| Show REDUCE THE assessment A petition which has already been published in full in the NEWS has been presen presented led to the county court coun of this county asking a reduction of 25 per cent in the I 1 assessments on realty really for the fiscal year similar letitio petit 0 a have been and doubtless doubt leas will be presented in other counties the call for i he reduction sets out that there is a general shrinking owing to the war on R silver ilver sl by means f which real property has baa declined 30 per cent while otherwise e have been largely reduced attention lo is ie called to the fact that weber and summit have already made such reductions and the state ot of montana as a whole has failen fallen into line that there la is a widespread and protracted depression in bu ness affairs JB Is a proposition too manifest to need discue cue sion and that the peopled people Is agents in me making king their regular levies in support of the local gov governments dometile rom etile chuld take this into consideration should also require no argument the right to tax does not proceed from any inherent cidh erent power in the entitles composing rulers bip or rather in this country directorship but rests entirely upon the necessities of the community taxed and the assent of the pt people ople thereto previously ascertained viewed in this lights light and it lb is the proper one a petition so numerously slimed sinned as 0 0 o show that a majority of the taxpayers favor it amounts to a command which those to whom it to la presente may not disregard of course the latter are not automa automatons tops they are not dot even stipen diaries with no discretion ary or executive power at all on the loutrary cout they are so largely invested with the right of 0 conclusive action that they are seldom interfered with unless some actual abuse ot of the trust reposed in them occurs A legal opinion from a firm of eminent attorneys which appears in another column takes the ground that the county may not snake make the reduction asked for Dot notwithstanding withstanding that however it seems to us that there must be someway some way if not through the counties then through the territorial board by which the prayer of the 1 petitioners petition ers might safely and properly I 1 be granted even though it should I 1 be found necessary in making ends meet to out cut down salaries here bere and there and retrench variously wherever possible in times like these those whom w bom we choose to 10 serve us ua ought to be and in most moel cases doubtless doubt leee are will ing to accept af pf a fair proportion of t the hardships which beset the community whether the treatment of silver be the root of the trouble or not it still re mains that the trouble itself is here her and must be met as best we may meet it not by a few not even by several but distributed around amine all a 11 each c h a part in proportion to hla standing in life and his general ability to carry such euch burdens the NEWS to is confident that it is or on the right side and voices the right sentiment when it says let the reduction asked for be granted grant edl |
