adjourn
ed without taking any action on the
suggestions given in former article.
The reasons given by mem ers Of the
board were: I'VE are doing as we'll AS
can be expected. We have paid $4,000
on our Indebtedness. Someone quoted
law prohibiting the county from own
ing real estate"
That all your readers may know the
law I'll quote in full Sec. l2S, Chapter
%, Session Laws OF 1897, approved on
March 10, 1897. If there are any later
acts on the subject l would like to
know it,
12S. Treasurer to Deed to County,
All pieces or parcels of real property
bid in by the county under the provis-
ions of this act and not redeemed
or assigned" within two years from the
date of sale tax sale, shall upon the
Treasurer giving the notice required
by law, become the absolute property
OF the county, and upon payment of
said county of the taxes due the var
ious funds upon said sale, the Treasurer
shall issue a tax deed therefore to tn
county in the same manner as to indi-
vidual purchasers, and the county may
sell and convey said real estate in such
way as or hereafter be provided by
law for selling real estate, and the pro-
ceeds of such sale shall be placed TO the
credit OF the county general fund.
Sect. l46, Act repealed, all acts or part
n lot hi
pugnant thereto are hereby repealed.
This Dug ut to settle the question of
law. Now let US analyze this law.
All peices Or parcels of real estate
on which taxes is not paid within three
years, shall upon the treasurer giving
due notice, become the absolute prop
erty of the county. That the county
shall take possession, collect rents, or
sell it or when the county finds pur-
chaser it takes deed, and then, and
not till then, the county treasurer pays
to the various funds theis dues. Now
it.seems the duty of the treasurer
is plainly set forth. And those who
have paid their taxes insist that
the law be obeyed. Public policy al
ways plays a prominent part, in the
enforcement of law and the question is,
would it be good policy to inforce.
1 claim it would, first as right to hose
WHO pay their taxes equal and exact
justice to all is the platform our pres
ent officials we're elected on. That is
what the refOrmers voted for, and
they want it. Second, 1t is absolutely
necessary that we realize on our as.
sets, which is according to the last re
port SAIL 1922 while our indebtedness
is 5000, 432, IS exclusive of the school
money loaned. This indebtedness
must be cut down or Pennington
County will be bankrupt. Our inter-
est charge is $500 per annum-or to
bring it nearer home $1,000 for each
voter-if we assume that only half of
the voters are taxpayers, we have 500.
interest charge per tax payer The
rich manage to escape large share of
what they ought to pay then the heav-
lest burden comes on the middle class.
The merchants and mechanics in
towns who own their homes, and the
few farmers left, if this class is not re-
lieved they will soon go to the non
paying class, which is not good policy.
We are doing as we'll as we can, we are
told; [ deny that. There is large
amount of property both in city aud
county which has not paid any taxes
for six or seven years; if we let it run
longer the chances are the property
h,.ir, II
es. There is no time like the
present, for the county to take posses
sion, and quit assessing it, If We
should get a boom the county will
and ought to be the gamer. While the
only way it can be loser, is to let
it run as heretofore. We all know
that the collections for this year have
been the heaviest On record. We also
know that the expense of running the
county has been cut down to bed rock;
I'M spite of all this our indebtedness is
increasing: at aoy rate that is what the
figures show az the end Of thefiscal year
1896. Oar outstanding warrsLl,t is were
$14S.5S2,4 As.
While January 1st 1898 it was $751;,
2S2 an increase of 81. 100 of warrant
Indebtedness in one year and six
months but to that must be added Ii
years interest on &l4S,5 which
amounts to S15, 600 as total increase of
indie btedness of $1,000 in time of
utmost economy and extra collection.
repeat heroic measures are necces-
sary, and ii those who are interested
with enforcing the law are not disposed
to do it Willingly for one am in favor
o. compelling them to do it. A new