The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-08-27
| BURDEN! j 10! ! !. Oh The
"a. ! %.F.13a -
+. lit tie | FELLOW
- ~ - 4
Has Been Lightened by Watohful
ness Of County Auditor Halden
Who Urges This Point in Favor
iof His Retention in Office.

Ono Dig reason why County Aud.
itor Halden has kept the regard and
support of the voters Of st. Louis
county lies in his strong sense of
equality, and his effective efforts to
bring about a fair distribution of the,
burden OF taxation, so that the big
fellows who have much won't get q
chance to shift their part of the load
off onto the shoulders of the little fel-
lows who have little and have pre-
cious hard times hanging on to what
they have. -. ...
There Is q lot in that-more, per
haps, than there is even In the mat
ter Of the total amount of taxes. You
see when nobody is watching it Is so
edsy to. SHIFT: the cut" and give the
little fellow the worst Of it. Let's
illustrates:
Imagine q city of thousand tax
payers, with. an assessed valuation of
100000, total taxes of $4,000 a year,
and a tax rate of per cent. ..
Of that total of 100000, a man
with a street railway, say, owns $751;
900; a rich man with a lot of choice
real estate and personal property owns
!: a like amount; another man, with a
large, profitable business owns $780,
900. That makes 100000, or. half the
total, divided among three taxpayers.
The other 100000 is divided among
,997 small taxpayers with their little
homes. A typical case would be that
of a workingman with a $4,000 home,
assessed at $500, and paying 1872 a
year in taxes at per cent.
But suppose the county auditor, who
has lot to do with the final fixing
of assessments, is a friend and neigh
Dor of the three big fellows in the
community, and member of their
club. Suppose he had no care for the
little fellow, but only wished to curry
favor with the big ones, and perhaps
to: feather his own nest with their
favors. Suppose they got him to cut
down their assessments so that instead
of: amounting to half the total for the
city, they amounted only to quarter
of the total. 49,: 49,:
That would be fine for the big fol-
lows. Their assessments would be cut
from 100000 to 100000, and their
taxes from $4,000 to $4,000.
But what. about. the 997. little fel~x
lows who didn't enjoy the friendship
Of the county auditor?: Somebody. has
to pay that $4,000 the big: tenow1s
saved. So it is put off onto the little
feuows. The greed :of the big fel-.
lows and the treachery Of the assess
ing. officer would cut tho big fellows:
taxes in two, but they would add fifty
per cent to the taxes Of the little fell:
lows. Instead of paying $1,000, as
they did before, they would pay $12,-.
900.
Yet the total valuation of the city,
the tax rate, and the total taxes,
would remain the same. You see how
easy it is to slip the cut when nobody
is looking,s 49,. -: -: -.
That's why it is good for the small
fellow to have somebody In office who
is: keeping track Of his interests, and
who is determined that the big fellows
! shall shtrk none of their share. that
is what County Auditor Halden has
been doing while he was county aud
itor. That is why he ought to. be re-
elected county auditor, SO that he can
keep on doing the same thing and
more Of it.
:. The public keeps track, in a way.
of the total amount of the assessment,
the total amount of the taxes and the
tax rate, and each man keeps track
of his own assessment and taxes. But
nobody keeps track Of comparative
valuations and taxes unless you have
a man in the county auditors office
who has thought tor the little fellow
and who uses his power to see that
the. little fellow isn't compelled to pay
part of the big fellows taxes.
Besides conducting efficiently and
fairly the important duty of supervis-
ing county expenditures and seeing
that they. are fairly spent. County
Auditor Halden has taken time to see
that the burden is fairly divided
which is q pretty good reason for vot-
Ing him back into office again. a.
order Limiting Time to File Claims,
| 9- and for Hearing Thereon. +
STATE OF MINNESOTA, COUNTY OF
St. ,Louis-ss In Probate Court. 81 ~
In the Matter Of the Estate. OF Mary
| Mcclure, decedent - *&t. .s.-"s
Letters OF administration this day
having been granted to Leonard Thorn
-.