The Mena weekly star., 1911-09-07

plainly how much is wanted. and
 for what purpose it has been or Twill be spent. They do not like tc have their money taken away by
 a circuitons route, and under the
 pretense that their taxes arc being
 reduced.
 Claims of It's Friends.
 Friends of the Turner-Jaeob-
 son bill contend that one of it's
 main objects is to get property as
 sessed at it's full value. l do not
 sec the reason in this. The law that has been on the statute books for the last 2S years provides that 1 all property shall be assessed at | it's actual cash values. do not see how there could he more per- fleet system for the equalization lOf assessments than our present statute, as amended by acts Nos. |2i7 and 289 of the late general as-
 sembly.
 "rhe Turner Jacobson bill elimi-
 mates the county court and consti-
 tutes the tax commission an appel
 late court or board. What is the
 reason for eliminating this court
 established by the constitution and
 the judges thereof elected by the people and comforting powers now
 exercised by it upon the appoIntive
 board2 This bill provides that if the boards of supervision fail to meet and organize on the day fixed by law it may meet on some other day to be fixed by the tax commits sion. Why not allow the board of supervisors to meet on date fixed by it without having to secure the consent of the tax cOmmission2 Under the bill all deputy assessors must be approved by the board of supervisors. The assessor is elect ed by the people and is answerable to the people for the manner in which the assessments are made. Why put him under the control of an appointive board in the matter of the appointment of his deputies? !? The bill indirectly, but ingeniously, puts the whole matter of the as- sessments and equalization of taxes in the hands of the governor.
 Such a centralized method in connection with any system of tax ation has not been adopted by any since there was organ ized central system among the twelve tribes of Israel for the raising of taxes to defray the ex- penses of rearing the temple and Jerusalem, and that system resulted in ten of the tribes under Jereboam seeding. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which had received the disburse- ments, alone remained in the house of David.
 Would Disturb School System.
 q do not believe the people want the tmie changed for the election of school directors as provided. There is nothing in the title of the bill to indicate that it amends the school laws of the state, but it provides that school elections shall be held on the fourth Saturday in october, and at the first election after the bill becomes a law there shall be elected three directors in common school districts and one director at each election thereafter. If the bill becomes law it will VI cate the office of more than 10000 school directors just at the begin ning of the term of school in most of the districts of the state. It provides for the election each 0c- tober of two directors in special school districts in cities and towns. I do not know what two of the old directors will vacate in order to make room for the two new ones. None of their terms will have ex- pircd at that time. The bill also provides that such special school districts in cities and towns shall ill October vote for or against the tax and rate. No provision is made for the election Of directors or the voting of tax in special rural school districts. l think section f02 of the bill is in direct conflict with article ', section 28, of theh consti- tuition. The county levying or quorum court has the absolute under Inc constitution to fix the amount of taxes that shall be levied for county purposes, and the general assembly, through the Turner-Jacobson bill, cannot direct that the levy shall not exceed a fixed amount. The farmers of the state will not approve of the change in the time of assessing taxes. During one campaign the Democratic state central committee issued an address to the voters of Arkansas and set forth what had been done by Democratic adminis- trations for farmers. This address laid great stress on the fact that the tmei for assessing taxes had been fixed in June because at that time the farmers had sold their A.1 T T