Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
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Frequently she goes away more convinced of
this than when she enters. for reasoning
and the exposure of the books have no eff
feet The Clerks in the tax office though they
look so. are no nearer perfect than bank
clerks. Insurance clerks department clerks
or, indeed. good clerks in any line Errors
occasionally happen. though they are very
rare. and they are not always against the
taxpayers.
The perfect tax clerk, like perfect man
in any other sphere of life, the man who
never makes a mistake and who thinks he
cannot make a mistake, is rather a rare
BIRD. There have been sCme in the tax
Office but just about the day thew heca me
perfect they died, and the world lost Them
or. at least, they lost the world Tax
payers reed never go away from the office
dissatisfied Tor the reason that every rec
ORD in the office Is q public record and IS
open to the public inspection freely at all
times. This is specially the case in connec-
ton with bills for arrears of taxes which
are the most annoying. No bill is ever pre-
scented unless it is based upon the record in
the tax books. and every one has the right
to look in the books on his own reouest
at any and all times. There is one pecu-
harity about bills for taxes They hold
good any length of Tina whether presented
or not This seems to be startling to some
but 1t does not take long to convince them
that 1t Is the law, though they do not al
ways relish it. l think. in view OF the
enormous amount of bills handled. that the
me OF transactions that | know Of and
nave had rather extensive experience out
side, but that they occasionally happen I
90 not deny. They occur everywhere ex-
Cept in heaven. When they do occur they
are discovered as frequently by the clerks
IN the tax office as by those who pay the
taxes and are promptly righted.''
x y :;
Horses are exceedingly scarra this
spring. remarked well-known horse
tR1l tf
they are way up as far as price is con-
cerncd. the poorest animals offered bring
ing even more money than good horses did
last spring. No one seems to know the
cause of thu scarcity. and not having any
better reason it is blamed on the Spanish
war, though the Spanish war. as a matter
Of fact. did not have anything more to do
with it than did the Klondike excitement
the year before. Thare are a number of
small farmers who have found it cheaper
to get rid Of wintering horses and buy in
the spring. and these feel the scarcity very
much. In the past six or seven wears thu
ordinary cheap farm horse that might be
nj TO DO the necessary spring blowing if
Hothihs Else, could be bought at an ayera ge
price Of 50. The same horse tOda Y
will bring So. and he is grabbed up at
that inquire. Tn various business houses
express and delivery companies wear out
a number of horses during the fall and
winter months by having TO drive them
over the concrete streets. Generally these
We're the horses that We're disposed OF i'm
the spring, but this year the owners of
them prefer to hold on to them rather than
sell not knowing where they will get their
new supply from. Even crippled horses
with one or two legs out of shape bring
better money than did thoroughly sound
horses of the SAM grade last spring The
same thing holds good with family driving
4 Slyo /
of some of the latter this week for from
SlI5 TO SOD each that would not bring an
even hundred last year. Even at the in
creased price they are scarce The demand
seems 10 keep pace with the scarcity"
K
The Grand Army of the Republic has the
Cooperation of the Veterans Union and the
various garrisons of the Army and Navy
Union III the movement they now have in
hand to sancufy the uniform of the SOL
der of the army" explained a veteran to a
Star reporter. They realize that they
have a big job on hand, but have no fears
as to the outcome. 1t is really surprisna,
TO find what a lack of legislation there is
on the question of uniform of the soldier
and sailor. officer and rank and file alike.
There Is no end of regulations as to how
II shall hc made who shall pay for it and
now II y to be worn, but there is not one
line Of law which says who shah not wear
II ti4'tS - NO 9dcIetltSS Whatever about
the soldiers coat and his brass buttons
though there is no end to the poetry
and song about them. As has been
heretofore explained in The Star, there
is no violation IF law per Sc in the wear
ing OF the uniform Of the officer or soldier
or sailor. though the law distinctly orders
that the uniform shall he worn and the reg
ulations based on the law provide for it.
Thus the street tramp can parade UP and
down the street in a generals or admiral :
( Uniform or in the uniform OF the soldier,
OF course. II he commits any overt act he
can be punished whether in uniform or nor.
but ne adds nothing to the OfTcnsa or crime
| by adopting the military uniform"