The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-01-30
nvite your attention is that of back assess

| division of the State, has undoubtedly
proven to be a great improvement upon
systems which were formerly in operation
The power of back assessment, while pos
sibly necessary to protect the State against
wrong, is nevertheless one that should be
hedged about with proper limitations; oIt;, SO as as
| serious disturbance to the business analrs
| of the State.
| of business enterprises for those engaged in
| them to know what their fixed charges and
| liabilities are, among which are the annual
| taxes, levied for the support OF the govern
| ment.
If, after a citizen has in good faith paid
| the taxes levied and assessed against him
| by the States representatives, he can In
| after years, without restriction, again be
| assessed and required to pay an addltlonal
| sum, with no right of appeal, it has a ten
| dency to disorganize business and to drive
investments from the State.
When the State has made its assessment,
| through its proper officers, and that asses
! ment has been reviewed by the county
| board of equalization and that again re-
| viewed by a State board of equalization,
thus giving the State three chances to as
| sert its just claims, and the citizen has
paid his taxes upon the basis thus fixed by
| the States agents. the State ought to be
estopped to go behind the assessment, un-
| less it appears that there has been some
| concealment Misrepresentation or fraud !;
s assessment, % o he ought @ to to- have right, if he
! considers himself aggrieved, to sue to re-
cover it back.
Criminal Costs.
| While the reforms inaugurated several
years ago resulted in materially reducing
the costs of criminal prosecution in the
State, we are still paying cut too much
money for that purpose. From the report
J of the comptroller it is apparent that these
costs are again increasing, year by year.
| This indicates that there Is leak some
! where. 1t should be found and stopped.
You should carefully investigate this i'm
| some plan to relieve the taxpayers of at
! least a portion of these enormous burdens
without impairing the proper enforcement
| of the laws, doing injustice to those
charged with it's execution.
| 1 would invite your attention to one sug-
| gestiOn which it seems to me should be
| adopted in justice to the State, and that is
| in all small felonies, where the prisoner is
! sent to the workhouse or jail for less than
a year. now provided by law, that the
| State do not pay the costs. In such cases
the county gets the services of the prison
working him in the workhOuse. In cases
| sent to the penitentiary the State can repay
! of the prisoner, but in workhouse cases 1t
| cannot
Mining Laws.
The vast beds of COAL iron and copper
and other minerals which have been found,
and which are now fast being opened and
| operated are making Tennessee one of the
great mining States of the Union. These
industries are no longer in their infancy,
but are rapidly assuming vast proportions.
employed a dOaTfS in their OPERATIONS. % Tn The fact
| that there has been within the last year
| or two number of most disastrous explo-
| sions in the coal mines of Tennessee, result
| ing in the sudden death of hundreds of our
citizens, admonishes us that the time has
| laws WILL if possible. prevent a recur-
renee of these horrors. These laws should
employe, but they should be such as to
| prevent, so far as human judgment and
forethought can ,,. do so, the mine worker
The number and extent of the mines in
Tennessee has grown so large that l am
| informed it is Impossible for the commits
| sioner of labor. with the other duties de-
| volving upon him, to find time to inspect
them often as the law now requires
and as thoroughly as the safety OF the
great interests involved would warrant.
Confederate Pensions.
The Confederate soldier fought for his
| State to establish and maintain q great
principle of constitutional government as
| he saw it. He believed he was right, and
| at the call of his State he left home, fam
| lily and property and gave the years of his
| best manhood TO her service.
At her bidding he freely offered his es-
altar of her destiny. When the war was
/ over he came back to a home of poverty
and want. and by his high and lofty pa
obedience to law and his industry and pro-
ductive energy as citizen he has contrib
| uted in no small degree to raise Tennessee
| from poverty and debt and place her upon
| the high. road to prosperity and develop
ater the cIose of the great
| in which he played so conspicuous a part,
! the old Confederate soldier comes and asks
| generous people to make the few remain
| ing years of his life less hard and rugged.
] This just and modest appeal should not fall
| upon deaf ears.
| The pension board informs me that there
are claims of absolutely just, worthy and
needy applicants, which cannot be allowed
| them, and they ask that the appropriation
heretofore r MADE zd for ro this PurP0se P be in
| Ommend that this request be granted 1t
has been suggested there are possibly per-
deserving. If there be such, they should
| be stricken from the rolls. None but the
absolutely 9 - deserving ,d and the needy, as
| lowed to share in this fund. 1t should be
kept in truth and in fact roll of honor.
! Industrial Developments.
| Tennessee is blessed as are but few Of
| her sister States with a mild and equable
climate, a fertile soil, splendid forests of
| hardwood and mines of great variety and
unsurpassed richness. The flow of men and
money is turning from the North and West
| toward the South. believe the day of the
| No State offer greater natural advan-
| tages for habitation or investment than
! Tennessee.
Our coal is abundant and of easy access.
We can manufacture iron more cheaply
| than can Pennsylvania. Our cotton fields
| are but stones throw from our coal
| fields, that the raw material of the for
mer be manufactured into the finished
product as cheaply here as anywhere in the
! to State are agriculture, mining and man
ufacturing. These great industries should
be fostered and encouraged by just and lib
| eral laws.
! st. Louis Exposition.
In the race for Industrial and economical
| supremacy among States and nations it has
| been found essential to make their re-
sources known to the world. For this pur-
pose nothing affords such splendid opportu-
nifty for a proper display of a States re-
| sources as a great international exposition.
| In 1904 what promises to be the greatest
| fair of the world will be held at st. Louis
in the State of Missouri. The national gov
| building and exhibit and other purposes,
| S6,36S, 600. The city of ST. Louis has raised
| S10,000,0OO, and the State of Missouri ST.
| 100000 to inaugurate and carry this great
| enterprise to successful conclusion.
| Many foreign governments and States of
| this Union have already made liberal appro-
| this exposition.
| Recommends Economy.
| recommend that you make an approria-
| tion of such a reasonable amount as you
display of the States resources and indus
| tries at that exposition.
In conclusion, l cannot too strongly i'm
| press upon you the necessity and duty of
| observing the most rigid and exacting econ
| omy in the administration of every depart
ment of the State government. Your ap.
| propriatiOn should be scrupulOuSly limited
| to the actual needs of wise and economical
| government.
pressing obligations, its fiscal affairs are on
| a sound and healthy basis, and they can
| only be kept thus by your unTavering ad-
| herence to the soundest principles of mod
You are the representatives of a great
| people, clothed with the highest civil trust,
propriate the money of your constituents
| / admonish you that that trust Is sacred