Show in past years when real estate represented a value and people could afford to pay their taxes this method was somewhat followed at this time the cae assess assessment meril rolls boils how less of this practice than at any time in the history of the county and is almost per cent secured against tax sales on personal property attached to real estate it seems that our county officers have been reasonably honest fellows in the past and I 1 know that tay my experience the past two and one half years have convinced need me that our county officials do have the interest oi the county at heart and while there have been some mistakes no doubt and will continue to be as long as we are human I 1 ami sure these mistakes are not the cause of the present financial condition tion and no one should know the real reason better than a merchant who signed that trade against county officers remember mr air merchant that when you become mayor of duchesne you too signed an oath to uphold and support the constitution ution of the united states and of the state of utah and I 1 wonder it if you who are now ra railing 1 il ing against the dishonesty of county of officers ficeri have lived up to your oath one hundred per cent or perchance you may also ha have ve made some mistakes along the line speaking of the disappearance ot of books overnight I 1 wish to state for the information of mr air merchant that every record of the assessors office that i have received during my administration is in the office files open to the inspection of uny any tax payer dayer in duchesne county tir mr merchant included will mr mer aler chant grant this same privilege to your customers relative to your tax sales account it if so please inform the writer of this article who will gladly undertake the checking of these sales the flagrant way nay in which A merchant scandalized the deputy assessors would only be used by one trying to protect their own acts if mr air merchants information is reliable the source of which Is well known relative to shown to some by the county assessor why not make some specific charges that tile tha taxpayers may know who is being favored rhe fhe present county assessor would gladly welcome this information while I 1 plead guilty to the fact that hat I 1 have always gone the limit in trying to ease the burden ot of the tax payer I 1 denounce the charge of favor ism as a deliberate falsehood other charges made in ill the article signed by A merchant is so that to consider them would be folly and a waste of the publics time in reading them my aly first article was only intended for those who were violating the law those who are not need take no offense no doubt in most cases the intent ot of the business man Is to do the hest best they can under the circumstances cum stances but to collect in excess of 2 per cent on the sales tax Is a violation of 0 the and intent of the law the principal is wrong ana is a dangerous precedent no community county or state would tolerate such methods in the collecting of city state or county taxes regard regardless legs ot of ill the emergency C W SMITH aye 0 YE EDITOR |