The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-04-28
Chapter XIX

so Banks are assessed 0ntheir capital
and surplus and, undivided profits. 1t
has been so all along, but assessors
had an idea that-this wassa fixed COM
mand that they should assess them at
exactly what those three items to-
tailed. The law provides9that peo-
pie owning realestate shall be, as
sessed son the fullscash value OF the
property and assessors have de-
veloped custom Of assessing that at
half value. The banks claimed that
while the assessors were pairing down
the assessed valuations, on other
property they should pare it down in
like manner son bank values. The
assessors kept presistently quoting
that law that specified that they must
be assessed on their capital and sur
plus and undivided profits, and they
assessed them at that. The bankers
countered by demanding that the as
SCISSORS follow the rest fthe law and
assess other property at its full cash
value, but the assessors said in eff
feet, ooh, No, No, that is different.
Everything is assessed at half value
excepting where the law specifies
something different, and it specifies
that banks shall be assessed on their
capital and surplus and undivided
profits. 1t right here; l will read it
to YOU"
And the banker would explain that
this was specified so the assessor
would not assess them for their de-
posts and their savings accounts. 1t
merely settled the question as to
what was theirs and what sould be
taxed and paid for by them. If any,
body was required to pay taxes on
the deposits it should be the owners
of the money-the depositors,. not
the banker. And the assessor would
go right on-and assess them for the
full cash value of their capital and
surplus and undivided profits And if
the banker still PERSISTED, the asses
sor would probably say that it was
customary and was being done that
way all over the state.
Now what can you do with bunch
of dubs that can not interpret law
any better than that! When the
bankers found they could do moth
ing with the assessors they asked the
courts to interpret the law, and the
suit brought by the First National
Bank of Weiser referred to in
chapter XVIII showed that the court
gave the bank judgment for half it's
tax money back, because it had been
assessed twice as much on the same
investment as others had been for
investments in other kinds Of prop
erty. The assessors were made to
listen to the voice of the Judiciary on
penalty of going to jail. They can
understand the word JAIL but they
cannot understand that a dollar in
vested in one kind of property has
the same rights under the law as a
dollar invested in some other kind of
property or business.
The |. w. w. and the anarchists /
scott at the rights of property and |
the statements that all property is
entitled to be protected by law, but
he |. w. w. and the anarchists are
lot running this country yet, altho
hey have been coming precious near
t at times. Two years ago there
we're 100000 /. w. w. members in
he United States, but since ninety of
hem were convicted and sent to
Ieavenwefth for their activities in
eeking to destroy the government
nd set property rights at naught, the
membership Of the /. w. w. has
windled to about 1000 and with
asst Tuesdays shipment of about
fly I. w. W. convicts to Leaven-
1orth, their membership will prob
bly, drop off some more. It Is not
rinciple they have been working for
they have just kidded themselves
ito thinking they stood for a prin-
Iple.
Property rights are more vital to a
alton and to each individual in it
ian the laws protecting human life.
OF that property is more important
ian human life, but when property
not protected, when people are no
niger protected in the ownership
nd control of property, human life
no longer safe.
To make it palmer, Cain was
licked man and killed his brother.
verybody regretted it and there was
UGH sadness. BY reason of this
.dness and general regret, murder
became unpopular, and
)body was likely to initiate the .ex-
nple which Cain had set But when
me strong men were sent out into
% land of plenty to spy out the land
I'd report upon it, they brought
lck sample clusters of grapes SO
rye that they hung from a mans
oulder to the ground, and the
'ople in the camps were in favor of
ing right down into that country
I'd taking possession of the prop
ty. And that meant that they
ould have to murder the owners in
der to get and hold the property.
they asked regarding
e owners, their size, their skill in
hitting, their ability to defend their
operty, and human nature decided
Q question of murder on the ques-
IN of their ability to get away with z
1t was the property they wanted.
lere was no law to answer to, and
they had to do was to murder
melody they could get away with,
d that was all right. Alexander
Q Great went out and captured the
ief cities of the world, and in do
so he opened each job with nego-