Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-01-14
pendent Of them all property should

RAOISA ~ oASOeA
be assessed at it's actual value in or
der that it should pay it's just proper.
ton for the support of the govern
ment that makes property rights safe.
At the present time a number of
county officers salaries are based
upon the assessed valuation of prop
erty and if property was assessed at
its actual value it would increase the
pay of such county officers to an n
reasonable amount and would increase
Che mill tax so as to make it burden
some upon the people and at the
same time create an unnecessary
fund. There should be some legisla-
ton regulating the salary of the diff
ferent county officers and also in ref
erence to the mill tax, so that prop
erty might be assessed at it's full
value without unnecessarily increas-
ing the salary of officers or making
the mill tax ~burdensome to the people.
The commission provided for by the
last legislative assembly to inquire
into the value of railroads obtained
some valuable information on which
the railroad assessments in the state
were increased $1,000 per mile. The
report of this commission to you
makes further comment on this SUBJ
ject unnecessary at this time. I rec
ommend the same to your most care
full consideration.
think that the state has grow
and developed and the assessments
have increased sufficiently to warrant
you in providing for a tax commits
sioner, whose duty it will be to look
after the assessments and see that
they are just and uniform, to assist
in the collection of taxes and assist
the board of equalization with infor-
nation to enable them to equaliZe the
taxes of the state.
Board of Health.
call your especial attention to the
exceedingly valuable report of the
board Of health. This report contains
invaluable information in reference to
contagious diseases and should be
printed in larger numbers for more
general distribution.
In this connection I call your at
%tention also to the great movement in
other states and. in fact, in the world.
to eXterminate tuberculosis and also
the movement to prevent the pollu-
ton of rivers, lakes and streams.
These are subjects for your careful
consideration and | recommend a lib
eral appropriation to carry out the
recommendations of the state board
of health and the passage of such
laws as will keep our streams and
lakes pure and indebted.
Anti-Pass Legislation.
In my message two years ago to
the Tenth legislative assembly was a
strong recommendation for anti-pass
legislation. A bill was introduced in
the house, duly passed and amended
in the senate. When it returned the
house refused to concur in the amend
ment. A conference committee of
three senators and three representa-
tives was appointed and the bill
turned oven to this committee, which
never made a report. and thus the
bill failed to become a law.
Both the Republican and Demo
cratic parties, recognizing the popular
demand for anti-pass legislation, went
paign with platform pledges for anti
pass legislation and you have all been
elected to this legislative assembly
upon IL or the other platform.
If the railroads are for the use of
the public they are for the use of the
whole public and no person is en-
titled to any special privilege not
common to all. If the railroads give
me passes and make you pay your
fare they give me a special privilege
that is denied to you. The railroads
cannot afford to carry any one for
nothing and if they do it is done
either at the expense of the general
travelling public or by a return of ia
vors. In either case it is a pernicious
system. | therefore recommend the
enactment of an anti-pass law similar
to the anti-pass provisions of the fed
eral rate bill.
The judiciary.
In my last message l called atten-
ton to the prevailing sentiment in
this state in favor of a ~non-partisan
judiciary. l believe that this senti-
ment is stronger now thar it was
two years ago. So important and
sacred an Office as that of judge of
the court of last resort should be by
law placed above and beyond the con-
troll of any political party.
l therefore recommend that the
primary election law be so amended
that the names of all candidates for
judicial office be placed upon one bal
lot. separate from the names of other
candidates and without party designa-
ton, and those receiving the highest
number of votes, to the number of
those to be elected, be placed upon
the ballot at the general election
without opposition.
Under the present law the supreme
court sits in Bismarck, Fargo and
Grand Forks. At each term of court
a large number of cases are argued:
so many, in fact, that before the court
can decide them all the oral ars'l-
----I - - =