Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1902-10-02

administration OF county affairs
{ was not altogether fair with the
taxpayers"
Again the Beacon cites an ex-
ample for illustration Which reads
as follows:
"The codnty, for instance, buys
a tax certificate for $4,000 and
holds it for one year. At the end
OF that time, it is purchased by
the bank for $1,000. The owner
of the land comes next day and re-
deems it by paying the banker
| $1,000. In this deal the banker
IS $1,000 ahead and the county is
$1,000 short, though its money is
invested and risk incurred. Will
the REPUBLICAN explain now why
the county should not have the
other $1,000 if the farmer must
pay 1t to any one"
In the first place the board is
managing tax sale certificate
sales" in thoroughly safe and
conservative manner with a most
desirable effect.
1t is generally know fact that
during the demo-pop administra-
ton of this county, state and ma
ton that our people had to con-
tend with a financial panic.
Taxes on real estate were allowed
to become delinquent from ne
cessity. Not only were individ-
uals but mortgage companies and
corporations were so crippled fl
nancally that they could not and
did not pay their taxes on real
estate. On the return of the re-
publican party to power, prosper
lty reappeared and the county
board took steps to collect the de-
l1nquent tax on realestate. Mo-
individual would buy in the prop
erty at tax sale. The county de-
cided that the taxes could be col
lected by the county buying in all |
the delinquent taxes on realestate. |
This they did. The object of the
board was not to make money
out of the deal, but to induce
those who had an equity in the
property to pay their taxes. The
result was highly satisfactory.
AS soon as the local agents mott
he'd the loan companies that their
lands had been sold for taxes the
money was forth coming to re-
deem it and the county not only
got the face of the taxes but the
10 per cent interest, which is all
the law allows the county to col
lect. In fact it saved every de-
llnquent taxpayer whether he re-
sided in the county or was nom
resident from paying 20 per cent
had his land been sold to an in
dividual instead of the county.
In case the individual owner or
corporation did not redeem the
tax sale certificate, any one else
had the opportunity. What the
board wanted was for the county
to get its money. 1t did not buy
in the land for speculation and
could not collect more than
the legal rate 10 per cent had it
so desired.
But the board did sell where
ever-it could, whether pop, demo-
crat or republican made applica-
ton at face value and 10 per cent
interest. Should the owner allow
his land sold the second time to a
cN.AhSi Vi ah oiS SlSC IL was no
fault of the county board. They
were elected tolook after business
interest of the county. Neither
is the board to blame because the
law allows the individual purchas- |
er to charge 20 per cent when the |
county can only collect 10 per t
cent. The 20 per cent is the
penalty imposed by the law to
prevent taxes from becoming de-
inquent. 1t is not a fact the
county is $1,000 short when it f
sells 500 tax certificate for
S110. The banker or individual
who buys from the county can d
collect $120 and make $40, on the Il
In,1 h,,t t1,n ,n,,,1,,