The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-01-13
THE NEW TAX LAW.

J but to lower them by compelling all
property to be given in at its value
and to pay for its protection by law
its due share of revenue. Hence the
clause which forbids the election to
the office amy one holding state,
county or municipal office Now,
| as the supreme court of the United
States has decided that a director in
a national bank is a federal office
holder it follows that director of
state bank is a state office-holder,
and therefore ineligible to be a tax
assessor under the act. In my coun-
! ty this clause sets aside one of the
best men elected, for he is both the
mayor of Coleman, Ca, and mem
| Der of the board of registrars of the
county. It also sets aside the man
elected for the longest term, he be-
| ing a director in the Bank of Cuth-
! bert, a state bank. l confess to hav-
| ing been a candidate for the office
created under the last clause of Sec
| ton 5 of the act-agent to seek out
unreturned property-but this job is
not hedged about with any disquali-
! flying clauses and the pay is predi-
Gated upon the amount of property
found But | am not now a cand1-
date for that job, as, if the board of
assessors do their full duty, this
agents job would not yield sufficient
funds to pay a competent man to
take it, The unreturned property
consists of notes, mortgages, chooses
in action and personalty-such as
jewelry and merchandise-not re-
turned at full value. And as the
books of the clerks office and Brad
streets and Dunn's commercial di-
rectories are available the assessors
can discover every mortgage and eV-
cry merchants appraised valuation,
and the books of the ordinary will
show what property either in money
or securities is held by executors,
guardians, trustees and administra-
tors, for the law requires that re-
turns of the last be made once per
year, at least, to the ordinary. | am
reliably informed that the banks and
warehousemen and money-lenders-
Capitalists" | believe, is the new
title-of Eufaula, Ala, hold in Ran
dOIph, Stewart, Clay and Quitman
counties nearly one million dollars
in mortgages, and that none of these
mortgages appear on the tax digests
of these counties. The same holds
good of the loan companies operat-
ing in every county in the state, as
we'll as our local money lenders.
Some years since I had occasion to
borrow some money, the gentleman
lending it on mortgage. He said:
Now, I am getting good interest.
will return the property, if you wish.
There is no reason for its being re-
turned by both" He was a man
whom every one admitted to his con-
fidence knew to be strictly honest
and he was so far as he was enlight-
ened, but he forgot that his money
which he lent me, and was repre-
scented by the mortgage, and the
property to which I held the title
were subject to taxation, represent
ing his and my property. His lend
ing and my borrowing killed neither
his property nor mine. The law pro-
tected me from trespass; the same
law protected him from loss by fur
a record for his property and
a compelling force to make me re-
held that mortgages and municipal
bonds held by foreigners are sub
ject to taxation in the states where
recorded it follows that mortgages
recorded in the county where the
property mortgaged lies and whose
courts must be invoked to compel
the payment thereof are subject to
taxation in that county.
Men holding the positions of tax
assessors should be well grounded in !
the principles of the common law
not in its technicalities-and men |
who keep informed or will inform |
themselves as to the scope of their
duties, and with the backbone to live |
up to their duty. Doing this, Geor- |
gia will not longer be a mendicant |
begging fer time from her veterans, |
her school teachers and educational
institutions to pay the small stipend !
due them, but will be an employer
ready and willing to meet every OBJ |
legation as it falls due and to lower |
her rate of taxation and tie her Dor
ders together by a state system of
that will invite healthy i'm
migration from without to till her
lands, man her industries and build
nm hpr waste O1acec Very rpSnact-