Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-06-10
ABOUT TAXES.
A Few Facts the People Should
Know.

\ Days Democrat each morning one
would naturally take the sheet and
its owner to be the only pure and up
| right angel in the land. Alleged tax
dodgers are fayed and officials are
quoted law morning after morning
for the purpose Of making 1t appear
that those whom the paper cannot
control are corrupt and should be
repudiated This paper owner who
prates about the poor man and the la
borer has ensnared the county COM
mssioners into n deal whereby he is
| to dispose of useless Crane bond sta
tionery and to awarding him hundreds
| of dollars from an already depleted
treasury virtual gift. while county
roads and bridges are allowed to go.
The poor farmer with holes in his
shoes must contribute towards this
gift by increased taxation as every
thousand dollars counts in a county
like La Plata.
But this is not all. This man Day
is trying to evade the payment of hon
est taxes and for some cause has been
allowed to have his way by officials
maybe by instruction of the chairman
of the board OF commissioners.
In the fall OF 1897 Day leased the
Democrat to Force and others. When
the enforcement of personal taxes was
started there were taxes due on the
Democrat while run by Day. These
taxes Willis A. Reese paid and holds
the receipt After tempestuous
journalistic career of eighteen months
by Force, Day took charge of the
Democrat, having retained ownership
throughout. as 1t was found not to be
vested In Force by creditors. Now
to tho point. The taxes for 1897 and
1898 were unpaid. OF course they
were charged up to the Democrat,
owned all the time by Day. Now he
repudiates the debt. He claims he
does not owe for these years and has
refused to pay the amount due into
the county treasurers Office. although
taxes since that time have been paid.
There Is due the county from Day on
account OF the Democrat for the year
1897 including taxes and penalty,
$91 and for the year 1898. $83.56.
making total of $155.20 due the
county from Day who repudiates the
account. notwithstanding his willing
ness to make deal with commission
ers to run the county into a hole by
securing work at three to fve times
what responsible parties are willing
to do It,
We are not informed what effort
Treasurer Balster has made to collect
this money. but 1t is his duty to collect
1t according to his oath of Office. The
money is as justly due the county
as the poor farmers tax on his lonely
waste of sagebrush, but Day has a
pull. evidently. and is not forced to
come to time whereas the farmer has
his land sold If he fails to pay.
The laws of the state of Colorado
make ii imperative for officers. to do
their duty in this connection as they
prescribe punishment for failure OF
neglect of public officers to perform
duties imposed upon them by law or
ordinance and for violating their Off
cial oath. Section / of the act relat-
ing to duties of officials in this con
nection is as follows:
Sec. l. Every person elected or
appointed to any offlce or to any and
every position of trust and employ.
ment under the laws of this state. OF
under any ordinance of any munich
pality In this state. who shall violate
his oath of Office or fail and neglect
to perform the duties of his office as
prescribed by law or ordinance shall
upon conviction thereof. upon indict
| IN pfnrpnntinn hn fnpl to, @,
sum of not less than $40 nor more
than $500 for each and every offense
and the court shall direct that the
defendant shall be confined in the
common Jail of the county until such
fine. together with the costs of the
prosecution. be paid. not to exceed
80 days. or until he shall have been
discharged by due process of law"
Now, it is the duty OF the treasurer
to collect the taxes for 1897 and 1898
and it is also provided that the district
attorney must act If officers fail to do
their duty. II was under the in
structions of the court and the above
act that District Attorney Spickard
counseled S. G. Wall and other treas
urers in the district to do their duty
in enforcing the collection of taxes.
II it was not for some such law a
treasurer might be retained in Office
for years and permit taxes of friends
to remain unpaid indefinitely. (Here
we desire to say that taxes were not
enforced by ]. l.. Parsons owing to
resolution of county commissioners. J
Now that the Herald has called at
tention to the matter there is but one
thing for the district attorney to do
and that is call upon the county treas
urer to collect these back taxes or
have him indicted for not carrying out
his oath of office and official duties.
AS before stated, we are not aware of
what action Mr.. Balster has taken in
the premises in the past. but The Her
aid now calls upon him to do his duty
Otherwise it will be necessary to in
stitute proceedings against him.
Day cannot escape the payment of
| this just debt as possession never