Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-05-06


burdens are bound to grow, because
what a few years ago was a luxury,
is necessity today. We have to
have better roads, better schools, bet
ter teachers, better facilities for doing
business and better things to eat and
wear. The telephone and electric light
has become a necessity. The little log
school house, with its rude benches,
that our fathers went to won't answer
the purpose today. The people de-
mand better things, and that neces-
sarily increases the burden. AS those
burdens increase, the Importance of
the duties of assessor increase. Peo-
pie will scrutiniZe carefully and at all
times, to see whether they are unjust
of the taxes.
Any man or men who will lend their
influence toward making an assessment
less than it's true value, will shirk part
of their share of the burden of the
county and state government. Sup
pose it was possible for an assessor to
assess the property of his town for
one-fourth of what it is worth, and
equalize it on that basis between the
people of his town. What would be
the result? If on the equalization,
that is not discovered, and the other
towns in the county are assessed prac-
tically what they are worth, why that
town don't pay its proportion of the
burden Who does pay it? Why, the
people of the other towns pay it. What
has he actually done and accomplished?
Why, he has succeeded in stealing from
7 the pockets of those other peoples
money, and putting it into the pockets
of the people of his own town. What
would you call man that would do
that? He is an ordinary, everyday,
common thief You can't put it any
other way Now, these things must
be put up to you in plain language, and
you must put it up to your taxpayers
in the same plain language.
| have often been astonished to know
that some men, known to be square and
honest in the ordinary dealings of life,
would assess the property of their dis
trict at one third to one-half of it's
value, and then sign his name to that
assessment-roll affidavit. He would
not stoop so low as to go over to his
neighbours in another township and
steal dollar, and yet he has done
something far worse. He does not
realize that he has been thief and a
perjurer, and is not entitled to the re-
spect of his fellowmen. He does not
comprehend that he is a traitor to his
God and to his country, that he is try
ing to destroy the best government
that ever existed upon this earth.
Any man who will deliberately as a
public officer, fail to perform tn e
duties that are pointed out, and be-
comes dishonest in their performance,
is a traitor to his country because in
self government, we have got to rely
upon the honesty and purity of our
officers who execute our laws. No
greater, no worse evil exists, than
that insiduous disregard of duty, dis
regard of common honesty and decency.
| that prevails to certain extent
among certain officers.
Some of our best students on the
| subject of taxation, think that we have
got to have our assessors appointed
instead of elected They think because
our cleo ted assessors are so dishonest,
or so easily influenced by dishonest tax
payers, that they cannot perform those
duties and we will have to have the
assessor appointed, perhaps from an
other town, to perform those duties
which ought to be done by the towns
themselves. If this is so, then we are
liable to lose our republican form of
government; because if it is so with
the assessors, it will soon be found to
be so with our supervisors or town
chairman, it will be found to be true
with every other officer, and we may
have to change our whole form of
government, and have somebody ap-
pointed to the head, and appointed
all the way down. If we cannot rely
upon our elected officers to do their
duty, what will it lead to? The con-
science of the assessors and public
officials generally must be awakened
to sense of duty. Obey the law
Assess your town as you are instructed
by the lawmakers, and let the con-
sequences, if any, fall upon the legis-
lature that enacts the law.
Several bills are before the legislature
to abolish the office of Supervisor of
Assessment, but none of them passed.
A bill to exempt all personal property
from taxation, and establish an income
and Inheritance tax was intr oduced,
and in time, think will be favorably
considered. Until that time, our taxes
will be higher year by year.
The practice of borrowing money to
/ meet present expenses, and issuing in
terest-bearing bonds has gone on until
we pay, in our state, over 81, 900, OOC
every year, as interest, for which we
get no returns; and as this tax to pay
interest increases year by year, oul
tax for this purpose alone will amount