Show THE EXCESSIVE TAX QUESTION TiiEfuljectof the awewnicnt of taxes under tbe new revenue law Iso is-o great moment II will affect every property owner In the Territory Terri-tory To some taxpayers it is I of vital importance If the fears nov entertained aLto the enormous In Cflnre of ectirnakd land values ehall l realized quite a number of citi rensHlioare not ncaltliyliut vet hold title to their borne will have to dispose dis-pose of their pntseslons and become tuujuts iiiiUl of having a stake in the country Tills ouW lJ publlo calamity as well as a private hardship It ia to IMJ hoped that the alarm which has become uitlretiread will proTe tj have lets ground than has been rujipeed TfiojiUtkm fit Assessor Fox to the county court of tills county which ne publish in auutlier column should U carefully considered consid-ered The committee to whom it has been referred ought to weigh the subject well and niaku such a report re-port as will be fair to the sensor and his bondsmen while upholding the law In relation to this matter We MIeve the county courts can do much to relieve public oppreheuiou and prevent private distress In the first place they can instruct the Assessor as to their views on full cash valuation of property It ought not to be governed gov-erned by inflated IJtas of values promoted by a speculative boom Property has no doubt tin t-in value since the assessment of 1SSB The Court cnn tay what in their opinion is the percentage increase in actual values They ought to bo willing to take amt port of tbe responsibility which the law Imposes The Urma of the law are very severe on public oIHcsrs who wilfully wil-fully till or neglect to carry out Its provisions We do not say this is wrong or unnecessary A law is of little use unless it is enforced and If officials nut i > erfurru their duty it may be rendered nothing but a dead letter But the county urts can do much tounrds aiding the ssteeeors and collector and in saving them from Iho ouium that excessive tasatiuu will bring i upon I them on the one hand and the penalties pen-alties of the law to which they will bu liable it they do nut asa and collect taxes bated on a full cash valuation as cxinstructl by extremists extrem-ists on the other handS hand-S The percentage of taxation is of course left to the county courts to decide within certain limits If the assessments are high as they are sure to be tho percentage of tax should be placed KS low as Is con tJtent with the revenue necessities of the various counties Tho unequal a rt nieiils mad heretofore and the wide discrepancy between values as etmaktl In different counties have rendered necasary some stringent provIsions like inserted in the new revenue reve-nue law But it was not designed by the Legislature that the public should be Injured nor tho poor op pressed Wo hope good commonsense common-sense will prevail In this matter and that tho county courts will do ali that they can In reason and In law to help their own officers in the per formance of disagreeable but abso lutely essenUfcl duties |