The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1900-03-24

Tax Dodgers Are Up Against 1t and La,
Down Easy.

the tax dodgers, This county has sui.
Tered loss Unreasonable, aud been
branded as bankrupt from one end OF
the state TO the other all because a
number Of large outside hand owners
had banded together and refused to pay
their taxes Year after year they came
into court and succeeded in having their
taxes set aside MS Illegal upon technical-
itics but il looks as if their race is run
for some time at least.
Last Monday the Circuit court con-
vcned, 10 hear the tax cases. over nine
ihou'and descriptions were included in
the auditor generals petition ns delin-
quent and 10y Monday night arrange
ments had been made by which two
thirds OF this large tax was TO be paid
at once into the treasury. The taxes
for S97 were the ones that were to be
considered. The Taxpayers Assoca.
lion, the Ayers Estate aud the Michigan
Land d Iron company were interested
parties. The Taxpayers Association
and the Michigan Land & Iron company
had reiused 10 pay one-half OF tho
county aud county road taxes for that
year, claiming that the levy in each case
was excessive and relying upon little
incongiuitics in tho assessments TO
knock the taxes out. NJ. III. Moriarty
drove The iirst nail in the tax-dodgers'
coffin while township treasurer 81 Crys.
ID E.,li.. a
ia u brad every now aud then since. Mr..
Moriarty attached every vestige of per.
soual property belonging 10 the tax
payers that could be LEGALITY reach d in,
the collection oi about 81, 900 worth of
taxes THIS disturbed sone members Of
the Association SO that they withdrew
aud have paid their taxes regularly ever
since. l. w. Byers was the next official
To take fall out Of the tax fellows.
Last iil he threatened TO go after each
supervisor criminally II the board
refused to rensscss taXes that had been
the board, for the first time in the his
tory Of the count, ordered the taxes
rcasscssed. THUS the ice was broken
aud il was clear to the taxpayers that
these taxes would be renssessed
ycai after year aud accumulate so with
interest and other charges that, when
finally they would have to be paid they
would be very burdensome. But it
remained for the last legislature TO drive
home the hardest blow in the establish.
ment OF one dollar advertising fee and
making il ii lein upon the property
returned delinquent after the first OF
October preceding the advertising
Heretofore these fellows have fought the
taxes, knocked out what they could and
paid the Others before sale and thus
escaped the advertising fce, but this
ear they uwokc 20 find the usual route
blocked aud realized that, in ninety
cases out OF one hundred, the ndvcrtis-
ng Zee would amount to more than the
taxes they escaped paying. As soon as
around for settlement. The Michigan
Land & Iron people were the first
fellows to get ON their marrow bones.
They carried stIIi upper lip at first
and proposed TO ply half the tax only.
Finally they raised their bid to all the
tax aud interest and half the adycrtis-
ing. a. they had but a comparatively
few descriptions tho officials com
1.s.at.t fHhgt
Sherwood for the Taxpayers Associa-
tion, wearing bold front but feeling
around for coft spots IN the line OF Il
settlement. The boys felt that Mr..
than the Michigan people and they
taxed twenty cents per description
advertising Zee more onto him. Mr..
Sherwood sQuirincd a little but hc has
the reputation oi knowing what il "a
respectable limit to his "ante" and his
good judgment proved 20 be With him
this time for he settled on that bnsis.
IL was then up 60 the Ayers Estate,
represented by A. Il. Miller. The settle
mcnts had hind oi knUcked the pins
from under these people and they began
TO wrigelc like tsh out oi water.
There was considerable nnimosity to
these people because 81 The shabby
way they had lived up to their word on
the west side OF the county and the
officials had their minds made up tu
push them to the limit. Prosecutor
Bycrs would listen Go no reduction and
they finally came around and pnid mol
only the taxes of 1897 but also those OF
'9s and 30 ~ we'll Thus ended the
tax cases OF 1900.
Mr.. Sherwood has made the people OF
this city and oi the county in general a
very good proposition. lie says that
IL the township officials viii lot up a
little on the salaries they are taking
and straightcn ont the valuations thrro
viii be no trouble with the taxes in the