The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-09-12
MAKES ATTEMPT TO
DUPE THE PEOPLE
Acts Of Democratic Board
Stronger Than His
Words, SO Therel


an article appearing in Fridays issue
OF the Republican, not signed by
A(yers) p. Velvet for obvious reasons
but unquestionably written by him,
.eyades the main issue in the taxation
scandal which Gov. Willis personal
ly-appointed commission stirred up
not many days ago when it silently
agreed to arbitrary increases on prop
erty valuations without the hearing of
complaints.
The Banner has presented to its
readers in a straightforward and hon.
est manner facts - plain facts - to
which the most carping critic could
take no exception anu which no pow
er on earth, let alone the deceitful pen
of A(yers) p, could rebut. The Ban
ner has not resorted to pettifogging
journalism, if for no otner reason than
that it is totally unnecessary, as the
naked truth stands out more clearly
than a newspaper printed in glaring
red ink.
1t is scarcely a question, though the
Republican would have its readers
think so in frantic effort -ecloud
a serious political situation, of when
or where or under whose regime an
appraisement was made upon the
Cooper block, the business structure
referred to in the article in Thursday 8
edition of The Banner when attention
was directed to the lact that the board
of revision had Topped off $4,000 on
the valuation.
Neither is it any less remote a
question of whether the assessors this
year added or decreased the tax dupli-
cate any more than it is a question
whether the mammals of Patagonia
could dwell in the arctic regions, that
is as far as the taxation scandal and
the people of Ohio or Knox county are
concerned.
The point is this and the Republican
knows it as well as anybody, despite
its illogical "cross-petition," that the
Knox county board of revision received
the following instructions from the
state tax commission on Aug. 8:
"THE STATE COMMISSION REAL
IZES THAT AS A RULE 1T HAS
BEEN QUITE IMPRAcTlU1sLEF FOR
BOARDS of REVISION at THE JUNE
SESSION TO CITE TAXPAYERS Be
FORE THEM; BUT IT SHOULD BE
REMEMBERED THAT THERE is NO
REQUIREMENT UNDER THE LAW
THAT THIS SHOULD BE DONE"
And again: BOARDS OF REVISION
ARE NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE
LAW (the Parrett-Whittemore law
TO GIVE INDIVIDUAL NOTICE IN
CASES VI INCREASES OF vALUA
TIoN OF PERSONAL PROPERTY
A third time: 1.-THE THEORY OF
THE LAW (the Parrett-Whittemore
law) Island 1T HAS ALWAYS
BEEN So-THAT OWNERS OF PER
SoNAL PROPERTY SHOULD GO TIC
THE AUDITORS OFFICE TO Ex
ANIME THE TAX LISTS AND NOT
DEPEND UPON INDIVIDUAL NO
TlCEs OF INCREASES"
The Republican adopts the conten
tion of The Banner when it says: moi
can they (referring to Democrats
show that any valuation upon persona
or real estate in Knox county was in
creased without due and proper notice
being given to the owner" This The
Banner has freely conceded and hal
charged up to the honesty and integri
ty of the local Democratic board of re
vision which, though laboring greatly
at disadvantage under maniaca
tax law, did just as it would hav'
done, and as other boards did, unde,
Cox and Harmon. The Republican
cannot deny this.
The pith of the whole question, des
pite the smoky cloud in which the Re
publican seeks to conceal its weakness
and that of its ill-famed tax law is
The Knox county board of revision, b!
the direct orders from the state tai
commission, reproduced above, had
in it's power to let valuations go with
out hearing complaints and would hav
done 30 as the WiIlIs-guIded board
In Franklin, Columhlana and othe