Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-06-01

felnnIng point was not described sutf1-
GENTLY to meet the requirements of
the law. In both cases the property
owners received splendid improve
ment and as far as the decisions dis
close the, improvements were made
strictly in accordance with the plans
and specifications. | do not mean to
criticise the court for rendering these
decisions for it is a rule of law that
| the right to improve streets at the eX.
lpense of property benefited is purely
creature of statute and that such
statutes should be strictly construed in
favor of any person so assessed.
The Willy Dodger
| 1t however, shows the merit of law
which gives the right TO reassess where
la good Improvement has been made, but
where some property owner has crawled
through loop hole on the theory that
there was some technical error in the
procedure which authorized the i'm
provement 1t is evident that the peo-
| pie will not stand for a proposition
wherein property owners on the two
/ streets above referred to, can saddle
the cost of their improvements upon
property owners who have paid on 9TH
er streets and upon the taxpayers at
large. 1t is evident that the present
condition of affairs will either result
| in a passage of the measures submitted
| by the council or a passage of the
90 Richardson amendment which was
| filed one day too late to appear on the
ballot last fall and which, | understand
by its hackers will appear on the bal
| lot at the coming fall election. 1T is
=. q tLn 1a1 ial,I r1pa,
amendment should pass it would raise
our annual tax to at least five cents on
the dollar. This would produce the in
evitable result that real estate in the
city of Salem would be an exceptional
ly poor investment, with the natural
consequences that all Salem real estate
would depreciate in value. No other re-
suit could follow for the home seeker
and the investor are ever determined
by the character of your tax roll. Under
the proposed Richardson amendment
the property owners upon paved streets
would get their money back, and in
some eases interest to the extent of al
most one half of the principle. But it
would seem to me that prudent bust
ness man would look beyond mere tenn
porary relief to what he would pay in
on the growth Of the city, and espe-
cially the reduced valuation of his
property on account of high taxa
ton. 1t is, however, the man who lives
ON street that has never been improV
ed that will receive the hardest bump.
Will Stop Improvement
Taxes will be too high to bond the city
tor further paving. Mark my word, the
man who lives in the suburbs would
see the present pavement worn out be-
fore he would see his street improved
under the Richardson amendment.
If the council is given the power TO
reassess and empowered with authori-
tyrto collect liens when once made we
can reduce your taxation from what il
| is at present, instead of raising it be-
yond the bounds of all reason.
The second measure submitted by the
council simply provides a method OF
procedure for collecting delinquent
liens for street improvements by sale
of delinquent certificates, which are
sold and which may be redeemed in the
same manner as delinquent tax certiti-
Gates. This method | think will be con-
ceded is lenient, equitable and just. II
we are to have authority to create a
lien, then it would follow as matter
Of course that we should have an ade-
quate method to collect, for hen with
out a procedure to cellect, is as useless
as a procedure for the collection OF
liens with never lien to collect.
The third measure reduces the right
to demonstrate against any proposed
street improvement from two-thirds OF
the property effected to one half OF
any such property This measure takes
from the council the power to force
any pavement upon property owners
unless the owners of majority of the
property liable favor such Improvements
and returns us to the fundamental prin-
ciple upon which our government is
founded, namely, majority rule.
/ trust that every voter will give
this matter a careful consideration and
place the council in a position to oper-
ate on business basis by passage
of the three measures above referred
to.
Respectfully submitted,
WALTER II. KEYES.