The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 3, 1916, Page 9

ot 2 Py . the 'state. " swivel chair, i ‘ ~puffed at it leisurely and with half- 5 ‘Smothe, . Kenzie’s interests in the county and the latter’s .apparent . influence on county officials. Y The county treasurer’s books show that the county of Burleigh never has collected, through one technicality or another, taxes of the Bismarck Water comptny for the years 1892, ’93, 94, "HE NONPARTISAN LEADER it:is contended by the county treas- urer that the attempt to compromise the taxes of 1903, 1904 and 1905 was an illegal act by the board. Paid No Penalty Alexander McKenzie, owner of much Burleigh county real estate, allowed '- Kositzky Blocked Plan to Lower McKenzie's Taxes C. R. Kositzky, former county treasurer of Burleigh county, the flrst public official in that, locality to fight efforts of the olitical machine to use Fublic officers for personal aggrandizement and who was successful in the ’95, ’96 and ’97. This is the company founded, by Alexander McKenzie in fii.oneer days and which became the ismarck Water Supply company, still under his control, in 15§98. The books also show an attempt to compromise the taxes of this company, partially successful, in December, 1906. The company had let taxes of 1903, 1904 and 1905, amounting to $4416.79, go delinquent. - The county board, on a personal affidavit of Alex- ander McKenzie claiming irregulari- ties in the azsessment, agreed Decem- ber £, 1906; by resolution to accept $3000 as a compromise for this $4416.- 79 due, and waived all penalty entire- ly. The penalty and interest for de- linquency waived amounted to $1735. Through a slipup somewhere this com- promise was not recorded by the county treasurer as intended -by the board and. was applied virtually as a part payment of the taxes, enabliing the present county treasurer last December to make an effort to collect the balance, in which he may yet bz successful. Like the later resolution ~“Will B. Crafty sat in his headquar- ters at the Pickem hotel. Before him lay a confused pile of letters—Iletters - from = various lieu- tenants - who were out gumshoeing i Crafty ~ had read them over carefully. ach letter produc- ed a frown on his florid face which grew in intensity as the reading pro- gressed. It was clear that the news containéd in those. letters was not optomistic. It was also clear that the ‘writers were not meeting with success. : _ The big boss leaned back in his lit his cigar afresh, closed eyes sat in silence for some minutes. ¥ : Suddenly he arose, ' brushed the ashes from his vest,. stepped, to the telephone and took:down the receiv- er and practically ~whispered the number to the operator. There was a pause of fifteen seconds. “Little Boss” Takes a Hand . . “Hello, Sub, is that you?” and then he ‘added in a firm tone, “come over to my office a minute,” and hung up' the receiver.: : ““Sub” was a nickname for H. E. who was also . commonly known.'as the “little boss,” because he had often served as a substitute ~ for the big boss. - Smothe was a medium sized man, ~elosely built, wore: emaculate, natty .. clothes, verging ‘onto the f_og ish ‘and cultivated ‘a well-trained, black ong fights in the courts resulting. considerable of his taxes of 1898 to become delinquent on March 1, 1899. He did not pay some of them until February 1, 1901, when he paid taxes of 1898 covering 75 separate pieces of property, amounting to $851.39. The county treasurer’s books show Mec- Kenzie was permitted to pay these taxes, two years delinquent, without a cent of intere:t or penalty. Hundreds of other ‘taxpayers al- lowed’ taxes of 1898 to go delinquent, for that was a hard year, the year_ - of the war with Spain. But these other taxpayers were not permitted to pay up afterwards without the heavy interest and penalty provided by law. For instance, Annie Marshall on March 29, 1901, paid $74.10 on taxes of 1898 on a house and lot in Bis- marck and she was assessed $12.36 interest ‘and penalty. The names of hundreds of others who paid delin- quent taxes at that time with inter- est and penafiy appear-on the books. Alexander McKeénzie was permitted quent and the county never advertis- ed his property for sale for taxes; although at the same time scores of other property owners had their property sold out from under them for delinquent taxes. : Escaped Tax Sale. During this period McKenzie owned an undivided half interest in lots 15 to 18, block 46, original plat of the city of Bismarck. He let taxes of 1898 on these lots become delinquent, the books show, and paid them Feb- ruary 1, 1901, without penalty and interest for delinquency. At the same time T. W. Griffin, a farmer, owned 160 acres of land and allowed taxes of 1898 to go delinquent. His roperty was advertised and sold ecember 6, 1899, by the county for delinquent taxes. The property was bid in by E Simmons and later assigned to the Dennison Land ccm- pany, which company perfected Litle under the tax sale deed January 11, 1914, de:pite a contest taken to the supreme court by Mr. Griffin, who lost out.. ; - This farmer’s property was adver- tised " and sold for delinquent taxes and the sale affirmed by the supreme court. ‘Alexander McKenzie owned 160 acres of land in the county at this time and' like Mr. Griffin let taxes of 1898 go delinquent. McKen- zie’s 160 acres were the northwest quarter of section 33, township 139, range 77. McKenzie was permitted by officials 'to come in on February 1,1901, and pay delinquent taxes on this land without interest and pen- alty. Unlike Griffin’s land this had never been advertised, for sale or sold for delinquent taxes, although eligible to be sold under the law. E. G. Patterson, chairman of the year after year. For instance, the NINE Palladium Publishing company, which publishes the papar owned iay Mr. Ptaterson, did not pay its taxes for 1903, ’04, ’05, 06 and ’07, amounting in all with intere:t and penalty to $621.65. Taxes of .the paper for all these years remained unpaid in 1909. During most of this time the Palla- dium was the official paper of the county and the county was raying the paper promptly for printing bills. No official had withheld, print- ing bill warrants and applied, them on the ungaid taxes of the paper, as permitted by law. But in 1909 Treasurer Kositzky, newly elected, started to apply warrants for print- ing on the ungaid taxes of the paper. This got quick action. On August 3, 1909, Mr. Patterson’s paper came: in and paid up taxes for the delinquent years. The ownership certificate of the Palladium, required by the act—ef congre:s, is herewith reproduced, as furnished by the third assistant lpsostémaster general at Washington, Ownership Shown “Statement of the ownership, man- agement, circulation, etc., required by thke act of‘August. 24, 1912, of the Palladium, published weekly at Bis- marek, . N., D., for, October 1, 1915; Editor, 'H:-P.~ Knappen; managing editor, H. P. Knappen; business man- ager, H. P." Knappen;: publisher, H. P. Knappen; owners’ (if’a corporation give its name: and: the .names and ad- resses of "stockholders holding one per cent or more of fotal amount of stock; if ' not* a ' corporation give names and addresses of individual onnBrs), E. G. Patterson, Bismarck, This certifica.te was signed by H. Dedicated to the Power Behind the Throne This is the McKenzie hotel at Bismarck, built and owned by E. G. Pat- terson, county commissioner, and named for Alexander McKenzie. Pat- terson is-proud to be known as being “closely associated” with the politi- cal boss. board of county commissioners, like Alexander McKenzie, had the habit P. Knappen and, witnessed on Septem- ber 20, 1915, by R. Bernarden, notary by officials to let his taxes go delin- of letting his taxes go deliqnuent . public, By N. B. DICTAGRAPH mustache which curled up at the 'gpints. His face was almost round, i s eyes black and his hair inclined to be curly. He was a man devoid. of feeling or sympathy and could crush the life out of the most in-. nocent creature without a shudder. He was cold, heartless and unfeel- ing. : i Crafty had carefully drawn the blinds and taken his usual precau- tions of secrecy when there was a gentle- knock at the door. Sub Reads Letters - “Come in,” < invited Crafty in a- subdued tone. The door opened and Sub glided in and quickly closed the door. “Turn that key,” commanded Craf- ty, “and take this seat.” Sub did as ordered and taking one of the cigars offered him, took a sly look at the big boss whose beady eyes met his quick glance. “Take a look at that,” screeched Crafty passing a letter to the-little boss. gu read swiftly over the pages, pitched : the letter back on the desk, shook his head and fumbled silently with a big watch charm. = _ “Now look at this,” added Crafty in a monotone, assinq over another letter. Sub rea(f the letter through. “And this,” continued the big boss, tossing -over another letter. ! “ This continued for half an hour, - big_head line saying, “The Sub straightened up, swung- his leg over the arm of his chair and re- lighted his dead, cigar. Things Look Rotten “Whatd’ye think abeut it?” asked the big boss, boring Sub with his gimlet eyes. “Looks rotten to me,” Sub in a modulated ‘tone. “I guess rotten is right,”” threw back Crofty with a sickly looking smile. “And the worst is yet to come,” said Crafty, passing over a ‘promin- ent state paper. Nee Across the top of the page was a onparti- san League—What is it? The Farm- ers in Revolt.” = Following was a leading, front page editorial setting forth the aims and purposes of the farmers organization in the most flattering terms. ; Sub read the article through and let the paper slip out of his hand. Crafty eyed him with knitted bro'%sl.m : ¢ “What do you think of the situa- tion anyhow?” t,xueired the ‘big boss. “I give it up,” replied Sub weakly. Crafty Don’t Give Up “Give it up, do you?” thundered Crafty. '“Gona lay. down, are %%u? Ain’t ‘you got no fight in yon? ill ou desert, too, just because s few answered - farmers think they've got an organs The Big Boss and the Littlev Boss Have a Consultation and Understanding ization? . I'm astonished at you, Sub; you are just as cold-footed as the rest of ‘em.” g He straightened up his huge form and slammed the desk with his big, fat fist. ! “I'll tell you right now, I don't give up—not for that—not for all the tomml{rot now going the rounds. These fellows are scared—scared at nothi,n’. They lack backbone an’ grit.” Then he leaned over the desk and very softly said: “Sub, you're a dam fool. You can’t see an inch ahead of your nose. Can't %ou see the trick in this business? an’t you, see that if there is such an organization as is reported that the way to fight it is to get on the insi t on the inside,” and he i‘epeate the words very deliberate- y. Gets the. Point Sub jumped as if stuck with a pin, his black.:ges opened wide and his jaw_dropped down, while he stared * at Crafty in amazement as the truth bore itself home. “Crafty, you’re a wonder,” he ex< claimed, jumping up and grabbing the bifi ss’ fat hand. “I see it now,” he continued, as his round face broke into a wreath of smiles. “That’s the cleverest thing yet Craft, * the-cleverest thinfieyet," and he con« tinued, to shake the fat hand. . “Welli don’t get excited,” said Continued on page 14) f