Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-01-18

proper restriction of the power to
levy is shown conclusively by these
| figures
The whole amount OF taxes raised
| in 1911 for state and county purposes
is $4,557,796 as against $3,28S.b57.7S
in 1910 and $3,O39,157.6 so in 1909. An
increase of course was to be expected.
both because there was an additional
amount of over 100000 raised for
state purposes, and the cost Of main
tanning some Of the county govern
ments. especially the new counties.
was increased, but there can be no
excuse given for an increase Of $1,271.-
139 over 1910. an increase of over 50
| percent. k
/ This increase in the amount paid
by the different counties Is not. as
will be readily seen, due to the en-
forcement of the cash value system
and the blame therefore cannot be
/ legitimatelv placed upon the should
ers of myself or any other officer, but
must rest where 1t belongs, on the
county and city authorities. This
must have been evident at all times to
the newspapers and individuals who
have given the subject any Thought,
and leads us believe that those who
have persistently charged the increase
in amounts paid as taxes to the en-
forcement of the law, were. in so do
| ing, either woefully ignorant of the
isubject discussed or were intention
ally trying to deceive the people.
do not refer of course in this con-
nection to the dismal croakings of
those whose taxes have the past year
been greatly increased for the sole
reason that during the years preced-
/ ing they had been OF the favored few
whose property was assessed at lower
figures than that Of their neighbors
and who thus imposed their own tax
burdens on the less fortunate In the
community who were thereby COM
PEELED to pay an excessive amount.
The howlings Of this class should
sound as sweet music in the ears of
all right-minded citizens.
/ other Bills Presented.
| I present to you, herewith, not only
the main revenue law proposed but
several proposed constitutional
4 amendments and a number of other
bills on revenue matters prepared by
the commission. These are all mat
| lCIS IcQulIAH6 youA CeN.A AoSs
consideration. do not wish
/ it understood that in presenting these
bills l am advocating their passage
without change, as they are handed
to you perfect in form, but with the
expectation you will make such neces-
sary changes as may by majority of
you be deemed advisable. The In
dependent bills, especially those In
lregard to fixing levies and similar
matters, are mere suggestions Some
of them in my judgment require radi-
cal changes, especially so in the mat
ter of municipal Limitation of in
debtedness, as a distinction should be
made in liabilities incurred for ord
mary expenses and those where the
amount to be expended is for public
utilities to be owned by the corpora
ton.
1t is a mooted question whether a
constitutional amendment should NOT
be presented to the people, making
possible by future legislation the en-
actment of statutes permitting the
taxation from railways and similar
corporations to be devoted to state
purposes, with provision for a divi-
sion of the surplus among the coun-
ties The consideration of this and
other matters of equal importance
can, in my judgment, be properly
postponed to some succeeding legis-
lative assembly. ia
Necessity for Prompt Action.
The main revenue law should be
acted upon promptly and the other
matters involved can be considered
later. Under the system that was
permitted to grow up through years
of violation Of the law by which each
assessor sought to keep as low as
possible the valuation of the taxable
property of his county. the levy In
the municipal subdivisions of some
counties reached the abnormal fig
ures of seven and eight percent, and
at such appalling figures eastern
| financiers could not be expected to
make investments, especially in view
| of the fact that the law plainly de-
manded full cash valuation. To
financiers such levies spoke confisca-
ton. And practically all the ievies
in the various counties looked ex-
ceedingly large to newcomers from
the older states and there was no
more difficult task confronting those
interested in the development of the
state than explaining these high levies
with the low valuation and the sub
stantal prices asked for property.
In many cases this combination of
causes has proven insurmountable.
me entire system was an invitation
to bankruptcy and even with these
high levies sufficient funds were not
raised for the conduct of the business
of some of the counties or else the
commissioners have been grossly ex-
IN. Tax Levy and Total Amount OF