Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-10-02
JACOBSON THE JESTER
The "Solomon Of EImdale''
In the Role Of a Funny
Man

The latest lucubration from the brain
of the would.be political Jove OF
Elmdale has been published, and
most fittingly, in the Transcript.
Fuller and Jacobson have this in COM
mon-they are intensely. bitterly
partisan. They could not be fair to /
opponents of differing political faith,
if they tried. Fuller can't even be i,
decent to men of his own party. 1t IS
too much to expect decency from such
q source. After service in the Mime
sofa senate, and still remembered as
member of the 'gang', Fuller was
repudiated by the indignant people OF |
the district, and never dared to go be-
fore the people again. Jacobson 3
attempt to become county treasurer.
when Joe Meyer showed him under !
some 700, showed what the people of
the county thought about 1.-THE best
posted man on county finance.
j. j. jacobson has been treated like
a gentleman by his democratic
colleagues. Now he in effect says
that Fred Lakin, Andrew johnson and
Peter Virnlg are dishonest, for ex-
travagance in county expenditures
would be dishonest. He has never
produced single fact to show where
these gentlemen or any of the dem
ocratlc county officers, have been dis
honest. If he the appointed
guardian of the county, knew
of facts of dishonesty, why
didn't he appear before the
grand Jury? Why didn't he say SO in
board meetings? Why did he not vote
no when dishonest bills were before
the board? Was his voice ever raised
in protest at board meetings? ne
has ever been ready to take all he
could get; yell for more, and then-ln
the Transcrlpt-abuse Lakin, johnson
and Virnig, men who are his peers IN
every respect.
MI. Jacobson's latest effort is more
humorous than otherwise. 1t is
certainly not intended as serious. 1t
remains true, in spite OF Mr.. jacob
son, that the county tax rate IS the
measure of taxation for county pur-
poses. and that the rate, as applied to
Individual assessments, is the measure
of that individuals county tax. Mr.:
jacobson says the Herald's statements
are false But jacobson is cheap
prevar1cator, although attempting to
be a pretentlous one. He says that
the tax rate for the county revenue
fund is limited to 5 mills, and that the
rate in this fund last year was 4. .
mills. He neg]ects to say that IN the
years of what he calls republican con-
troll that he aid his colleagues le7ied
the full mills IN the revenue fund.
In the years 1885, 1896, 1897, 1898,
1899 and 1900 the full mills was
levied In 1901 it was 4 mills; in
1902, 3. IS mills; in 1908, 3. 81 mills !;
In 1904, 374 mills; in 1905, 3. y
mills in 1906, 4. 02 mills. In none OF
these years was as high revenue rate
levied as in the previous years: Take
Jacobson's own figures, that in 1896
the county tax income was $26, 922. 81.
In 1905 the income was SIS, 600 more.
That's nine years. What man will
say that in those nine years the
county's needs didn't grow. Yet the
total assessed valuation in 1905 was
less than In 1908, and last year it was
over $500, 600 less than in 1905.
jacobson and Fuller try to show
that jacobson and colleagues kept
within the income brought to the
revenue fund from taxation in the
years that they claim to have been
running things. The statement ism t
true. In the years 1897, 1898, 1893
and 1900 the full revenue rate of j
mills was levied. The amount to be
raised for revenue was fixed in the
levy for 1897 at $40, 600, but the actual
revenue expenses that year were $22,
1857 On the valuation Of that year
the amount brought into the revenue
fund would be SIG, 444.2 "a, leaving
S., 81. 80 expended more than the
income from the valuation. In 1895
the excess was 81, 233. SO, in 1899 81,
535. Al, and in 1900, $1G O8l. 80. In
each Of these years the amount ex.
pended in the revenue fund exceeded
the receipts on the valuation with the
full revenue rate applied. in the
amounts given. The big tax sale Of
1900, 1.-THE clean up" as It was called
saved the county from tremendous
deficit at the end Of the Jacobson
period. That big absolute forfeited
tax sale, and there has been no sale
Of the kind since, brought thousands OF
dollars Of extra income into the
revenue fund that year. Besides the
increase in the regular revenue
apportionment, Auditor Harding
placed SIG, 064. 20 in the revenue fund,
as penalties, interest and cost OF
uOllu4uOAU l0AC0. VIII IndU 0AVlC
help, as well as the regular increase,
no wonder the end Of the year should
have shown a surplus. That excep
tional year did the business. 1t was
not normal year as to revenues OF
income, and no man knows that better
than jacobson.
We believe in giving the ''divil his
DUE, and will say that the state taz
increase is not included In the 1907
rate of 8. 36 mills. The state revenue
tax was raised from 1. IS mills to g. %
mills, and Jacobson, not our Elmdale
fnancier, but the man who will be
defeated by John A. johnson, says
the extravaganza of the legislature
caused that raise.
Mr.. jacobson in passing just men
tions Tedford. The history of that
regime is pretty well known. Jacob.
son had nothing to do with overthrow.
ing it. although he criticised Iedforc
and rejoiced openly over Tedford I
defeat by johnson. Now he is trying