The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-03-04
WEEKLY 1mEsnEco6o VALLEY CITY. NORTH 0Ako! -

rhE WEEKLY 1'mESnEcoRo. VAL
ly the actual" valuation in this year
amounted to $3.50. We also note
that he entirely neglects mentioning
the fact that it was nonpartisan law,
passed by a nonpartisan legislature,
which required that this 1918 valua-
ton be increased from rs per cent val
uation of that year to the 100 per cent
valuation of 1919. We would be SUIT
prlsed at this apparent oversight Of
the important feature Of the tax ques-
ton were it not for the fact that the
consistent policy Of all league news
papers has been to mislead, wherever
possible, the reader of tax articles.
The balance Of the editorial appears
to be written through the desire to
mislead the reader as to the proper
ton Of his increased taxes chargeable
to the state officials and the part
chargcable to the county officials. We
are informed that the difference be-
tween the total mill levy and the state
mill levy Of 2.98 mills will give you
the mill levy for county purposes. We
also note that the editorial places this
mill levy at 5.02 mills, and infers that
the county officials are entirely re-
sponsible for this levy, with the ex-
ceptlon of the county school tax levy
which the editor states is the only
county levy fixed by the state laws.
The principal mis- statement above is
contained in the claim that the only
mill levy fixed by state law is the
| county school tax levy. We again
draw the EDITORS attention to prev
ious article which points out those
county tax levies which are fixed by
legislative enactment Of 1919. We
| find that the county school tax is fix
ed bv Senate Bill No. 220, the county
special road tax is fixed by House Bill
! No. ITO, the grasshopper poison tax Is
fixed by Senate Bill No. 143. We again
draw YOUR attention to the fact that
the legislature which passed t hese tax
levies was thirds non-partisan
| The editor also neglects to make any
mention Of the fact that the average
state tax for 1918 in this county, per
quarter section, amounted to $5.12 as
con,uarcd to the $2l.92 Of 1919. We
naturally infer that this 1913 per cent
increase in the taxes indicates a like
percentage of increase in the cost OF
state administration under our purely
nom partisan laws.
As the editor is evidently taking Il
very decided interest in the tax ar
ticles of this paper we VIII assume
! that he has seen and read the later
article which proves, through state
,nents taken from the county RECORDS,
that the actual increase in county eX-
, ueosc for the past year IS only L per
cent, The l;.Lral inference is that
any further increase above TINS l per
cent is for other purposes than county
expenditure. AS the funds derived
from county tax levies are only used
for county or state expenditures. and
! # is 4 matter of record that the coun-
ov expenditure has only increased l
nov cent. the balance of the increase
can only be charged to increased eX-
ncnditures through the state admins
tration. How does the increase OF L
ner cent in the cost of county admin
istration compare with the Increased
cost of state administration as lnd!-
Gated bv the 32S increase in state
taxes?
We note that the editor Of the Opln,,
ION wants to publish the truth and
we can assure him that he does when
he states that the intent OF our prev
ions article was to make it appear that
The Opinion was fighting the county
officials We might add that ne mas,
as usual, neglected to mention that
we claimed only that he was hghting
them on the tax question. TINS ne mas
consistently done and, continues TO do'
through his continued efforts TO attach
the responsibility for the increased
taxes to the county officials. AS we
do not think that the editor actually
believes as he writes we can only pc
]ieye that he is writing under instruc-
tions other than those received from
his own directorate.
VIZ ENDORSE THIS EDITORIAL
When the Nonpartisan legislature
passed the printing laws which took
away from every newspaper IN the
state. with the exception of the Leag.
he papers, a considerable portion OF
their legitimate revenue by dcprlvlng
individuals of the right to publish le-
gal notices, which concern 40 one ou1
themselves. in whatsoever newspaper
best suits their purpose, they accom-
plished one of the greatest lnJustlces
which has ever been pCrpetrated ny
any legislative body. The law was the
most barefaced graft law that was ev-
err passed. But still there are certain
~, fho SifN2t3Nn