Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-02-19
FOG FROM WILLOW RIVER

Editor Askov American:
| Now comes another fog out of Will
low River, in another attempt by
Commissioner 'Stepan to hide from the
taxpayers of Pine county the true
causes of high taxes. AS you can re-
call persons name by looking at his
or her face, so is there that same
individuality in writing. The compost
tion of this latest Willow River fog
strip leads me to believe that it was
written by a person other than F. w.
Stepan. Therefore, it is apparent that
there is a dictator behind the scenes
of Pine county's governmental affairs.
If this is the case, it is high time
the taxpayers knew it and took steps
to put a stop to it by cleaning house
at Pine City. Mr.. Stepan's latest
bunch of bunk is full of half truths
and assertions which have no bearing
whatever upon the subjects of which
| wrote and which he is attempting
to answer. Why any man should affiX
| his signature to any such article is
more than l San understand, unless
| he thinks his readers are just as ig-
! nOrant of tax matters as he is. He
| accuses me of indulging in person
alities. He, the self-appointed de-
fender of the county board has drawn
this jangle down to a personal matter,
thus leaving no other course open to
me but to direct my reply to him. In
my article of Jan. &c, which appeared
in the county papers, l asked him
several questions concerning county
affairs, thus giving him the first op-
portunity of bringing these matters
before the public. He evaded answer
ing every one of them, using his space
to direct stream of abuse toward
me in an attempt to discredit The
Pine County Tax League, which is
the thorn in his side.
The last sentence of this latest Will
low River fog, reads as follows: 1.-The
point is that l want each voter to be
fully informed through the medium
of the paper, public gatherings or any
other method" l am glad he does
and l will help him all l can. In
this present day world of bluff, hum
bug and bunk, organization is every
thing The various county boards
have an organization. The county au-
ditors have an organization. Every
body has an organization except the
farmers. If the farmers ever get an
organization, many people who have
prOfited through the farmers being
unorganized, are going to be hurt.
Consequently, every effort of the farm
ers to organize is met with a bonn
bardment of opposition or abuse from
one clique or another. The Pine
County Tax league came into existence
simply from the fact that the settlers
in the eastern part of the county were
unable to get square deal in the
matter of taxes through their individ-
ual efforts. Every matter that has
been brought before the county board
by the Tax League, has met with the
opposition of Mr.. Stepan, even to the
point of deliberate insults. No simple
matter is ever disposed of immedi-
ately. Always that move for delay,
which means another hundred-mile
trip to the county seat for the people
from this side of the county. If these
delays are for the purpose of giving
time to consult a dictator, we want
to know it.
Each land assessment year the val
uations in the county have dropped,
until last year they fell below the
dead line By the dead line l mean
a total valuation of 8 million dollars
for the county. This would mean
that the county board would have to
take reduction in pay of $3.50 year.
AS the tax league has been instru-
mental in reducing valuations, the
reasons for Mr.. Stepan's opposition
are very evident. That "Kerrick
Opinion" gave him the hint that the
jig was up and seeing a $3.50 Topped
off of his annual salary he clamors
for countrywide meeting to discuss
taxes. Misery loves company, so he
suggests that a start be made with
the school . teachers and a chunk
Topped off of the pay check of every
body all down the line. This is sports
manship of the muddiest water. A
most vicious penny-wise and pound
foolish idea. Just another step to
hurry the depopulation of Pine county.
Just drop in the bucket as to what
might be saved in other channels. l
want to say right here that the Pine
County Tax league has never worked
for lower valuations with view to
reducing the pay of the county board
or anybody else and stands ready to
do all in it's power to secure a change
of the law to prevent any such oc-
curance.
| In the matter of valuations Mr..
Stepan always contends that low
valuation means a high rate and a
high valuation means a low rate and
that your taxes are not affected by
the county board raising or lowering
the valuations. This is just some
more Willow River fog Ten mills
is the rate limited by law which can