The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-04-23
brute county Taxes.

Edi or Gil sPa'c:-The annual mse.ins OF the
assessors ind board Of county C, Hmissioners
is to be held at thamberluin, on Arr: ~. As i
understand. this NEE ting is called for the puI.
pose of agreeing upon Somn uniform basis of
nssessment and taxation, 1 believe that ii
would DO q eo9d time for the TX payers to meet
also. These meetings have been hell annually
for several years, and about I'LL that ! can see
that was accomplished was an undo s. aiding or
agreement between the county board and asset e.
ors, as to the best and most uniform plan of
"confiscation." L feel satisfied that the plan of
contieca;ion has been most beautifully carried
out, so fnr MS the assess rs and members CT the
board arc concerned, for several years lust
passed.
We have laws governing assessment and taxa
ton, bat for several years our commissioners,
township assessors aud township officers hhvo
paid DO atteption whatever TO these Jaws. IL
legal assessments ard tax ieves have been
made regardless of results. lthas been carried
50 far that foT the past two years it has been u
difficult matter 10 keep tax payers from enioin-
ing the county treasurer from the collection nf
these taxes. Forhcaranc has ut last ceased TO
he d virtue, and the towuslip assessors, town.
ship officers and beard of county commissioners
can rest assured thut unless our laws are strict
ly complied with. for the assessment of proper
ty and fur the levy of taxes for 1S2S, the tire asur-
er will be enioined from the collection OF airy
and all taxes for said year.
Compare tho assessment Ct property in this
county with the assessments of property in 9TH.
err counties. You will find that while other
counties are assessing lnnds and lots at about
one-third of their cash value, our ASSESSORS are
assessing for three times the cash valne, in this
way compelling our property owners to pny i've
times the amount of state tax that they should.
Its all very nice to reduce oui indebtedness.
a nice thing to talk about. Bat let us do ~ lc-
gally. In tina face of the outrageous assess
ments that are being made, is it right and legal
for our beard of county commissioners TO np-
proprlate Slo,pao.0O per year for Il sinking fund
when we have not one dollar Of bonded ihdebt-
ednessy | understand that they are doing this
right along, although they have been repeatedly
advised hat their acts were illegal. We need
more people and more property in our county.
IL this The way to get them? How many fami-
lies have left Brule courtyard gone west of the
Missouri in the last eight years. and how much
taxable property have they over there now:
Ninety per cent of thess people will tell you
they left. Brule county hecruse their property
was being ccntiscntad by nigh taxes,
We have as fine farming lard as can be found
anywhere, and rs fine Il place for a home, bn'
why are our lands being thrown uDGp the mar
ket ut present prices? Take the assessors
books for the past three wears. See how onl
lands are assessed. Multiply tho assf esed vain
alton by three to get the actual cash value a.
) compared with other counties. Then take thu
prices for winch those lands are being sold ant
, compare it with the actual cash value rs cb
tained above and on the basis of assessment o
SO per cent Of the counties in this state.
! Hope to see this state Of affairs rectIticd b.
the assessors and commissioner right now. l
it is rot, self preservation demands that TIL
: people take up this matter Mt once and soc tina
justice to our property owners is done.
, JUSTICE.