Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-27
WHO RAISED THE TAXES?

me republican newspapers OF tHe
state owe K to their readers as a mat
ter Of news and to the public officials
whose service they will be called upon
to commend in the next campaign, to
ascertain the exact relation the tax
levies in their respective counties, I'M
der the new assessment, bear to the
tax levies under the old assessment
and to publish the comparison in type
SO bold that not single voter will he
left in doubt about where the respon.
sibility rests for next years high taxa
ton.
The Register and Leader has yet to
hear OF single county where the tax
levy has been reduced in anywhere
near the proportion that the assess
ment has been increased. while it has
learned OF so many counties where the
levies have actually been raised and 1t
cannot but look forward to a tremen-
dous outburst of indignation when next
springs tax paying time brings home
to the Individual tax payer just what
has happened.
The important fact to have in mind
and to keep In mind is that the re-
sponsibility for taxes rests wholly with
tax leyying bodies. The tax levyins
bodies are not the executive council
nor the local assessors. They are the
legislature. the county boards, the city
councils, the school boards and the
township trustees. Taxation does not
turn on the rate at which property Is
assessed. 1t turns on the number OF
mills on the dollar levied after the as
sessment Is known.
Whether Judge Brennan could en-
force his order upon the executive
the level ordered by the statutes, has
not been tried out. The court Is one
branch of the government. the executive
council another. But without an order
from the court there was every rea-
son why the executive council should
obey the lay and insist upon having the
law obeyed. Taxes need be no higher
with property assessed at its actual
market value than at one fourth OF
its actual market value. Why then
should not the executive council read
what the statutes say and act accord
inglyf
In Polk county and In the city Of Des
Moines the commercial bodies busted
themselves the moment the new as
sessment was published to secure
proper reduction in tax 1evies. They
succeed fairly we'll with both county
board and city council. But in other
counties and towns nothing was done
and the boards taking public indiffer-
ence for consent have made levies that
will add fifty per cent to the burden
! OF taxation, in hundreds Of instances
with no definite notion Of what they
will do with the money.
| The republican newspapers which
will have the action Of the executive
council to explain and defend in the
campaign should not be losing time in
getting these things before their read
(! -HsE s3.-lItetI1
for the people Of the state are going tc
be wrought up when they can realize
! Just what has been done to them, and
they will be very likely to vent theti
indignation on the first head which
shows Itself without very patient in
vestigation into the cause OF theii
troubles.
The county boards and township
trustees ana city councils that have
LEVER taxes for next year without ref
erence to the amount Of money the
levies would yield, should be willing
to bear the responsibility for their owr
acts, and whether willing or not should
be made to bear 1t by the newspapers
Of the state.