Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-11-07
The Tax Fight.

The Aberdeen World had the fol
lowing leading editorial last evening
under the caption, "Extravagant.
which seems to require some explain
alton:
We now have four county at.
torneys where we began with one.
That's growing some. Two depu.
ties to do the work of the office
In a prompt and satisfactory man.
ner are probably necessary, but
We question whether three are
needed. Just how Mr.. Campbell
came to be appointed as the third
assistant is not clear. The pro.
cedure was entirely wrong. how.
ever, If not done at the request
OF the county attorney himself.
Each county Office is not suppos-
ed to have an attorney of it's own.
The people of the county elect
one man to look after it's bust.
ness. and expect him to do it.
They do not expect to be com.
PEELED to pay for separate attor.
ney for each county officer; and
II the assessor can have an at.
torney of his own choosing, why
not all county officers? We have
no objection to Mr.. Campbell per.
sonally, but we fail to see the
necessity Of this additional ey.
pfnSe, for which, Of course the
taxpayers will pay. Nor can
We object to the action of the
county commissioners unless they
named a special attorney over
Mr.. Stewards head, a thing they
obviously can not do legally. The
complaint in this case seems to
run directly against Mr.. Stew.
art himself, and it accuses him
Of extravaganza in the conduct of
his Office"
The inquirer in search of this ex.
may discover a clue by
reading Montesano dispatch on the
hrst page of the same paper. This
dispatch is a studied effort to con.
vey the impression that the county
commissioners are guilty of extrava.
gance in spending $4,000 or $4,000 to
prevent bunch of nonresident timber
tax dodgers from saddling hundreds OF
thousands of dollars-their just pro.
portion of taxes-upon the backs fo
resident taxpayers. When this dis.
patch is read. the motif of the edi.
torial will become quite plain.
The attempt to accuse County Attor.
ney Stewart of extravaganza is an
utter absurdity. The fault, if fault
there be, belongs to the county com.
missioners. without whose authorize.
ton to pay the bill no county official
may employ an assistant of any kind.
The editorial has a labored sound
much as If it was brought forth in
pain. Note the assertion,
Just how Mr.. Campbell came to be
appointed is not clear" Yet moth.
ing could well be clearer than the
contract with Mr.. Campbell, which is
spread upon the minutes of the board,
and accessible to the public, includ-
ing the World, and that paper does
Mr.. Stewart rank injustice when it
accuses him of extravaganza in re-
questing assistance, when according
10 the Montesano dispatch. his office
ls to be swamped with a multitude
Of tax suits, in a deliberate effort to
clog the courts and overwhelm the
attorney to an extent that would in.
sure the success of the highly-feed
for the dodgers.
The average taxpayer of Chehalis
county who fiattered himself that the
battle for an equitable assessment
'or taxation purposes was won when
an impartial taxing board was elect
"a AA~o uCiuNCu ulluSCl. IL was OILY
he preliminary skirmish. The stakes
ire too high to be given up-after
many years of their enjoyment-and
he real fight is now about on. The
'lan appears to be to weary the peo-
Die by a multitude of lengthy law
suits, extending over the elections
lext year. when the dodgers hope, by
'ld-time tactics, to elect a majority
If the taxing board whose members
will prove more tractable. But the
Herald will assert that the hope is
orlorn, that they utterly fail to real.
re the public sentiment that has been
reused upon this subject.
There are doubtless some errors in
he timber cruise, just as there are