The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-12-15
MISAPPLICATI0N
OF LEGAL RATES

Something over five years ago we
citizens of North Dakota experienced
the Dawn of New Day." and it was
some day, lasting five years. During
that day certain political Moses, as
sisted by his apostles, caused to be in
corporated into our statutes certain
laws, the far reaching effects of which
are Just coming to light. All OF which
explains the action of our board of
county commissioners, which action
was forced upon them by law and con-
trary to their best judgment as bust
ness men. When the board of county
commissioners met last week an ac-
count was presented to them for pay
ment from the Peoples Opinion of this
city for services in connection with
the publication Of the delinquent tax
list, which had been published in the
three proceeding issues of that paper.
The itemized statement follows:
6726 lines double price mat
ter at 84c per line ......$5649. "a
IS lines straight matter at 42c
per line ........... u ~
1O4 lines double price matter
at 84c per line ........... $3.50
Total delinquent tax list pub
LEGATION charge ......... 5000. w
This account was certified by the
auditor to the board and the Peoples
Opinion has now received the money
so it is beyond recall. We have no
quarrel with the Peoples Opinion for
accepting this amount but want to
draw your attention to the mis-appll-
cation of the law governing the rates
to be charged for this service. For
many years the rates governing the
publication of legal notices were no.
toriously low and bill was drawn and
passed putting these rates to point
where the publisher would realize
reasonable profit for his work. 1t was
not the intention that these rates
should apply to the publication OF the
delinquent list as their application to
this work would result in an unusual
and unwarranted profit to the publish
err and would be burden to the tax
payer. However, recent declslon
bv the attorney generals office de-
ciares that these rates do apply to the
list in question and consequently the
DELINQUENT tax payer is obliged to pay
treble the amount which would be rea.
sonable and fair. This bill was passed
bv a nonpartisan legislature at time
when the league controlled one news
paper in each county in the state, and
when they expected each of these pa
pers to be proclaimed the official news
paper of their respective counties:
The decision that these rates applled
to the delinquent tax list was MADE
while the league still controlled the
official machinery of the state. vi
course there may be no connection be-
tween these facts--it may all be a CO.
incident. but you are at liberty TO
draw your own conclusions. We con-
tend, in fact we insist that neWspa'
per which lends it's prestige to the
election of a certain set of officials and
pives them the assistance of it's edl-
torial columns is entitled to political
profit, or rather, let us say interest,"
On political goodwill. but we DO not
feel that this interest should amount to
something over 500 per cent: just
how long the present rates will gov
ern the publication of this list is
problematical but they will apply until
the next session of the legislature at
least. We experienced the dawn OF
the new day and have gone through
the most of the day but we are OF the
opinion that the twilight is going to
be lasting long time.