Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-02-16
A BILL BEFORE THE LEaIsLA,
TURE TO TRAP THESE
FELLOWS.
THOUSANDS ESCAPE TAXATION.
Auditing Committee Looking Up The
Records Of Labor Commissioner
ROzelle-His Peculiar Way
Of Doing Business
Capt. Aliens
Letter.


CAANf EG1s I'LL nDmb
would invent e way to store
up a few ship loads Of this IS degrees
below zero air we have had during the
past week and send Il to Dewey and
Otis, with q half dozen . inch hose
with directions TO shoot 1t at Aguin-
aldo and his Filipinos, there would be
no more trouble In those far away
islands. Cotton shirt uniforms would
'play out'' and fighting with bows and
arrows would cease forever.
But few Of US take pleasure In pay.
ing taxes. They are q necessary evil;
not one should be allowed to escape
or dodge except By law, and the ak
ceptions should be few and far be-
tween. Yet, it is q fact known to all
men that millions of dollars escape
the assessor every year because said
millions are loaned out and are rep
resented by notes which the assessor
cannot possibly know of unless the
owners voluntarily give them in for
assessment. They r good notes,
signed by good men Is principal and
sureties; often times secured by mort
cages or deeds of trust. How can
these notes be reached for taxstion9
Why should they not be taxed? House
bill No. us, commonly known as the
Slate bill, proposes to get at them
thus: They are required to be listed
for taxation. II the owner fails to do
30 he is declared guilty OF a misde-
meanor and on conviction is ineable
in the sum of SIS to 81, 900 and a a
further penalty, II he attempts to sue
on said notes and his failure to list
them for taxation be pleaded by the
defendant, be shall not have judg-
ment, but judgment for the whole
interest shall be given for the benefit
Of the school fund in the city or
county wherever such suit lie institute
ed, and, furthermore, II he assigns or
transfers OF sells or in any way dis
poses Of such notes for the purpose Of
avoiding taxation he lie subjected to
the same penalties.
During the debate on this bill 1t was
stated by several members that they
knew OF men who are worth 100000,
some 100000, who paid taxes on
only eight or ten thousand dollars;
and such men are scattered all over
this State. This bill, as Indicated by
the vote on its engrossment, win pass,
and II not sufficiently stringent 1t
should be amended by a future legis-
lature. Equality Of taxation should be
the watchword Of all tax payers.
Mr.. Smith, Of Saline, has introduced
q bill providing for the incorporation
Of mutual live stock insurance COM
paniss, requiring $500 of paid up cap
ital, a board of Eve directors, &C.
Such companies T limited TO the
insurance against loss by death from
disease or accident or by theft or any
contingent event which may be the
subject OF insurance, except loss by
fire, Of horses, mules and cattle for a
term not exceeding two years and for
an amount not TO exceed $3.50 on any
one animal. When the amount Of
any loss exceeds the cash on hand in
the treasury of the company then an
assessment may be made by the board
Of directors on all insured stock at
such rate as may be necessary to meet
the payment Of losses. The board of
directors are authorized to hx the
rates, sc. This bin is worthy of serious
consideration at the hands Of the peo-
pie of such q horse and cattle county
as Audrain.
Mr.. Greeson, of Benton County,
takes a shot at somebody by introduce
ing a bill declaring 1t to be unlawful
for any person 10 practice any system
Of treatment Of the human body for
the cure of any silment of mind or
body il said system is not in accord
with the practice as taught and recog-
nized by legally chartered medical
institutions in good standing. lie he.
shooting at osteopathyf
The auditing committee appointed
by the Governor, comprised of Sena-
tor McClintic, Speaker Ward and
Rep. Mueller, of st. Charles, made
their report on Wednesday last,
which, at this writing, lie in the hands
Of the printer. The report is impor-
tant only as 1t elbows up the doings
and misdoiDgs of Labor Commissioner
Rozelle during '97 and 'as, and II shows
him up In pretty good style. It is
said that Mr.. Rozelle was at his ONCE
very seldom, that the whole business
OF the ofice was transacted by his
chief clerk, and his methods of ex-
penditure Of the public money were
not only exorbitant but unparalleled.
When he desired 10 run out 10 q little
country town and spend a month or
90 with his wife be would charge upl
a big expense account as "expenses
while hunting up labor statistics. /"
Various other curious accounts were
found. The Labor Commissioner
gives a $4,000 bond and IL Mr..
Rozelle has cut very deep into the
State "piep a suit viii perhaps be in
stituted by the Attorney General.
Public officials who prove themselves
to be public malefactors should re-
ceive q malefactor's punishment.
The last Legislature placed the Con-
federate Home at HigginsviIle and
the Federal Home at st. James on the
footing Of State charitable institu-
lions. The report of the board Of
managers Of the Confederate Home
has been printed and laid before the
House. 1t shows that there are $50
old soldiers at the home, and appn-
cants waiting to be admitted sufficient
10 run the number to 215. The report
shows that 1t takes an average Of
nearly 21e per day to feed, clothe and
keep comfortable these old veterans.
This estimate lie based on actual ex-
penaltures and includes everything
even burial expenses. These old
soldiers, the report says, are from IS
70 so years Of age ana many Of them
helpless and have no means whatever
70 draw on outside of what the State
may provide for their declining years.
The report sets forth In detail the