The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-02-11
WILL ]. LAWS ADDRESS.

WILL j. LAWS ADDRESS.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen OF
he Convention; The subject. The
Duties of the County Board. which
has been assigned to me is very broad
md in order to discuss all the duties
If the County Board it would take
more time than this convention in
ended to allot me. Ii is highly prob
lble that will not be able to tell
his body Of County Commissioners
md Supervisors anything new regard.
ng their duties, vet, submit 10 You
what i have for consideration
There is no office within the gift
Of the people that is of more i'm
portance to the masses than that of
the board OF County Commissioners
aud Supervisors, because their bust
aess is dealing with matters that at.
feet the people, It is their work which
las to do with managing the finance
II the county; II is they who arrange
0 meet the obligations of the coun.
Y, and IL Is their duty to see that
heir county affairs are conducted In
IN economic manner; 1t is their duty
o see after the poor. the county's
wards, II is their duty to see after
building bridges in the county. so that
he people can get To the market with
heir produce; il is also their duty.
certain extent, to see that other
Ulcers of the county perform their
luties. and especially to see that the
| alary OF the county clerk and other
'fficers are not too high, and to sec
hat al OF the funds that come 10
heir hands are properly accounted
or
The first of these duties of which
will now speak, is that of revenue.
While 1t Is true there Is no system
which will do exact justice to all per.
IONS in all cases, and, while 1t is
true that approximate results can be
hoped for at best. yet, there Is an
almost universal feeling that our sys
TEN OF obtaining revenue IL faulty.
and that Its workings are bad. and
II Is no cause for surprise that some
find fault with one of its phases and
iome with another | am not here 10
lay who Is right and who Is wrong
with reference to the law as il ex.
lists. but to point out. II possible.
some improvement upon the enforce
nent Of the law as 1t exists. A law
theoretically correct may he, from
improper enforcement or lack OF en-.
sorcement, unjust and impolitc. This
'ital question has been discussed In
very legislative body that has as
sembled since our government was
organized, in every state in the Ameri-
can union, and yet. ! doubt If any
Dt the great states has law that
taxes all equally. and with which. ali
If the people are satisfied. and which
eould not be, even by the legislature
If the respective state. improved MP
IN.
The matter Of taxation Is one thar
has interested our people and has been
discussed since the thirteen colonies
were organized to resist unjust tax
alton from our mother country. Orr
torefatbers complained bitterly be-
cause they were obliged to pay taxes
without representation. This was a
fundamental principle. and was tine
prime cause OF the revolution
Equality in all things and to all per-
sons before the law. was then the
var cry Our war cry at this time
should be for good men 10 assess onr
property, who do not desire to use
their position for political or other
advantages. They should he men Of
good judgment with a desire to 10
Justice TO all men. They should as.
sess all property. both visible and in
visible. at its fair cash value. and
ali the assessors should have the same
basis Of reaching the fair cash value.
With that kind OF officials. properly
instructed before they start out to
assess We would relieve the county
board OF review from the greater
part of the difficult task nov en-.
eounTered by them. and would be OF
great assistance to the State Board
OF Equalization.
II is tn, duty Of the county board
TO meet with the different township