The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-12-29
LEARNING SOMETHING
IN A YEAR

In December, 1920, there was a
mass meeting at Blackfoot to con-
slider what could be done postponing
the payment of taxes. It was con-
sidered then that times were very
hard and money hard to get and
there was an element who were in
favor of letting the taxes go delin-
quent and asking the governor and
the legislature to enact a special
measure RENTING the penalties and
pay their taxes six or tweleve months
later.
! Those who were in favor of the
postponment of payment of taxes
held the view that money would be
easier in June, 1921, and December,
1921, than in December, 1920. Times
have been getting harder and money
was harder to get in June than it
was before. There is no prospect
that money will be easier to get next
June than at the present time, and
people who are letting their taxes
go delinquent when they were able
to pay at all are taking very doubt
full method for lettering their f.
nancial condition. There were men
in the mass meeting who were OPP
posed to anything looking to the
postponment of the payment of taxes
because the theory that the tax
money was used to support the vari-
GUS departments of government and
unless those departments are sup
ported, the people who are working
in governmental jobs, teaching
school and other duties paid for out
of the public treasury would not be
able to get their pay, and there
would be a panicy condition on that
account. AS it was, most people
paid their taxes; almost as much
tax money was paid as had been paid
when times were better. County
warrants dropped from q dollar to
ninty-five cents, and ii there had
been general movement toward the
non-payment of taxes, they might
have dropped to ninety or eighty-five. |
The people who let their taxes 60 |
delinquent during December were
not all able to pay in June and some
of them are still delinquent. Some |
people did not try to pay their 1921 !
taxes because they found 1t difficult,
and there is now and then a property
owner who takes the view that he
will not pay his taxes even tho he
could possibly get the money to-
gether to do it. Now and then
man. does not pay his taxes because
they are SO high. Most people who
have let their taxes 60 delinquent
have done SO because they were un-
able to make payment or because
they would have to do without other
things which they considered more
important or more of a sacrifice than
70 have to pay the added penalty.
It is very easy for people to part
with their property by neglecting to
pay their taxes; it is very hard to
pay the taxes with the added penalty,
md to clear up the bad titles after
hey have once gone year or two
without attention. It was radical
Inc of thought for people to suppose
hey could postpone the payment Of
axes and then have it justified by
egal action. When the government
gives its own consent to have the
ak payment postponed, 1t cannot do
10 without injury any more than q
nan could consent to have his leg
'ut of and thereby justify the act.
lie would have to do without the leg
hereafter, and the state that con-
ents to have the taxes left unpaid
would simply have to do without the
axes, and that would mean that the
tate interests would be tied up and
'eople depending on the state for
alaries for their work would become
dependent.
At the close Of the present year is
good time for people to think it
yer and see whether they were right
r wrong in considering the non
ayment Of their taxes one year ago.
Whatever was wisdom at that time
wisdom at this time, and will be
7isdom year from now in regard
the payment of taxes.