The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-24
SAYS PERJURY CHARGES COULD BE SUSTAINED Highly Respected Citizens Would Be Imprisoned If
 Given Deserts. EXECUTIVE ADDRESSES
 STATE ASSOCIATION Believes New Tax List Will Bring Out Hidden Per
 sonal Property.


 Hartford, March 24.-Declaring that many honored citizens of Connecti- cut would, if the laws regarding per jury were enforced. be serving tin1e in WethersfeEd because of their sworn tax lists, Gov Simeon B. Baldwin to- day made an eloquent plea for the new lists in an address delivered be- fore the Tax Officials association, holding it's second annual meeting.
 Martin J. McEvoy Of Waterbury, the president, presided and gave an ad- dress of welcome The attendance was large. tax collectors and assessors from all over the state being present
 Governor Baldwin said in part:
 ssThere are quite number of pub lie offices in this state which could very well be dispersed with At tempts in that direction have been made at times although generally in vain; but nobody has ever questioned, believe, the necessity of keeping to our plan of local tax officials in every town, our assessors and boards of re- lief.
 alton in every civilized country has got to rest on the land. That can not be hidden away nor can its own ership, under any sort of a recording system be concealed Personal prop erty can often and does often wrig-
 
 conceal it when it is in the form sof ness-intangibIe and visible seems to be too strong for many a man { o resist A corporation bond, which passes from hand to haadain a moment. cannot easily be followed shy
 sThis, as you all know. is the req son, good or bad, for our statute let ting sE9nd holder off if he pays four deliars on each s1,e0o bond annually 1 to the state treasurer when. the tax on other property may be three or tween four and fourteen and fifteen dollars is premium paid for com mon honesty.
 .I am sorry it is so but human na- ture seems to be so constructed, in a great many people at least, that they can swear to tax list from which they have knowingly omitted good notes and bonds. I suppose many of them saIve their consciences with their belief that such property. if they put tNit in their lists. would be overtaxed. From that, the next step l is to conclude that it ought not to be taxable; and the final step is to as- sume that they are not taxable. .I have no patience with such peo- ple- They are selling their consci- encess they are selling them to them selves and for themselves The laws of Connecticut have no patience with ] them. Under those laws everyone of them could be sent to state, prison for perjury.
 q do not think this is generally understood as it should be- Many think perjury can only be committed l in court Our statute as to offenses of this kind does not read so. Every person. it reads, Who shall wilfuIIy swear. affirm, or testify falsely to any material matter with an oath or affirm T-- imprisoned in jail not more than Isix months or in the state prison not more than five years.
 Many a man and woman whose rep- utation is fair in the community they live in, commit perjury of this kind up in Wethersfeld if they had their I just deserts.
 There is no room left to plead ig- norance that bonds, with only a few exceptions, are taxable Our new form of tax list makes it very clear. The attorney general gave a plain opinion on that question within the last year or two. Anybody who un- deTstands the English language could understand that opinion. The state treasurer has issued circulars and pub 1ished advertisements calling attention to the relief to be had through regis tering bonds in his office.
 '1 want to urge you to do your part, each one of you, as occasion arises, in making this opinion of the attorney general known. It would help greatly if your assessors would post up in your offices a framed copy of it in large print with a heading calling attention to what 1t says. Headlines are as useful in an assess ors' office as in a newspaper office. We read them. if we don't read anything else.
 s"The more people know that almost every bond is taxable, the less prop erty will escape it's due share of COIL tribution for the public expense Ev- cry note is taxable on it's value un- less secured by a mortgage which throws the burden on the land and throws it effectually. Every corpora ton municipal or state bond not so secured is taxable except those of i the United States or of Connecticut railroads or street railways and a few that are especially exempted by a statute particularly describing them.
 And now word about the new form of tax lists prepared by the tax commissioner. It looks rather com p1icated. It certainly is pretty long. It is pretty searching and finally it is new thing and therefore has not had any advantage of long tolerance on the part of taxpayers such as is
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