Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-02-22
Uncertainty Of Tax Titles.

acquired through tax foreclosure pro-
ceedings, former owners and pur.
chaSerS are interesting themselves
about the value of the title conveyed
by the county. The consensus OF
opinion seems to he that the county
conveyance amounts to no more than
a quit claim deed. There have been
parties here who desired to borrow
money on lands So acquired in order
to make improvements thereon, but
those having money to loan dislike
to lend on such precarious security.
In some of the large counties in this
State, the purchasers have seen fit
to institute actions to quiet title in
order to settle contrOverted points.
! AS far as the STANDARD is advised,
this course has not been resorted to
in Thurston county only to limited
extent There is a rather serious
obstacle with regard to actions to
quiet title against unknown owners
whose rights attached prior to the
act of 1903. 1t is claimed this law
cannot have a retroactive force, while
others contend it simply enlarges
the remedy, therefore does not in
fringe the State and Federal Consti-
tutions. 1t is question, however,
which will not be definitely settled
till passed upon by the United States
Supreme Court. In the meantime,
this class of titles will remain more
or less clouded, and tend to impair
their market value, till the purchasers
and their successors in interest know
Where they are at.
Then again there is the open Fed
eral question whether on published
notice against a, when B was the
actual record owner of the land on
which the delinquent tax accrued, the
latter party B can be legally de-
prived of his property by such pro-
cedure. Our State courts have sane
toned such proceedings on the
grounds that they are an rem, and
the owner is supposed to look after
his interests, and pay his share
towards the support of the govern
ment. This matter doubtless, will
sooner or later have to be adjudi-
Gated by that high Federal tribunal
Until then, it will remain an open
question. True a man ought to pay
his taxes, but parties who endeavor
to get thousands of dollars worth of
desirable property for a mere nomi-
nal amount ought to comply strictly
with the law. The owner is entitled
to invoke every legal safeguard to
protect his interests. A man is not
necessarily rogue who fails to pay
his taxes; he may have been unfor-
tunate, as was the case with many
good citizens during the late panic,
for which they were not responsible;
therefore the conclusion may not be
so far out of square after all that the
State is not justified in confscating
the savings of lifetime in order to
collect few paltry dollars from citi-
zens overtaken by misfortune.
There it force in the position, that
laws providing for the performance
of official acts, plainly indicating the
line of action, are frequently con-
strued too loosely to excuse miscon-
duct in public officers, when the
effect causes great hardships and
losses to individual citizens. OFF,
GERS ought to be made to follow the
law; courts have no moral right to
excuse them. The government exists
for the protection of its citizens, not
for the purpose of despoiling them
through ignorant or malicious official
misconduct.
If the courts will cOnstrue these
laws more strictly, public officials
will be more careful and the people
taught to exercise greater discretion
in the selection of official agents, who
too frequently assume the role of
masters. Suppose by the ruling of
the court one locality suffers, good
object lesson will be furnished for
future guidance in similar instances.
CHINESE ATTEMPT TO BRIBE OFF,
CER.-The Chinese gamblers of Homo