The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-08-07

PLAN OLD ASSESSMENT RATE
ON NEW VALUATION TO DIS
CREDIT LEAGUE


nous and destructive and has many
more ramifications than was at first
suspected. Information was received
today, that the old gang in control Of
twenty counties intends to, and in
some instances has levied the usual
amount in mills on the increased val
uation of property made by the League
legislature last winter, thereby in
creasing taxes two and threefold with
the deliberate intention Of making the
people believe that the new League
laws are responsible for this. \
The intent of the new tax law was
to institute lower levy in mills on
an increased tax valuation thereby
making the estimation Of taxes more
easy, fair and accurate, but not ne
cessarily increasing taxes. Taxes as
usual were to be whatever it would
cost to run the state, county and
town government on reasonable and
economical plan. By keeping the old
mill levy on the new increased valua-
tion, the opposition hopes to create the
impression that they are following the
new law and that the League is re-
sponsible for a county taxs two or
three times as great as last year. This
ruinous new tax is to be taken up IN
reckless expenditures calculated to
create q stampede among the taxpay-
ers that will wipe out the League in
North Dakota.
This information was received
from an agent Of North Dakota
flrm who has been travelling over the
state. The name Of the agent and firm,
Tor obvious reasons, will be withheld.
The plan is something like this: = =
In an interview with travelling
agent Of q large firm we got some in
teresting facts. About twenty coun-
ties he knows Of are about to 20 the
limit in levying taxes. They intend
to, or already have levied the usual
amount ii mills on the increased val
nation, which would mean that the
county taxes would be increased three
OF four times what they were last
year.e AUDITORS AND COMMIS:
|SIONERS ARE TOGETHER On
THIS, SAYING THAT WHEN THE
TAXES ARE PAID THERE WON'T
BE A MEMBER IN THEIR COUN-
TIES. -
Some counties intend to pay all
outstanding warrants. Some will spend
the tax surplus in q big road building
campaign. Others will turn it into
q building fund and build a new court
house without stopping to let the peo-
pie vote on it. In fact, they will spend
it any way they can in order to make
the taxes high for the political effect
it wiz have on the taxpayers"
This vicious conspiracy to destroy
the farmers organization is in line
with the !. v. A. plot reported last
week tosfalsely plant the impression
throughout the state that the League
had united with the ]. w. w. to wage
destructive warfare in North Dakota
during harvest time to obtain 3 SIC
wage for harvest hands, and the ]. v.
A. importation Of thugs to carry out
this plan.
That the plot Of the opposition is
even more extensive than this was in
dicated by clerk in Fargo q few
days ago, who declared that interests
ne was serving were boosting prices
abnormally out Of q spirit Of pure re-
venge against the League and for the
purpose Of creating disgust among the
people 50 that they would demand 9
change Of administration. This Is il
line with the open declaration made
several weeks ago that the price o1
meals have been advanced to ofse,
the new eight hour day for women and
girl employees.