Mexico weekly ledger., 1909-02-04
RUFUS JACKSON AND T. ). KEEL.
so ATTEND THE ASSESSORS
AND COLLECTORS coNvENrIo
IN JEFFERSON CITY LAST WEE
EXPERIENCE BAD WEATHER
Mr.. jackson Delivers an Address
Part Of Which Is Produced Be-
lOw-Mr. jackson one Of MsxIeO's
Greatest tiustlers.

in Jefferson City was a pronounced
success. Rufus jackson and t. j..
Kelso. of this city, were both in at.
tendance. On their return they UNI
derwent a number OF inconvenient
experiences the result of a blizzard
and its tying up traffic on the South
Branch of the Alton.
Among the addresses delivered at
the convention was one by Rufus
Jackson. We take pleasure in pub
fishing several excerpts from that
address. Mr.. Jackson is always
prominent in any work he undertakes
and the following is an effort worthy
Of notice:
Beginning his years work with thu
first mellow day Of June after the
richness Of Springs e~ffulgence has
been garnered into the mellowness of
golden Summer; when the sweet
voiced s~ong-birds have sufficiently re-
hearsed til their warhlings fill the
air with SOULFUL music; when the TO-
liage Of the woodland has assumed
its most beautiful splendor and the
soft carpeted prairie gives forth YER
dant ~greenness of its virgin soil;
the Assessor is hidden 6odspeed by
the wondrous works of Nature, which
seem to harmonic to aid him that
his duties may be made the lighter.
But the life as lived by the AS
SCISSOR is not all early Summer. Con.
tinuing through the sultry days of
July, August and September, his
work seems to increase as FAN dawna
upon him and ! am here to tell you
that the knotty problems Of his du-
ties come with the first cold blasts
of Winter, for it is then that he be-
gins to make his books. ! had rather
discuss e laws and their mer-
It's with the worst of taxdodgers than
to endeavor to get on the books an
indefinite description of a tract OF
land that has a creek for its one
boundary and the others described.
in the deed, as a worm-laid rail fence
Geometry is a science, Brother Asses
ors of experience. that you will need
In determining the acreage of many
tracts Of land that many of us older
fellows have guessed at.
THE Assessor, to be an efficient
official, must be gifted with the pro-
verbal patience of Job, He must be
sufficiently equipped with a good dis
position that he can take the blame o
every conceivable error that might
creep into the tax-books for It's a
known fact that our friends, the Col
lectors, confidentiaIly tell the ag-
grieved taxpayer that the Assessor
was at fault. But after all my ex-
perience is that the Collector is
a good sort OF fellow and we learn
to know that he, too, has much to
contend with.
Pathos enters into the experience
OF an Assessor. One of the best
friends OF my lifetime Is a prosperous
business man and the father OF a
large family. 1t was always a jovial
remark of his. upon the Assessors
calling, to say that his list was the
same except that he was the father
Of another baby. Just previous to
my beginning work a few years ago,
the good wife OF this friend died and
! am unable to describe the sorrow
in that friends heart when he greet
ed me upon the occasion Of my off,
cial visit. He could not say with that
accustomed j~oviality that his list was
the same with the exception of an
other baby. Grim Death had been a
visitor in that home in the time in
tervening between the assessment Pc
RODS.
IAN Assessor that loves nature and
bis feIlowman can get much out of
the life that his duties sorce him to
live. The official that does not take
the time to observe the good that is
upon every side of him is going to
have a stormy time filling his office
to the satisfaction of not only his
constituents, but himself as well. III
the Assessor cannot get something
out Of his tenure Of office In the way
the friendships that he has a chance
to form and cultivate then he is an
utter failure for we all know that the
compensation allowed us is so skimpyl
that we a get but little satisfaction
from that o My experience leads
me to believe that the law-making
body had in view the generous ma
ture and the hospitable homes OF our
people when the pay Of the Assessor
fixed for without that cordial
welcome that ch~aracterizes the Mis- |
u duties could not be full
illed. ! left home one Monday morn {
ng with a ten cent plug OF "star"
obaeco and thirty cents in my peck !
It, lived like a prince all week and
'eturned to the town with a Jingle in |
ny pocket. a
And Just a word in conclusion as
o our women, God bless them. They .
re sometimes found who would much
seeing some one else than the
assessor. But IL the women Of this a
tate had the giving in the assessable 9
roperty the Legislature of this SEES r
ion would doubtless have a balance c
n the right side Of the ledger to u
pend instead of the balance in red La
that now confronts them. IT'S a.
that a young married lady was "
nee asked by the Assessor If she d
ad any idea as to what her husband pl
ere worth. Il don't know what 9th L
: people think of him, but | would ii
ot take a million dollars for him"
replied. And so they are. They Of
ay not fully understand but they N
outspoken and truthful and ! have BE-
und that they are about as capable di
the man to make the assessment 50
turn and it is to be hoped that ey
ey win be entrusted to do Ia
is as 1t most certainly expedites the :
ork OF the Assessor for them to do
g
Mrs. s. l. Winscott, who visited no
ends the past week in Kansas City. CO
turned to-day. CO