The Jasper news., 1910-11-03

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As entitled. TO credit in securing this
reduction. The county court claim
ed it had no authority TO correct ehe
assessment. Lawyers appeared be-
fore that body and gave it as, their
opinion that it could be done, but
their argument was unayailing. A
committee was appointed to go to
Jefferson City to appear before the
| state board OF equalization to see
whether the relief could not be had
there, which could not be obtained
at home. Members of the county
court attended the meeting in jeff
ferson City. Citizens spent their
time and money to go there. They
fought not to have been required to
do SO, but they were. The state
board of equalization asked why the
committee came, why the correction
was not made at home. The answer
was that the county court did not
think it had authority to do this.
The attorney general, who was a
member of the board, asked why
the opinion of his Office was not ask
ed and thus avoid this trouble and
expense. No satisfactory answer
was given and the board made an
order reducing the valuation from
$4,000, 900 to sci, 100000, 1.O0O,4
900 less than it was in 1909, thus
taking off $26o,O00 from our un-
necessary tax burden. When the
county board of equalization met,
instead of letting it stand at S21,-
100000, raised it again to $24,000,-
600. adding $3,0O0.OOO to our yalua-
ton already higher than it should
be, when compared with the assess
ment of other counties in Southern
Missouri.
This enormous raise in our taxes
staggers the tax payer. No PROPOSE
ton submitted to the voters of this
county embodying such an increase
| of taxes would receive a hundred
votes. A short time ago a PROPOSE
ton was submitted on the question
of new county farm building for
an inffrmary and some needed inn
provements upon the court house in
Joplin and Carthage which called
for an expenditure of 100000 and
it was voted down by a practically
unanimous vote, though this burden
was to be spread over great many
years and 1t would have amounted
to but little each year. This in
crease in taxes would have made
these improvements twice each year
with 100000 left. AS / said, no
proposition could be submitted to
the voters of this county embodying
this increase of taxes. could carry.
That burden would not be imposed
by the voters to raise the dead and
the statement that twas the most
outrageous, the most unjustificable
and the most shameless piece of Of
ficial work that the citizens Of this
county ever witnessed is not cha
llenged. After we succeeded in se--
curing from the state board of
equalization relief, the question with
the citizens and tax payers, regard
less of party, was, what can be done
to prevent a recurrence in the flu
ture? Everybody knew that it must
come through legislation, If at all.
Question OF Candidate for Leg
isIaturo
The question Of a candidate for the
Legislature was discussed, the ques-
ton of the selection of man who
would go to Jefferson City and Sc
cure legislation in the interest OF
the tax payers. did not expect to
be candidate. Jefferson City has
no charms for me. have already
spent too much time there eating
rabbit three times day, rabbit for
breakfast. rabbit for dinner, rabbit
for supper, at SIS a day, and If you
want piece of bacon on the side,
SO cents for that. One gentleman
who had been a valuable member
of the Legislature few years ago.
said that he would not accept the
place.; that he had eaten rabbit all
he cared to Another man sug-
igested that a member of his family