The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-11-02
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
HAD SOME SPINE

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COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
HAD SOME SPINE
The county commissioners made
decision and recorded an order last
week that shows a degree of courage
and justice that Is rather gratifying
after the years of mis-interpretation
of law that we have witnessed in
this county. We refer to the tax
exemptions claimed by widows Of the
county and especially widows who
are financially independent and able
to take care of themselves even II
they hadn't any money or property.
To make the situation clearer we
review the origin of the matter.
In legislating to protect the poor,
an act was passed exempting a
widow from taxation if she owned
only little property, and the limit
was placed at $1,000. This relieved
the woman of the humiliation of
going before the board and asking
for charity in tax exemption. 1t
gave it to her as right.
In administering this law. it was
interpreted to mean that if her prop
erty was worth, say $1,000, she paid
taxes on $500, but received an ex-
emption of $1,000. Some other
widow whose property was worth
$4,000 paid taxes on $4,000, and one
whose property was worth $4,000,
paid on $4,000. There was no rea-
son why she should be exempted
from sny of it, because the act was
intended only to relieve actual want.
The married man with family, no
matter how poor, had no exemptions,
and his wife had no relief even if
they had to take their last dollar
for taxes when clothing was needed
to protect their health. In our tax
articles of two or three years ago
we discussed this thing and called
attention to the loose and unjust in
depreciation of the law by which
widows who owned good farms and
business blocks, were in effect
handed money by legislative enact
ment just because they had the nerve
to demand it, and because officials
lacked the courage and thoroness to
analyze the situation and tell them
no.
The present administration has
gone over the matter and decided
that a widow whose total property
values were $4,000 or more, was not
entitled to any exemption. There
can be no doubt about the justice
of such a decision, the only doubt
being whether the law should have
fixed the limit so high as $1,000.
Nhorn op ui1 oil hn
county who are struggling to hold
on to their lands or other property,
and hope to get it into condition to
yield an income, and it is we'll to
give them all reasonable considera-
ton. There are also widows whose
cases are different. Blackfoot has
a widow who is young and strong
and better able to work and earn a
living than half of the men. She
lives in idleness and luxury, is so
young and full of life that she has
to be doing something yet she never
works or renders useful service She
has good income, and If some poor
debtor fails to come up with his pay
ment right on the dot she sues him
and adds to his troubles. If any one
has a bill against her they might
about as well put it in the fire as
try to collect it without suit. We
have listened for years to hear her
name mentioned in connection with
some act of charity or benevolent
service, and it is always somebody
else that has to do those things. Rich
and good-looking, young, prosperous
and dead beat, she had the nerve
to apply for an accepted an exemp-
ton of $1,000 in valuation on her
taxes last year. This year they re-
fused to grant it.
Constrasted with that is a case of
married man, poor, sick and hav-
ing sick daughter, so that the wife
was worse off than widow, and
they scraped money together to pay
their taxes because their own proud
spirits prompted them to do their
part without complaint.
Class legislation is one of the evils
of our republic, and every widow
who takes advantage of the exemp-
ton for one cent excepting to relieve
suffering, Is taking the same kind of
money which the monopolist takes
or the member of any other priv
ileged class takes; and it is no de-
Tense to say that others are doing it.
The place to draw the line is at the
demarkation between suffering from
actual want, and taking the money
because there is law that permits
it.
Last year there were sixty-five
resident widows in the town of
Blackfoot claiming exemptions or
aid. Most of those women had
homes and were able to make their
own living, and some of them indie
pendent. Some were in absolute dis
tress, broke. Ill and nursing babes.
Some went sadly before the board
and asked only enough to feed and
shelter them till they could get well
and find employment. Others put on
their old clothes and sat weeping In
the presence Of the board to get
something they did not need. Still