The Greeley tribune., 1906-02-01
WORD TO SAY
SATIRICUs AGAIN IN PRINT
WITH KICK
Commends Judge Garrighes for
Decision in Revenue Law
Case-Bad Legislative
Enactments.

Editor the Tribune Il have been
absent from town. Your readers
have probably not observed the fact.
Thus It may happen that when an
eminent and useful citizen drops out
of the public eye, or even out Of
existence, fondly believing while
present and ON earth that he consti-
tuted an important prop in the civic
structures, 10, no one misses him or
even knows when he gets back that
he has been away; or II he dies. in a
very short time thereafter, that such
an individual ever lived.
But If no one knew that 1 was alb.
sent, at least knew what was going
on, and / noted Judge Garrigues'
very important opinion recently pub
lished in your columns regarding
that section IA of our revenue law.
1t was of the gravest import, even il
not final; and have been expecting
ever since to read various learned
criticisms Of it in other papers. 1t
was sound, In my opinion, both in
law and in equity, but not line
concerning 1t have seen in any of
our leading state journals. Perhaps
our moneyed interests are lying low
hoping that like many other legal
opinions and even judicial ones. it
will simply hang up in the air.
Perhaps our farmers and home own
ers who pay at least thirty per cent
more taxes in proportion to their
holdings than they should pay, or
would pay, if it were not for that
iniQuitious law, haven't sense enough
to know what hurts them. nor to
appreciate the fact when 1t is judi
cially pointed out to them. l pre-
sumo the judges opinion will be
overruled. Not because of any
crookedness in the court above, but
because in general notice that any
good thing we want in the way of
legislation proves to be uncOnStitu-
tional; while any vicious and utterly
bad thing in the way of legislation
proves to have been regularly enacted
and strictly within the powers dele
gated to our law makers.
The law of which this 14th section
is part was passed by one of our
fusion" legislatures. The clause
under consideration was enacted, l
am told, after the time limit of the
session had expired; in fact at two
O'Clock in the morning. and was
thrust in in its present form at the
instance of the moneyed interests of
tie state at an hour when it could
not receive proper consideration.
The same legislature submitted for
our consideration the famous Buck
providing virtually for what is
known as the single tax principle
in revenue for state purposes. We
defeated it by vote of more than
two to one; but this rascally enacted
legislative provision intended to ac-
complrsh similar ends has stood the
test, until the decision by Judge
Garrigues, and under its protecting
wings more than third of the pro-
perty of the state has escaped taxa
tion.
l have cranky acquaintance; one
of those cratic people given to alb
stract theories of just ice and equality
before the law on taxation and
otherwise: one of those fool pops"
in fact, who has, even now, not fully
recovered from his lunacy. Well
when this law was enacted he de-
nounced it roundly as fraud on the
farmers and lot and home owners Of
the state. He wrote letters. both
before and after its passage for home
and Denver papers; and he even
went SO far as to say that no man
who voted understandingly for the
measure ought to be ever again hon
ored by the people. Not a word
was ever said in reply, and the
moneyed interests kept right on
saving wood. Then the fusion
forces having been found wanting,
on general principles, the state went
republican. And tine next legisla-
ture, what did 1t do? Well, it un-
did lot Of things, but announced
at once that whatever else it might
do 1t should not disturb or In any
manner undertake to amend that