The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-10-31
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.


larity of assessment under townshi
organization, we give you few fie
ures for comparison taken from thre
sections where three townships col
ner, the land being practically tn
same.
Section 6, Pleasant Gap township
Sculley land-assessed at s13 per acre
Section SO, Summit township-Scul
ley land-assessed at SIS per acre
Section 1, Lone Oak township-J. E
Bartlet--assesssed at $40 per acre.
What do you think of that? Thre,
township assessors all we'll posted OF
land values, assessing three farms
all adjoining, but being in three diff
ferent townships. The land is prac
tically the same. 1t could not be diff
ferent. 1t is ordinary prairie land oil
the same body. 1t simply demon
strated the fact that three men can
not make as even and just assess
ment as one man covering the entire
territory.
Do you suppose that any one man
in Bates county would 90 and look at
those farms and assess one at $13 per
acre and the one across the road at
500 per acre? There is no justice in
it and the board of equalization can
not possibly correct all of these IT.
regularities perfectly. If it is neces-
sary for them to do the assessing all
over again why 60 to the expense Of
maintaining twentyfour assessors
with twenty-four different ideas
about assessing? Why not let the
board of equalization make the as
sessment in the first place and save
the expense Of having to do it twice?
The worst feature of it is that one
man is compelled to pay more taxes
than his neighbor across the road,
who happens to be in another town
ship.
We would like to call your atten-
ton to the old joke of the haymaker's
ford bridge. Here, by petition and
other influence brought to bear few
years ago, the county court put in a
bridge across the Marias DIES Cygnes
river at an expense of about $1,000
to the county, and the township board
has never put the road leading to the
bridge in condition that the travelling
public can utilize the bridge.
just think of it. $1,000 spent for
bridge that you can not get to.
Does that speak we'll for township
organization?
Is there any permanent improve
ment being made to the public roads
OF Bates county? No. Then why
are we moping along in this blinded
condition, struggling to pay our tax
es and getting no permanent good
from them?
Are we to 90 on for the next gen.
Grafton cropping our way in the dark
ness, while other counties and states
are up and doing for themselves?
They have thrown off the yoke and
are furnishing. Do you not think
it is time for an awakening in Bates
county?
If County Organization does not
benefit and relieve us of our burden {
OF debt and improve our public condi- {
tions we will discover it in IA few i
years and the people will have an op- t
portunity to adopt township organi- i
cation again. No county, however, c
that has ever abolished it after Il
thorough trial, has ever seen fit to il
adopt it again. c
These are only few of the many Il
instances in which the people are
losing by the present system of local S
government. By careful study of a
the records in the court house you n
will be able to discover worlds of Il
evidences that should convince any c.
man of the folly of the f;
system. d
Voters, wake up to your RESPONSE h
bilities and let us put Bates county in O
he front rank of progressive coun- v
les of grand old Missouri. Then we CT
IAN share in the rewards offered by S,
he state, as aid in permanent road W
as we'll as offer an induce
nent to people that have been use Of
o good public improvements to settle al
n our midst. lie
Do you know that Missouri stands d,
bird of all the states in the Union in b,
road building at the pres fo
mt time and offers to pay half of all hi
permanent roads built in the state. q