Show THE DOOMED anarchists THE decision in the cases of the condemned anarchists is of great importance to the country the anxiety in reference to it and the general gratification 10 iven given by it is an evidence of the sense of danger felt in consequence of the existence of a growing power for evil threatening the well being of the nation it is hoped that the resolute applies tion of the law will check the growth of anarchism by informing its votaries vot aries as to what they may anticipate providing they attempt to put their destructive tive tendencies into opera tion whether this will be the effect is not positively clear time will willi show itis ills probable that the result would have been more salutary in that respect had the decision of the court affirming that thal of the lower tribunal been simply announced in connection with the reasons for the conclusion cl instead of this tile the several judges made verbal statements all 11 setting etting prominently forth tile the fact that the proceedings of the trials were not free from errors but the mistakes were not deemed to be ot a fatal character or sufficiently strong to inala ence the conclusion in favor of the appellants pel lants lauts seeing that the element of public policy enters largely into these cases a f fact act that is p pretty general generally ay admitted that side of the subject is not strengthened by the learned that are liable to be construed to mean a sort of half apology to the appellants lor for the ad verse decision im itu dered such ex pres are alo aio ai o liable to by toe the l t fraternity as a dilated admission tuat that their comrades comi com aden have nut not received exact justice and that the I 1 liw LW oas nas dext been eext stretched at least as far as it was possible pos siele ile to go in its af application to them let them be thus im pressed impressed and they may pos bioly be incited to tactics of revenge and g goaded ded 1 by a spirit of greater desperation pera pe ration it looks at this distance as though the announcement of the decision and the elaborate reasoning forming its basis without the additional dit ional fe remarks markh would have been more politic than the utterance of nt the little speeches in rela ion to toe ais xi tence of immaterial errors committed at toe the trial doubtless some of the more pessimistic sim si people who predicted terrible things providing tile the decision of the ahe lower courts were not affirmed by tae higher will now change about and predict the same immediate evil result if the condemned men are executed this latter lattek view has been held b by y many people from the beginning this opinion does not however appear to be well grounded it must hav davs for its foundation the theory that the anarchical fraternity ary are a mass of semi idiots or lunatics this may be true of some and even many hut that the leading spirits possess ability and some shrewd shrewdness iless may not be perhaps denied tile the dullest of them would be able to perceive that any attempt to rescue the condemned men from the grasp of the officers of the law would be nothing short of an outbreak of lunacy the same reason rea sou would lie in refer reference eRce to an immediate uprising for any other purpose at such a time for them to tako violent action at a tinte when the powers that be are amply prepared for them is not in ac corrance cor dance with what may be presumed to 10 be their tactics it would be inviting upon themselves a tre tremendous crushing process if they contemplate violence either for revenge or spoliation or both they will doubtless select a time vollen aten the community are slumbering in the arms of fancied security and everything external wears an aspect of peace although the execution of the condemned anarchists may check the operation of that sinister element for a season no one will claim that it will come within even a long distance of expunging from the hearts of those satur abed with its sanguinary sentiments their devotion to its horrible theories the evil has grown to the pro proportions port hofts of a national disease the seeds of the malady have spread throughout the system the effects may be subdued by thel application of a rigorous regime but the extinction of the germs is nearly within the range rane of the im impossible I 1 c possible under existing conditions ditto dit ions ns the complaint is is liable to show itself by the bursting out of eruptions in unexpected spots combined with an impartial yet vigo vigorous roas application of the law a higher national morality would lave have the most i salutary arv effect the upward tendency in tb that atline line is not however as speedy as could be desired indeed it seems to be tolerably clear that the pre preponderance pon of travel is on the other road THE ciby assessment THE citi citing ng of certain taxpayers to appear before the board of equalization and show cause why their assessments sess ments should not be increased is a course of procedure which ought to be commended by citizens generally however urgent maybe may be the objections thereto by the parties so cited the disclosures resulting from an examination of the city assessment roll will not only show ample justification for such action but leave the board no alternative but the taking of it if justice is to be maintained in connection with the burdens of municipal government while it is usual in assessing taxes to allow the taxpayer the benefit of a alow low estimate of the value of his property the discrepancies between the actual and assessed value shown by the city tax roll are in many instances too gleatto be allowed to pass on and near main 8 street treet are pieces ces of real estate belonging to wealthy y persons or corporations which are assessed at from one third to one half the price at which they could be readily sold and to in some instances properties could be g quickly turned into cash at a price four or even five hundred percent per cent greater than the assessed valuation it is more difficult for a person with a mercantile house to estimate the value of its stock of mer chandise than of the real estate it occupies but there is reason to believe that discrepancies exist between the actual valuation of stocks of goods and that at which they have been assessed that iare are nearly if not quite as great as those in regard to real estate in some instances merchants of f this city would by bu very indignant were a mercantile agency to give them a rating as low as aa they have given to the assessor it is claimed to be a general rule among asset assessors sors in the united states to tax real estate and merchandise at about twi thirds of the value foi which they could be sold while there is no warrant of law for taxing property in this city at less its actual value custom has periapt peri aps made a reduction of the assessed below tue tae i elline price more or less justifiable and so long as the assessment is impartial probably there would be little or no complaining done by any class of taxpayers but corn com pla plaint ay I 1 its ib made tha r residence property in the suburbs is taxed much higher iu in proportion to the price for which il ii would sell than is real estate in the business centre and figures that have been taken from t rom the assessment roll certainly indicate such to be the case the injustice in the assessment which the board of equalization is en dea dearring oring to correct nas aas doubtless resulted principally from basing the tax for the current upon that of the previous year rather wan upon a cr critical it of the value of the property while the city has been rowing growing and merchants have been enlarging I 1 their business a and ad iu creasing their acocks the assessments have been made from year to year without I 1 fully ally taking into account the increase in the value of toe the property properly of taxpayers especially in the business s portion of the city the board of equalization may regard the task it has on hand as being oe with unfalteringly it is a work in the interest of justices justice and the present fl fi lancial condition of the city requires that its officers cover into its tre treasury abury the whole of tile the revenue to which it is entitled five mills on the dollar is a tax so low that it would be smiled at in many cities oi of tile the union similar in ia size bize to thi and its lightness is a strong argument in favor of a fair valuation of property on the asses assessment roll As a further justification for th the ac tion of the board of equalization it is stated that the expenses of the fire and police service and street lighting for the district included in the fire limits which of course embraces th the business ej centre entre amount I 1 to 0 mare more t an the revenue derived from that por portion ion of the city and that the poorer s sections of the municipality are actually bearing the burdens of the wealthy portion such a showing certainly looks to be one of injustice |