The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1913-12-04
QUEER REVENUE LAW.

our revenue laws the past two SeS-
sions of the legislature and at the
special sessions were a plenty. 1t
really surpasses common comprehen-
sion in many respects, and if some
of the solons can explain them we
wish they would.
For example, the new law permits
the taxpayer to pay half of his taxes
the first of the year and the other
half the following July, and it ap-
pears in practice that about the only
ones that can take advantage of it
are the heavy taxpayers and corpor-
atoms the farmer whom it was in
tended to relieve, finds that he
might as well pay it in December as
to wait until the next July, for in
most instances he has no more money
coming in until after the July
payment would be delinquent.
The latest surprise is that person
al property taxes must be paid be-
fore the first of November lin one
place it reads "4th Monday in No
vember) or the assessor must seize
the property and sell 1t for taxes.
This applies to stocks of merchandise,
printing machinery, banking business
and various other things that do
not belong with sufficient real estate
to be duly secured by the real estate.
A notable exception exists in the
case of the banking business, and the
law plainly states that the bank.
taxes must be paid in November, ir-
respective of real estate holdings
they must pay the county early for
fear they may vanish and beat the
county out of what the county con-
eists of and subsists upon. The Stand
rod bank at Blackfoot, with $4,000
worth of real estate cannot be trust
ed until the first of the year FOR its
taxes and until the next July for
half of it as can any other owner
of lands and lots, and the First Ma
tional bank with all its real estate
and wealth has to pay at the same
time. The two banks with over a
million dollars on deposit have got to
'come across" with their taxes first
# all, and perhaps this is the rea-
n adopted by the solons-they have
ready, make them nay.
Another Banking View.
n. few years ago radical legislation
yfS- Against the railroads. Just now
1t is against the banks and the white
slayers. Everything that is not I'M
derstood at a glance is condemned
and made the subject for prosecution
coupled with persecution to the ut
termost limits with an insanity akin
to witchcraft. A few years of this
and the pendulum will swing the 9th
er way in an attempt to forget the
things that are being oyerdone.
In Idaho a man in the banking
business making criminal transactions
Is not punished more severely than
the one who simply makes mistakes
in judgment and embarrasses the
bank, for neither of them stands a
ghost of show before jury.
The most appropriate thing that
has come to light for many moons in
this state is the suit just instituted
at Boise for the recovery of $4,000
on the official bond of State Bank
Examiner v. P. Plat, the man who
took his flight over the state and
thought everybody was wrong but
himself and his friends. The little
bank in whose management he dis
covered a straining of points to carry
obligations undertaken, was the choic-
est morsel for him, and the slightest
infraction was sufficient for him to
take severe measures TO destroy tn
business and the man. Now comes
a suit against his official bond, claim
ing that he allowed a Boise bank
to continue in business long after he
knew that 1t was insolvent, and in
utter neglect of duty that he allowed
its affairs to go from bad to worse
until depositors were hopelessly in
volyed. Then when he did take ac-
ton, by his arbitrary management he
seemed to produce the most bitter
ness possible, and by what deposi-
tors allege were dilatory tactics, furth
er increased the distress. Now Mr..
Platt's free hand is curbed and per
laps for the first time since his ap
pointment to office he feels the weight
of responsibility, and that responsible
ity comes home to him as he has
been driving it home to those under
him.
Long live Platt.-that is long
enough to learn his lesson and to
atone for some of his mistakes If he
has wronged people, and we think
he has. In twenty years from now