The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1914-12-31
INTERNATIONAL TIPS
BY ALEX YOU'VE

taxes and cost which will be render.
ed up against the different parcels
Of real estate which will be fore
closed if this infamous provision is
allowed to be put into effect.
This measure il allowed to go into
its full effect next summer will mean
the worst blow that was ever struck
at the prosperity and well being OF
any State or Commonwealth in the
history Of the United States, and l
think you ought to urge the Legisla-
ture in your forthcoming message to
use every endeavor and means in
their power to avert such a calamity
to our State as will surely result il
some remedy be not found.
Section 120, page 211, and all tho
following sections pertaining to de-
linquent certificates should be repeal.
ed. It is a disgrace that such laws
should remain on our statute books.
The Treasurer should be required to
remain in his office during all of the
working hours of all the working days
Of each year and collect the taxes
whenever any taxpayer is ready to
pay; and another grievous evil con-
nected with the tax business, is that
the assessors do not assess the pro.
perry in the name of the owners there.
OF, for in great many instances thu
property is assessed in the name OF
a party who never owned it, or in
tho name of some former owner, who
has sold the property years ago and
left the state, and it follows, that tho
notices which the assessor are re-
quired to give are like so much
ammunition wasted on dead ducks"
and this has been done repeatedly in
this county, and no doubt in other
counties, despite the fact that the
owner has listed his property with the
assessor in his own name.
The assessor ought to be required
to assess this property in his book
at the time the taxpayer gives it in,
instead Of taking it down on a Sc.
perate piece of paper and having this
paper, frequently a loose leaf, get
lost or mislaid and then having some
deputy copy from some former assess.
) ment roll l will cite two cases of
my personal experience: l have just
redeemed two lots and house that
was assessed in the name of a party
who never owned it, and, of course,
l never received any notice of the as.
> sessment and overlooked paying the
taxes last December. When the time
! expires for paying the taxes, a de-
linquent certificate was made out, and
the property sold to the County,,
: no notice having been given to the
owner and none required by our rev.
enue laws A penalty of 10 per cent
added, fees for making out delinquent
= certificate charged, then interest at
the rate of l 1-2 per cent per month
/ then fees for redemption and when
all of this is added it means practi.
cally a confiscation and savors very
, strongly of the thief who steals your
, property in the night time. OF course
, 1t might be negligence not to guard
your property from thieves, but one
ought not to have their property stolcr
: because they are mistaken abou,
their taxes.
, The other instance to which l do.
; sire to refer is where l bought q
} quarter section of land for $1,000 pes
! acre, and paid full value at that price,
, and is more than it is worth now,
/ being sage brush land and no water
ever put on same. The assessor as
!; sessed it at $4,000 per acre few
days after | purchased it, and after
| pleading with him showing him just
what l paid for it, not more than thre
. months before, he finally agreed to
: cut down the assessment to $500
} per acre. Afterwards, the county
commissioners raised the assessment
unbeknown to me, to $4,000 per acre,
and when l found it cut. by mere ac-
cident, l called their attention to the
fact that it was illegal to raise my
: assessment without giving me duo
, and legal notice, the answer that |
!, got was, that proper and legal notice
was given to the former owner of the
land who had removed to California
/, and had no interest in the lard, and
when | asked them to do what was
right in the matter of the assessment
they answered that it was too late.
l cite these two cases merely ia
4 show what kind of laws we are liv.
ing under and the abuses that oc.
cur under such a SYSTEM that tho
whole revenue laws are and have beer
most vicious, and that they have been
universally condemned, by those who
are sincerely Interested in the wei.