The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-05-26
CREDIT WHERE IT BELONGS

Sheriff Durbn Alone Originated the Pla
for Securing an Accurate Tax Roll.
desire 10 add few words of com
mendation made by the CAPITAL JouR
NAL, OF this city, commenting on an ar
iicle which appeared in the Woodburi
Independent recently, regarding tn,
present nominee for sheriff, Frank w
Durbin. The article in question and il
substance Is either an ignorant or els,
a wiliul misrepresentation OF the facts
and attempts TO rob Sheriff Durbin OF
a very creditable piece OF work on hi.
part, and accredits IL 10 Assessor Hobart
who WAS not the originator Of the plan
Tor making an accurate roll Of the delin-
qnent tax property. Not content with
this, Il adds another charge, that OF
sailing into office under false colors, "
which plainly shows that the matter of
selling property for taxes IL not alto.
gether the only motive prompting the
article. A general effort 10 inlure Mr..
Durbin, IL apparently, inasmuch as the
lacts OF the subject matter are 80 viii.
iuily saorniiced and cVlored for the sole
purpose OF benehtting some person
other than Mr. Durbin
sHNWf NJ w wv ANlN VI Aflt IlNIItT. and
IN Justice TO Sheriff Durbin, | feel free
TO say. (having been placed i'm A position
10 obserye) that Mr.. Durbin. as soon as
he became familiar with the dnties of
his office, NJ once detected (as "A man
Of his ability would the fact that II The
.ANiolls were properly prepared with |
owners OF the land-sOmethinp never /
lNlnTn nnnA with Nlsa al -
property would sell ana bring good re.
turns TO the county. Seeing the extreme
ldyisibility and expediency of such a
'hange being made in the rolls he AZ
lnce began 10 advocate and set forth
he worth OF such move. Those who
ire In any way familiar with the tax
oils know and can at once see the i'm.
'ortance Of having good, clear descrip.
ions Of each piece OF property 10 he
old, But little argument is necessary
o any one at all familiar with the tax
oils, Alter some personal effort Mr..
lurbin went before the County Court
nd laid the matter before il, and the
'ourt at once seeing the efficacy OF the I
ropositiop, exercised its good Judgment
nd ordered the work 10 be- done. This 4
'ork was done under contract and was
gigantic task. Accuracy being the
'atchword, the preparation Of these
plls, correct In every particular. as.
AIMED a stupendous work. The work
as done by Frank w. Waters, of this
~, a person having some 70 wears ex.
eTlence In handling all manner OF rec.
rds, and wholly competent 10 perform
~ work, as the work proved for itself
When this work of preparing the rolls
as completed, and the books turned
ier 10 the sheriff, the latter Immediate.
collected all the taxes, except the
'rsonal property tax, which would be
ipossible for him to collect. The
SCISSOR in no way was concerned in the
after, other than tn accommodate Mr..
alters, and his corps Of assistants. lie
vi nothing 10 do with the "clear de.
riplions" furnished, and did not
and AZ the back Of the sheriff as IL h
legged in the articles la the MOodburn
per II the assessors work brought
q buyers and the sheriff simply ala
the court ordered him 90 DO, why was
y contract let Ia Mr.. Waters? ILL.,
ese clear descriptions were 10 he
~ IA the asscssor's Office, why did the
aft ~ 10 useless expenditure OF hav-
u done ny some one else1 II they
re TO be had, Mr.. Durbin would have ID
own it and not have been before the an
art asking Tor that which he already siT
Il IL iss0 self evident that the facts 10
We been mlsrepresented in the Wood an
rn paper, in order 10 helittle Mr.. Dur. SA
}, that no special attention or denial WI
necessary except la cases where N wi
ght he read by some one not familiar an
IN the facts, and thus, hy giving the
'def only distorted view of the mat.
, prejudice his otherwise fair mind
inst sheriff Durbin.
therefore,, alter looking over the facts
l placing credit where crsiit is due. -
orsslit undeniably belongs 10 Mr. -
fhin, as u WAS he who first conceived M
plan that Was 20 successfully aud Y
'ntahly carried out. The county CONT
, showed its Wisdom Ia taking np
4 the new idea. and giving Sheriff
rhin It's ontino and hearty support in
matter Mr., Waters dld the work.
the Woodhutn paper, Ia its effort 10 ria
redit 10 someone elsc Nhat rightiully an,
ongs 10 sheriff Dnrbin, meets the a I
} III all things that are 'built uaon tSel
sands, Il falls to the ground. lext
IN Is like liamlet's ghosl-you can't =
q Il down.
'e can but come 10 this conclusion.
Mf paroln = uoi sailing into Of
ondor false colors,' nor does he de-,
to DO s0.
q ne therefore place tho credit ana
h Nhero u belOngs-iO Mr.. DuFbin
the county Clork. .--NeFifaa In n. -.