Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1912-08-01

| have read with interest the ar
ticles on taX-dodging in the Herald
for several weeks past, and want TO
congratulate you for giving this sub
ject the publicity you have, as
realize how heavily they have been
mulcted by the failure of the holders
of large property to pay their just
share of the taxes. they will take
steps to remedy the evil. In my judg-
ment, that remedy lies in exercising
more care in the selection of officers
who have to do with the levying of
taxes in the county, paying more at
tenton to their fitness than to their
belief in high or low tariff schedule,
and noting their affiliations with the
taXdodgers
While admiring the articles in the
Herald, cannot help wonderinv why
YOU confine them to the exposure of
a single taxdodger, the Weyerhaeuser
Timber company, when there are a
number of others Not in so large an
amount perhaps, but you must ad-
nit that a foreign corporation could
not swing the county elections in
order to preserve it's immunity from
taxes unless it had the cooperation
of powerful local concerns. SO, 1t
seems to me. that in all fairness, you
should devote some space to the other
beneficiaries of this taXdodglng game
AVERAGE TAXPAYER.
Probably Average Taxpayer is right
in surmising that the Timber com
pany is not alone in the taXdodgin&
business. but. in exposing the utter
rottenness of the revenue admlSlstra-
ton of Chehalis county. the Herald
selected the largest offender for sew
eral reasons not least of which was
that this concern was taking vast
SUNS of money from the county ana
giving absolutely nothing to the cont
munity in return
The editor of this paper is familiar
with the taxation methods in Chehalls
county for nearly thirty years. and
this knowledge leads him to leniency
in some cases of lodging. In the early
development of the county especial
w the Grays HarbOr region, the es-
tablishment of mills to manufacture
lumber was so necessary to this de-
velopment that the citizens willingly
gave large (for those days. bonuses
10 secure them, and would have been
clad to have absolved such enter
prises from taxation of any kind for
a period of years, had the laws per-
mitted such a course.
The rapid progress of Grays Har-
Dor bears witness to the wisdom OF
this policy. While this region was
struggling to secure industries that
would place it on the map those en-
terprises We're by sort OF taclt CON
sent dealt with very mildly IN the
matter of taxation. and one can
scarcely dispute the wisdom OF
policy that in twenty-five years trans
formed the homestead OF Samuei
Penn into the progressive city OF AD-
erdeen. Still. it is now some years
s'nce those industries ceased TO heed
this coddling. and their assessments
have been gradually increasing NOT
perhaps up to the ratio OF other prop
critics. but they are getting there'
The manufacturing plants nave de-
veloped the country, and for that reas-
on have been accorded some consider
alton. while the Weyerhauser Timber
company not only fails to aid IN TINS
DEVELOPMENT. but had adopted poiicies
that are we'll calculated to retard IL
indefnitelv. A glance at its history
and business methods will reveal this
plainly.
Historical Review
About the year 1896. this company
acquired from the Northern racine
Railroad company-then in the hahds
of receiver-six million acres OF
timber land in the state OF WASH
inpton for six millions of dollars, one
dollar an acre. Cheap, you viii say,
vet il was all it would sell for ana
The Herald would detract nothing from
the far-sghtedness of the head OF the
company who could command the
nrice in those tight times. But, with
its rare bargain. this concern shoulu
have been willing to bear its share
of the cost of protecting this vast
which it was not FROM 'ne
date of its ownership, the records
VIII show an evasion of its share OF
taxes each and every year
or this vast amount of land. about
200 900 acres We're located in Chehalis
county, and there has not been an
election held in the county since Its
acollirement by this company that It's
agents have not taken a hand in the
selection of the taxing officials. In
pursuing this policy the company not
infrequently worked double in
Justice upon the community. 1t has
been a matter of common rumor for
wears that in order to secure con
troll of the taxing powers. elections
have been cOrrupted: incompetent