Newspaper Page Text
R. O. ROSS & SONS.
Bntered at the Postoffice at Winder, Ga.
as Second Class Mail Matter.
R. O. ROSS Editor.
BEN A. JUHAN - - Associate Editor-
Thursday, Aug. 21, 1913.
Obituary notices, resolutions and tributes of re
'Bpect. cards of thanks, and notices of entertain
ments where admission fee is charged, will be
published at one-half cent per word. Cash must
accompany the article.
lit remains to be seen whether
tax assessors will reduce the nuni
ber of tax liars in Georgia.
It looks now as if John Lind,
President Wilson’s special represen
tative to Mexico, will be able to
’’come back.’’
If we were seeking popularity
we would fight shy of county
tax assessor if we expected to do
our duty by the state.
Harry Thaw, the escaped “lun
atic,” is now under arr**dt in
Canada, and it is said will soon
be deported back to the states.
Uncle Joe Cannon,who was pinch
ed by the reformers in the elections
last fall, has organized a ‘‘come
back” party. The wily one may be
able to pull this stunt off.
We can see no reason for the
American public becoming so ex
ercised over the escape of Harry
Thaw. lie is not the only lun
atic outside of Mattaewau.
Diggs, the California white
slaver, failed to save himself by
bl a ming the woman. The jury on
yesterday found him guilty on
four counts of the indictment
The maximum on the four count
is a sentence of twenty years.
Huerta may be able to murder
American< a:nd send back special
envoys as undesirables and escape
the iron hand of America’s war
dogs, but let him destroy a sugar
cane mill where American dollars
are invested and the fire will be out.
The department of justice has
presented charges! against Feder
al Judge Emory Speer and the
charges are being considered by
the house judiciary committee. If
thesJe charges are sustained the
Oeorgi a judge may lose his posi
tion by impeachment .
That was a neat thing the sen
ate did when it nipped in the
bud the bill to make it compul
sory to hold all s*ate primary
elections before the 15th of June
*Of course, Editor Holder had no
interest in this bill but, doubt
less wjill be glad to learn that
'some of his “patriots” took a
■prominent part in its defeat.
Mathematical Problem: We
will give Editor Holder’s clear
headed student one year’s sub
scription to The Pool Killer if he
will eliminate Pulton, Bibb, Rich
mond and Chatham and group
the remaining old counties into
tiers of eleven and show a 30 per
cent increase in each of the
eleven groups.
It is said that the United States
is soon to open the last of its
wild lands to the public. There
is about 55,000 acres of lost
in Jackson county the govern
ment might search out and settle
up when all her grants have been
taken. These acres are well lo
cated, in healthful climate and
worth from S2O to SIOO per acre.
Seeing the above heading covering three columns in The
Jackson Herald we decided to read the columns below it.
We hoped to find that The Herald had cut loose from
the plan of talking thru visitors, correspondents and inter
viewed philosophers and fallen to expressing opinions to be
assailed and defended.
The use of superlatives has become so common in The
Herald columns that we are authorized to supply the positive
or comparative degrees whenever our taste, judgment or de
sire for truth suggests the use of them. Hence we ask our
readers to bear with us while we comment on the game gush
and lame logic contained in the columns beneath the patriotic
headlines.
The first column contains the text, an article to The
Constitution from T. G. Dorough, representative from Frank
lin county, advocating the merging of small counties into
large ones as well as statements from “Judge I. L. Oakes, one
of the best lawyers and foremost citizens in Georgia”. The
last phrase is given as an example of The Herald’s meaning
less gush adjectives.
The first point scored by The Herald is that money
spent in building jails and courthouses is not taxable and the
cash so invested ceases to afford revenue to the state.
The same may be said of school buildings, churches,
streets, roads, electric lights, waterworks, etc. Would the
Herald stop all progress for the sake of taxes?
Next, that clear-headed student, Dr. J. C. Bennett, has
discovered that the taxable values iu new counties have in
creased only 36 per cent, since their creation, w’hile the in
crease in the whole state has been 42 per cent. Can the
clear-headed one ascertain why the grand old county of Jack
son is short this year more than one hundred thousand dol
lars in the matter of tax returns?
The Herald says the argument is reasonable that the
old county as well as the new will have increased taxation.
Not a single fact is submitted to sustain the claim.
We ask what additional expense would come to old Jack
son if Barrow county were created? Pride might make the
authorities reach out to keep pace with the new county, but
the people are protected by a tax limit.
Again, The Herald states what the law’ requires, iu pro
posals to tax for education, lights, water, sewers, public
buildings and roads —a vote of the people. The Herald asks:
‘‘Then why not let the people of the affected counties
say whether they shall be taxed for anew county?”
That is just what the law requires iu making new coun
ties. And so careful is the law that the whole state must
vote on the question. Anything wrong with this law? The
editor of The Herald served many years in the law-making
body of Georgia and helped to establish quite a number of
new counties and never raised a voice against the law till he
Home For Wayward Girls.
Governor Slaton has signed the
bill appropriating $20,000 to estab
lish a home for wayward girls.
To build great homes for fallen
women and reformatories for incor
rigible street urchins is commenda
ble, and would be a noble under
taking for the philanthropic rich,
but to burden the righteous poor to
educate and reform the victims of
poverty and lu9t is not just.
Why should the tax payers of
the state be called upon to house
Atlanta’s scattered redlight district?
If the average Georgia lawmaker
were half as liberal in dispensing
his private means as he is in ap
propriating the state’s tax money
wrung from the already heavily
burdened toiling masses, in a short
while he would be a pauper.
We believe society would be bet
ter protected if a blow were struck
at the cause of the wayward girl,
rather than to offer inducements to
fall by establishing great homes for
reform, idleness and edueotion.
Three prisoners who acted as
their own attorneys secured their
acquittal last week and judge
Newcomer thinks that the out
look is gloomy for lawyers. But
think of the bright prospects of
the laity.
Nominations for the office of
prince Albania are now in order.
Bear in mind, however, that our
owh . Hamilton Lewis is other
wise engaged. ' I
The New Taxing System.
Return the property you owned
on January Ist for taxation as
heretofore between February Ist
and May Ist. The tax received
by May 10th w r ill present all tax
es to the county assessors . The
latter net May 10th. Omissions
by taxpayers will be corrected by
the board ,and fair valuation ex
acted. This board must “find"
all taxable property and must
see to it that valuations as be
tween individuals are fairly and
justly equalized. Ilf the taxpayer
is dissatisfied in ten days he
can go to arbitration. The ar
bitration board fixes the assess
ment. The award is
final except where the state tax
commissioner equalizes taxes be
tween counties. Arbitrators musj
be property owners. The county
assessors have full authority to
subpoena and to stummou books,
records, etc. They must complete
their work by July Ist.
The county board of tax asses
sors! consists of three members ap
pointed by the county commission
ersl for a term of six years; the
first appiontments are one mem
ber for two years, one for four
years aud one for six years. The
members! thereafter are appoint
ed for a term of six.years, ex
cept in eases of appointmennt to
fill a vacancy.
If the state tax commissioner
finds that in many of the counties
became a private citizen. Now by lame logic and gushy
flattery of a minority he hopes to keep up the spirit of ego
tism and prejudice that may throttle justice and right and
deny to all Georgia the right to vote for or against the new
county of Bairow.
“Let the people rule is the slogan of the patriots”, saj-.s
the Herald. What people? The city of \\ inder? No. The
residents iu the new county limits? No. The whole state?
No. The people affected? Iu the text Mr. Dorough says
the whole state is affected. He says: “It does costthestate
a great deal to create new counties”.
Then, Mr. Herald, why not let all who are affected have
part in the voting as the law requires, and not propose a
method that the law will not allow? That is called playing
to the galleries or begging the question.
Those w'ho w rite editorially on public questions must
strive to be sincere, consistent and fair in presenting facts
and reasoning upon them.
Where w r as this patriotic Herald when Atlanta, Savan
nah and other cities insisted on leaving the prohibition ques
tion to county elections? Did this local affection appeal to
this patriot-maker then? We think not.
We find in this editorial with mixed texts and patriotic
headlines a paragraph containing something of a riddle, that
may arouse sympathy in those who know not the wiles of the
private lobbyist. Here we submit it:
“When the Barrow county till went to the senate com
mittee, one senator stated at 3 o'clock one afternoon that the
friends and opponents were ready to have the hearing next
day at 2 o’clock. The statement was made without authori
ty from the opponents of the bill. One man w r ho had been
the friend of this senator, who when in a position to serve
this senator, he did so, with great pleasure and whenever op
portunity presented itself he had manifested toward this sen
ator friendship and loyalty and love. This man, now a pri
vate citizen, modestly and unostentatiously asked if he might
make a statement, but in most emphatic and vehement tones
this senator said, ‘I object.’ . . . The only thing the
private citizen could do was to walk away and iu whispered
tones say: ‘Lord, forgive him.’ ”
Who can name this private citizen? There is only one
private lobbyist who does things modestly and
tiously, one who is so free with friendship, loyalty and love.
There is just oue prayerful one.
Why should a senator be so rash with a man of such
modest, pious mien, and discourteous to a benefactor?
“Sing and the hills will answer,
Sigh and it is lost on the air;
They want full measure of all your pleasure
But will not voice your care”.
(Continued Next VY T eek
the tax valuations are not reason
ably uniform with the values fix
ed upon the same classes! of prop
erty in another county the com
missiioner must investigate, and
after such investigation, has au
thority to issue and the
same either by having a per cen
tum to the county valuation, or
any class of property in any coun
ty. If he finds the coiinty valu
ation was! too low r or by deduct
ing a per centum from the coun
ty valuation ,if he finds the coun
ty valuation Was too high, he
then must notify by mail, the
chairman of the county board of
tax assessors! of the county af
fected, that the county’s valua
tions upon the classes of
ty specified in the notice must
be raised or lowered (asi the case
may be) by the per centum fixed
by him. The county tax digest
is at the same time returned to
such county for correction ac
cordingly.
When so notified, the chair
man of the county board of tax
assessors, must call immediately
a meeting of his board must cor
rect the valuations in conformi
ty with the order of the
tax commisstijoner.
But if the county board of tax
assessors is dissatisfied with
the order of the state tax commis
sioner the chairman of the coun
ty board may within ten days no
tify the state tax commissioner
that arbitration is demanded on
behalf of that county at the same
time the name and postoffice ad
dress of an arbitrator chosen by
the county board. The state tax
commissioner must within three
days/ from the receipt of such de
mand name an arbitrator to act
for the state. The state arbitra
tor thus named must stelect, a
third within ten days. Jtf the
second arbitrator fails'to agree
upon a thiTd within ten da<ys the
third arbitrator must be appoint
ed by the controller general. An
award by a majority within twen
ty days from date of the appoint
ment of the third arbitrator id
final.
If they fail to make an award
within that time the action of
state tax commissinoer stands af
firmed . If the decision of the
arbitrators is made within the
time and differs! from that pre
viously rendered by the state tax
commissioner the county valua
tion must be immediately revised
in accordance therewith other
wise they must be revised in ac
cordance with the decision Jf
state tax commissioner.
The salient points! on the work
ings of the new taxing system
are taken from an article by
Judge George T. Cami in The
Savannah Morning News.
Well, we have been expecting
one of them to get it off but
they have not. Here goes: “It
was hot enough, anyhow, for a
Thaw-out. ’ ’ —Athens Banner.