The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-17
BEAVERHEAD COUNTY.
The Effect Will he Serious in Only One |
District.

The Effect viii he Serious in Only One
District.
Snecial Dispatch to the Standard.
Dillon, Oct. 16.-The Standard corre-
spondent interviewed Miss jamie " Car
ter, county superintendent of schools,
as to what effect the recent supreme
court decision relative to special school
taxes would have on the schools Of the
county. She had not yet obtained
thorough information upon the matter
and referred the correspondent to
County Attorney Poindexter.
Mr.. Poindexter said: -Four districts
in this country are concerned by the
decision, Dillon, Lima. NO. and No
49, The only district where the effect
will probably be serious is Lima. In
that district the railroad company and
few others pay the bulk of the taxes,
and the probabilities are that the rail-
road will refuse to pay the tax. The
effect will be that the school will suf-
fer. In the other districts it is gen.
orally thought that the taxpayers will
pay the special tax regardless of the
decision. as all recognize the fact that
the schools must be supported This is
especially true in Dillon, l am opposed
to special session of the legislature.
Governor B. r. White, member
of the school board and one of the heav-
lest individual taxpayers in the district,
says: "A special session of the legisla-
ture is to be avoided always, If at all
possible, but under no conditions should
the schools be closed Where taxes
have already been levied. and extended
upon the assessment roll. the treasurer
is bound to collect them. as he has no
power to erase or disregard the facts as
they appear on the tax list regularly
sent to him, but in any event, all good
citizens will pay the tax assessed this
year, if asked to do SO without regard
to the law, and this will keep the
schools running the present term. /
therefore see no need of any immediate
action, though 1T may be necessary be-
fore another years tax is to be
levied"
H. r. Melton, counsellor at law. q
member of the school board, says: In
the matter of the collection of special
taxes for the support of the schools, IT
would seem that some relief should be
had by legislation, but Just how the
legislature could remedy the matter for
the current year 1 cannot see. have
felt from the beginning that there
would be no trouble in collecting the
tax in the Dillon district. as the levy
is so reasonable and our necessities are
so great that every person who would
think of the situation for moment
would pay the amount, regardless of
all technical objections to the legality
of the tax. Nothing. in fact, would be
gained by the taxpayers refusing to
pay the tax, for in the long run the de-
ficiency will have to be made good.
when the legislature meets the law
will be corrected and put into such
shane as will allow the taxes. or some
taxes, to be collected to support the
schools, and then school boards will
have TO increase the levy next year and
perhaps for several years to come to
make up for the loss that is suffered
in the meantime.
IF the special levy we have made in
| this district is not collected we Will not
get over the effects of it in 10 years, In
my Judgment. AS to the idea of spe-
| cial session OF the legislature, l don't
| believe it should be called hurriedly.
| for it can do no immediate good, that
can see
State Senator Edwin Norris. who is a
member of the school board, says:
1.-The revenue derived from the general
levy is usually insufficient to run the
schools the customary length of time.
Such is the case in many schools of
Beaverhead county and also in many
other sections of the state. The spe-
cial tax law being void 7 can suggest
no source Of relief except from special
session of the legislature. Unfortun-
ate, as a special session would be, when
the financial condition of the state Is
considered, yet that Is likely lesser
evil than having many schools run only
half the time"
School Clerk ]. B. James says that
he thinks the decision will cut no figure
in the school year at Dillon, as all the
! taxpayers seem TO be willing to pay the
| special levy without protest