The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-11-15
ROBINSON SEES
CARL K0SlTZKY
IN A NEW LIGHT
Venerable League Jurist Halls
Insurgent Auditor as
John the Baptist
WARNS THE TOWNLEYITES
Associate Justice Says Waste,
Extravaganza, High Taxes
Spell Doom
WARNS THE T0WNLEYITEs

81. GAITdVd&duCcS AA46H A"ASo
Spell Doom
State Auditor Carl r. Kositsky, the
most radical OF the league insurgents
has been called a great many names
by supporters Of President A. G..
Townley. Associate Justice James q
Robinson Of the Supreme court has
a new one for the state auditor. In
his Saturday Evening Letter of this
date Judge Robinson says:
"KositskS, is1a second John the
Baptist-the voice of one crying Ill
the wilderness. Believing that honest
confession is good for the soul, he ex-
poses the wrong instead of cloaking
and covering it up. Very justly, he
cries out against excessive taxation
and public extravaganza. He shows
how the last assessment of land was
increased more than four fold over
all the other assessments, and now
there was then added general aver
age of about thirty percent. This
more than doubles the taxes for the
coming year, in addition to all the
other levies. BY excessive and illeg-
al taxation Charles the First lost MS
royal, head, Great Britain lost her
American colonies, and the present
state administration is In great dang
er of losing the next general cleo
tion."
Heed, o heed, Kositsky's warn
ing" cries the venerable jurist at the
opening and close Of his letter, IN
which he shows up a number OF IN
stances of alleged extravaganza, waste
or poor management.
SATURDAY EVENING LETTER
(By Justice J.-E. Robinson)
November Is, 1919.
Heed, 0 heed Kositsky's warming.
Kositzky is a second John the Bap-
tist-the voice Of one crying nthe
Wilderness prepare yd the way of
the Lord, make his path straight. Be-
lieving that honest confession is good
for the soul he exposes the wrong IN.
steady of cloaking ad covering it up
Very justly he cries out against ex'
cessive taxation and public extraya-
gance. He shows how the last as
sessment of land was increased more
than four fold over all other asses
ments and how there was then added q
general average of about thirty per-
cent. This more than doubles the
taxes for the coming year in addition
to all other levies.
BY excessive and illegal taxation
Charles the First lost his royal head.
reat Britain lost her American col
onies, and the present State Admin
istration is in great danger Of losing
the next general election. But there
is still time to undo the wrong, to
pass statute with an emergency
clause reducing all tax levies Jlfty
percent, and permitting payment in
two equal installments on or before
March first and November first, the
same as in South Dakota. There is
time to repeal some bad statutes such
as those encouraging strikes, picket
ing and martial law; and to repeal
! the statute to prevent men and wo-
men from exercising their inalienablc
right to acquire property by doing an
honest days work.
The tax is relic of feudal barbar-
ism. 1t is the greatest Of all public
nuisances. If state cannot live and
prosper without the levying Of taxes
then there must be sad lask Of wis
dom and capacity in those who con-
troll the affairs of the state.
Now, in a few days the solons and
wise men from the East do meet at
the Capitol to correct their own errors
and to restrain and curb those young
thoroughbreds who despise correction
and who are continually Kicking
over the traces" But Kositzky, he
must be given clean bill of health
with due cOmmendatiOn because he
is a good worker, he does not fear to
speak the truth and he has done the
people a great service by continually
pointing out the rocks on which the
ship Of state is in danger Of being
wrecked
Under the new laws and assess
ments we have new boards and bur-
eaus and new ways of making Law.
ish expenditure of public money. We
have methods Of taxation unknown
to the constitution. There is a motor
vehicle flax almost sufficient to pay all
necessary expense of the state; a tax
on incomes; a special tax on lawyers.
three mill tax on debts, moneys AMI
credits. In short, it seems that every
device has been resorted to for the
purpose of increasing the tax burdens.
Then in their unbounded confid-
ence the solons and wise men have
given the Governor, his boards and
bureaus authority to fix salaries and
titles and to incur expenses without
limit. Hence the new annual pay roll
is nearly 100000 in addition to
the regular pay roll. For the first
time in the history Of the state we
read of men getting $4,000 year ;
and three. four or five thousand dol
lars is quite common.
The motor vehicle tax law gives the
Secretary Of State power to expend
all the tax for the purpose Of collect
ing it. That part Of the statute our
Court has held void. The law gives
the Highway Commission the power to