The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-08-21
TAX OR NO TAX
By HANS RASMUSSEN

THAT OUR COUNTY TAXES are going to be
higher next year than they We're this year is
something we need not guess about any long
er. We know it to be fact. We also know that
very few people living in the county will be able
to pay their taxes and quite few of those who
can pay are no going to do it. What do not
know yet is if the outsiders, such railroads, land
owners and mortgage holders, will or will not pay
their taxes.
1t would not surprise me if also they quit pay
ing taxes. That would mean that no taxes would
be paid at ALL If something like that should hap
pen then some people think it would mean ruina-
tion bankruptcy, collapse of the existing system of
government And doubt it would mean some
radical changes, but what would it mean to the
people living in the county? Would it mean to them
that they would be worse off than before? WoulG
it mean that they would have to leave house and
home and get out of the county if no taxes were
paid?
Let US look facts in the face and see if we have
been getting value received for taxes paid so far:
If not then it is up to TO figure out some way
we can live without paying taxes. Something we
simply have to do when we get to point where
we no longer pay, no matter if taxes be high
or low.
In the last ten years Sheridan county has paid
out in interest alone over half a million dollars
($525, 0000O), which means that over so thousand
dollars per year of our taxes have been handed to
somebody without US getting any returns whatso-
ever. If no taxes are paid these people, the bond
holders and warrant holders, will be out of luck in
getting their so thousand dollars per year. These
people will have more reason 10 worry than we
will. No only will they be worried over the inter
est they do not get, but also over the unpaid
bonds and warrants they are holding.
If no taxes are paid the people in the court
house would be sort of out of luck too They
would find themselves with job but no salary
They would quit their job and would have a
county without an administration. We could have
no sheriffs sales and our mortgages could not bt
renewed and recorded. For the people living in
the county it would be no loss at all, but for the
outsiders it would, as practically every of u.
is under obligations to some outsider.
A county administration was never created fol
the purpose of protecting the people in the county
who needed protection the most-the farmers anC
those who work 1t was created for the protection
of the outsider-the money lender, keeping record!
| of mortgages conducting foreclosures, evictinl
people, forcing colectngs and collecting taxes serv
Serving papers, holding sheriff's sales, taking
away machinery, land and cattle from farmers
conducting foreclosure sales, putting people of
| the land, evicting them from house and home, ar
! duties of sheriff. AS far as the people in tn
county are concerned they would be better off i
these things were not done to them The fact tina
we have sheriff does not stop people from doinl
| unlawful things; people have fear In thei
hearts for the sheriff. Last week store in Med
icine Lake, a pool han IN Reserve and pool hal
Antelope, were robbed and gas tank in Plenty
wood was drained The fact that we have shel
| iff and couple of deputies did not prevent thes
crimes from taking place and it is doubtful
more crimes would have been committed had W
had sheriff at all.
Keeping correct account of mortgages
done for the protection of the mortgage holdel
not for protection, and we pay taxes so thes
records can be kept up to snuff all the time. Extr
high priced help has been hired SO new memo-al
stract books can be kept, kept for the purpose c
putting us off the land tllat much sooner Memo
abstracts is guano our land but we pay fC
t and don't even know what it is
We have got to point where we've got to g,
rid of bot of this nonsense and the only way v
will get rid Of it is by refusing to pay for
Let those who have the benefit of it, let them pc
for it themselves. Let US protect what little v
have left and let the mortgage holders and boz
holders do the worrying while.
We have right to live, they tell US, al
as long as the country is overloaded with food al
other stuff let Us not lay down and starve, let
demand some Of it.