Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-05-27
Two Sides to the Question.


board which c..u>cd tn, ,Itrrl he-
tW'cn thc tN" knights, there = "it-
times enough want ui similarity upon
which !, base dccii,l opinion.
Thi~ i 80 regarding certain in,li'id-
ual ,:ip,j- made lur a reduction Of til"
"utra@ru>ly unjust tax levy that has
hcrn placed upon all property Ill
Thur-ton county, and Ia ZONE degree
upon that o! every municipality IN the
State Nine ont %: every ten o! our
most cntcrlri-.n- citizens have had
nothing but virtual conii>catiun OF
thcir worldly possessions to reward
them for that public spirit which, a
f"w years ago, gave an impetus to in
du>try that made every trade active
and everybody seemingly prosperous.
Nobody objected to Il high valuation
OF property then, when the assessor
came around, for it was easy enough
to pay, when money was plentiful, all
debts public and private. With this
stimulation to business came enlarged
ideas Of orr resources, and cXpcndi-
lures were increased in exact proper
ton. This was doubtless good judg-
mcnt, at the time, for nearly every
body unhesitatingly entered upon the
outer circles OF what proved to be Il
maelstrom. and very few thought OF
releasing themselves from its dclusive
yet delightful impetus until they had
entered the vortex and it was too late
for retreat. However much we may
condemn the judgment of those who
fail, after time has opened the eyes Of
all critics, We must accord, in this in
stance, some degree of praise for those
who risked and lost, when the loss in
ured in Il large degree to the benefit Of
the public, in giving steady and profit
able employment to labor and in de-
veloping Improvements that kept, and
has left, the community we'll in line
with the vanguard of progress that
swept over the whole country.
The Oiympiam presents one side Of
thought when it approves of the ac-
ton of the Board of Commissioners in
resembling its order for acceptance OF
fifty per cent. reduction of the taxes
due upon the property of one of our
oldest and most respected townsmen,
T. NJ. Reed. Its position that, it
would be unfair unless the owner
could show that the assessment was in
excess of other property values used
as basis of proportional taxation, is
impregnable. Those who have paid
their levy and those whose property
is still clouded by an unjust lien, have
right to protest against release of
obligation of anybody equally bound,
however much they may recognize the
injustice OF a course that has cast the
miasm OF the deadly upas over the
home circle and involved the whole
community in a fearful blight. The
boast OF American citizenship has
been that all stand upon common
groundwork of equality. The belief
that the principle involved in the
time-worn slogan Equality of all,
and special privileges to none," really
mean what the words seemed to i'm.
ply has been deeply ingrained into the
nature Of our people.
It is probably the impregnable as
spect of this contention that has
blinded the Olympian to the justice OF
Mr.. Reeds demand for a reduction
upon the very ground that every other
taxpayer has a right to relief-the
failure of our collecting officers to
maintain perfect and impartial rule,
applicable alike to rich and to poor, to
corporations as 10 individuals. A pre-
cedent was set few years ago, in
abatement of taxes levied upon the
Olympia hotel property, and it sticks
in the craw" that railroad taxes have
often been the subject of adjustment
and compromise, on much lower
estimate than the same judgment had
decreed should be the basis of the
poor mans levy. Looking at the mat
ter from presidents established, we
can see no good reason why Oily should
endeavor to lessen the force of the con-
tention that fifty per cent. of Mr..
Reeds taxes, paid now, would be an
excellent thing to cancel coupons OF
Understanding bonds, service for
which delinquent taxes are wholly un-
available. 1t seems to US that hori-
zontal reduction of taxes due, to q
limit that time has shown would have
been reasonable imposition when lev
led, even if it involved the rebate of a
proportion of the taxes already paid,
would be the only fair adjustment OF
the difficulty. 1t is neither earth, air
fire nor water that constitutes the
State, but living, breathing, industri-
GUS and enterprising men and women
Anything which discourages or pros.
trates them is a misfortune to the
State and everybody in it; while
everything which serves to stimulate
to enliven, to make confident, joyous
and happy, the people of a common
wealth, adds materially to the prosper
ity and stability of the State.
Cannot some means be devised by
which the burden of taxation and deb,
may be lifted from the shoulders OF Q