Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-07-11

, sral for the state, sixteen diStric
attorneys general, nearly ever,
! county has an attorney, and iron
all these we surely can Obtain
enough legal talent so that the eni
ployment of back tax attorney
} under this act will be wholly I'm
necessary. l believe that both tn,
delinquent revenue acts and tn,
back assessment law should be un
conditionally repealed. They hav,
both brought much evil and nj
corresponding benefits.
| believe by all means the state
of Tennessee should have a state
tax commission, which will devote
its whole time to equalizing as
seSsments, which now vary from
% per cent in some counties to Il
per cent in others, and this com,
mission should be composed OF
men of the very highest type. ]
believe further they should be
clothed with power to audit the
public records of this state and OF
its various county officials, in the
same manner that a national bank
examiner examines a national
bank.
| believe further that under
proper safeguards the rate of tax
alton in Tennessee should be lin
tied to about one dollar plus a
rate sufficient to cover interest
and sinking fund provisions on
municipal or county bonds. This
i believe will automatically in
crease the assessment to full value.
1t is going to be exceedingly diff
ticult to have any far-reaching re-
forms in our taxing system with
out a revision of our constitution.
1t is also going to be difficult to
distribute equitablv the cost OF
government without this being
done. Salaries and fees are in
equitably distributed in Tennes-
see. We find mere ministerial of
ficials receiving annually large
and exorbitant fees, sometimes the
clerk of the court receiving two
or three times as much as the pre-
siding judge. In the smaller coun-
ties of the state the fees of some
of the county officials are insig-
and those counties have
been forced to- go to the legisla-
ture and ask for special appropria-
tions in order to adequately COM
pensate their officials. The trustee
in one county receives $500 a year,
while the same official in another
county will receive from $4,000
to $4,000 a year-and so on
through the list. Thus these posi-
lions are made political footballs.
In recent years there has been
much said in Tennessee about po-
itical machines. Some of them
nave been real, many have been
imaginary, but no state in the
Union affords more inviting OPP
oortunity for a political machine
han does Tennessee with her
Jack tax laws.
Another question with which
he people of this state are vitality
concerned is, the refunding of the
tate debt, which now natures in
ess than a year. It has been
harged that because ] have had
ONE experience with financial
matters, and know some of the
hannels through which these
onds must be placed, that 4
hould not be elected governor,
y inference suggesting that the
lore incompetent man, and the
ess he knows about these things,
he more fit he would be to aid
q refunding the debt of a great /
tate like Tennessee. Probably
he state affords no more striking K
xample Of the lack of business
Judgment in the administration Of {
IS affairs than in not taking ad- ]
antage of the opportunity it had t
ome twelve or fourteen years ago '
, refund the state debt, extend
lg it for an average period OF q
Tenty years beyond maturity at I
lie same rate, which would have t
esulted in a saving to the people t
this state of between two and v
Tree million dollars in interest. |
believe the purchasing of bonds s
nder the sinking fund act should o
2 resumed.
/ am in favor of placing our i
enitentiary system, our agricul- b