The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-09
Law FOR TAX DODGERS
CHAPTER IA OF STATUTES OF 1895
SAYS LISTS SHALL BE
PUBLISHED
NEWS FOR THE OFFICIALS
d lin
County Attorney BigelOw Admits
Publicity Should BE Given to tho
People Who Get Out of Paying
Their PERSONAL Property Taxes
County Auditor Johnson's Atten-
ton Also Directed to the Law.

~ =
The discussion relative to the best plan
for securing the payment Of delinquent
personal property taxes and the sugges-
ton that the printing Of the list or delin-
quents would bring in considerable mon
ey has brought to light q law under
which 1t Is the duty of the board Of coun-
ty commissioners to have the list printed.
The attention OF the G o b has been
called to chapter IA Of the Laws Of 1885,
which, after prescribing the course to be
taken in the collection Of personal prop
erty taxes, winds up with the following
provision:
Said treasurer shall deliver such list
and affidavit with his certificate attached
to the board Of county commissioners at
their first session, thereafter and they
shall cancel such taxes as they are salts
fed cannot be collected. A copy Of the
tax list so revised and also separate list
OF the taxes so cancelled shall be includ-
ed In the records of the proceedings Of
said board and published in full as part
OF such proceedings.
The delinquent personal property tax
list for 1898. which was delivered last year
to the board of county commissioners of
Ramsey county. contained the names Of
1928 persons who, had failed to pay per-
sonal property taxes. Under the law the
county commissioners Cancelled 1000 of the
names or. the list, undoubtedly for the
reason that they were satisfied the
amount could not be collected. This left
l,500 names on the list. and In each case
the amount was in excess of S. some of
the amounts running as high as So. No
list Of the delinquents was published, as
required by law. but the list was filed
with the county auditor and made part
/. Of the proceedings Of that body.
County Attorney Bigelow, when his at
tention was called sto the 1895 law by a
reporter for the GIL 9 yesterday said
there was no doubt but that the list
should be published as part Of the pro-
ceedings Of the board of county commits
sioners. He had not been aware Of the
law, but IL 1t had mot been repealed 1t
meant just what 1t said
County Auditor Johnson seemed surpriS-
ed when his attention was called to the
provision requiring the board Of county
commissioners to publish the list Of de-
linquents. Afterward he stated that the
reason the list was not published was that
the commissioners swere Of the opinion
that 1t would be sending good money aft
er bad. In speaking OF the failure Of tax
payers to pay personal taxes the auditor
said propositions had been made to him
by a number of lawyers to collect the
delinquent PERSONAL taxes on percentage
basis. The fact that the county would
get but 15 cents of every dollar collected.
and have to stand all the expense, had
made him think there was not much in
the proposition If the city would stand
share Of the expense 1t might be good
thing to let the lawyers go ahead with
the collection and take pay on percent
age basis.
A city Official. in speaking Of the reason
advanced by the county commissioners
that 1t would cost too much money to
publish the list Of delinquents. called at
tention to the fact that the real property
delinquent lists were published at 10 cents
per description. and considerable more in
words and figures were put In each line
than would be necessary in printing the
delinquent personal property list.
eff the entire list Of delinQuents, num-
bering 1888. were published, and 10 cents
was charged for each name, the cost
would only be 1852, and then the public
would be able to see the names of those
who failed to pay. but were stricken from
the list by the board Of county commits
sioners. The statement that the publica-
ton Of the hist would cost too much is
hardly borne out by the facts, and evil
IDENTIFY the board of county commission
ers has some other reason for failure to
act under the law than saving the tax
payers money"