The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1911-11-23


q er taxes on any real estate remain
unpaid and such property has not
Deen sold to any purchaser other than
the county. BY reason of deprecia.
| ton in value or other cause, the
board of county commits sionerS may
compromise with the owner Of such
! property by abating a portion of such
| delinquent taxes on payment of the
remainder. The county auditor shah
also make out a certified statement
Of the amount of state taxes so abat-
ed, which statement shall be for
warded to the state auditor, who shall
give the county credit for the amount
so abated.
Bro. Colcord would have you think
that we are making attachments by
| wholesale. In answer to this I will
say that there are great many more
applications rejected than those that
have been accepted, on account Of in.
sufficient affidavits or reasons for
attachments under this section. These
Attachments are not confined to Minot
but Throughout the entire county, and
this same custom has prevailed over
the entire state for many years and
with the exception of one instance
has never been questioned.
The Independent also states that
we have gone on abating these taxes
regardless OF the fact, that the states
attorney has instructed us not to do
so, and has filed three OF more writ
ten opinions to this effect.
l wish TO most emphatica!ly deny
this assertion. While l admit that
the states attorney has fled many
opinions and some in regard to tax
ATTACHMENTS he has never filed one in
connection or bearing on such appli-
cations that have been accepted, on
the other hand I took the matter up
with Mr.. Geo. Ryerson at that time
assistant states attorney (who by
the way was most generally our ad-
visor, and showed him the nature of
such applications as were being al
lowed and he decided that we had
legal right to allow such attachments;
if not dear reader what recourse has
hot MS 1cft
enormously assessed, and in some
cases they do not have the opportun-
:ty to know what thier assessment is
before they get their notice. In some
cases they are not even in the coGn-
try. ! ask this question to one of
the most prominent attorneys my
self and this is what he said:
Appeal to the Courts.
Yes, if the amount is small which
usually means much to the average
taxpayer he can appeal to the courts,
to get Justice Employ an attorney
and pay him twice as much as the
amount involved and take a chance
on getting justice.
While the states attorneys brief
on the case seems to cover the points
of law most thoroughly and set forth
all necessary facts, there is a serious
doubt in the minds of some of the
best attorneys of the business OF the
decision of the supreme court.
The Independent also makes great
fuss about the county having to pay
the costs in this case. He possibly
does not know that the costs are very
small in comparison to some Of the
county court cases where there are
some Of the so-called prohibition vi
olators to be reprimanded and told to
be good and occasionally given six
months free board at the county's
expense.
1t would also be proper to pay the
Independent two prices, say, for in
stance, election supplies. But these
same commissioners be look
ing after the county's interest then.
The whole thing in a nutshell is
that Colcord lost the official paper,
and was unable to graft the county
and that touched his pocketbook.
Now, G. D. you say that you will
have more to say at a more oppor-
tune time, I will say that we are al
ways glad to be advised or even crit
icized, but conf1ne yourself to the
truth and it will be appreciated by all
of your readers.
Yours very truly,
IT. A. HURD, Com. LIST Dist.