The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-10-17
NEW TAX CODE.

NEW TAN CODE,
The Work of the Tax Commission and
Comments Thereon.
The State tax commission has come
to the conclusion that property, for the
purposes of taxation, should be assessed
at its true and full value in money: con-
sequently, we may say. that the State
tax commission has arrived at the wise
conclusion that the law as it stands on
the statute books is law and should
be enforced. It has been customary in
this State, and we believe all other
States, to assess property for the pur-
poses Of taxation at a percentage of it's
value; what that percentage might be
has been regulated by the physical or
mental condition of the assessor or
other authority having the matter in
CHARGE A disordered liver, for in
stance. would have an alarming effect
upon the amount for which certain
locality or certain person would be
assessed, and a slight headache or a
dose OF hay fever has. been known to
play havoc with the bank account of
the down trodden taxpayer in certain
localities. This is not overdrawing
the case in the least: the law has been
ignored by every officer from the asses
sor who first makes the levy to the
county attorney in whose hands the
delinquent taxes are placed for final
adjudication. This universal disre-
gard of the law is so evident to the tax
commission that that body puts forward
as new propositions what is now, and
always has been, the cardinal. the vital
principle of the law as it stands now
and always has stood, that property for
the purposes of taxation shall be asses
sed at its true and full value. This
much settled the rest is a matter of
detail only. There may be a wide
divergence of opinion as to how results
are to be obtained along the lines of
certain machinery of the law, etc.. but
in the final analysis if the heart of
the law is preserved and allowed to
perform it's functions the results will
take care of themselvs. 1t is possible
-probable-that constitutional amend
ments may be required to preserve this
provision of the law sacred, so that it
will apply to all forms of property, but
when that is done the tax law will be
as perfect as it will ever be possible for
man to make it. If the provision of
the law requiring that. all property for
the purposes of taxation shall be asses
sed at it's true and full value in money
can be made to apply to all forms of
corporate property we see no rea-
son why it cannot-then this class of
property, although, in some cases,
paying certain percentage each year
on gross earnings, can be made to pay
such a percentage of gross earnings as
would yield a tax that would lie equiva-
lent to one levied as in the case of
ordinary classes of property-and at it's
true and full value in money. The tax
commission has taken a long step in
the right direction in declaring an OBJ
solete provision of the existing tax law
in full force and effect. AS before
stated, the rest is comparatively easy
and a matter of detail only. If the
commission will keep to the front the
vital point they have elucidated: pre-
pare simple code that the laymen as
well as he who is versed in law can un-
derstand; provide for county, instead
of township assessors; abolish the city,
town, county and State boards of equali-
cation and substitute in their stead
permanent tax body, it will have earned
it's salary as we'll as the thanks of all
people who belive in a just and ca vi
table distribution of the burdens of
taxation.-Stillwate Gazette.
E. M. Farnham has taken the bust
ness management of the Rural Tel
OpbOAO wy 1uC W Ill lOOh dl USr Ul0 con-
struction of the lines of the new COM
pany. Mr.. johnson has tested the line
between his place and Wyanett and re-
ports that it is working all right.
Princeton will soon be connected with
Wyanett and it will MOI be long before
Cambridge can be called up-or down
The company held a meeting yester-
day and disposed of the current bust
ness, paying bills to the amount of $40
and making arrangeme nts for the COM
pletion OF the line. By next Monday
it is expected that the line will be in
operation between here and Wyanett,
and there will be twelve telephones on
this part of the line.