The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 18, 1916, Page 22

S. C. BUFF ORPINGTON EGGS HALF PRICE NOW JOHN A. WINBERG Eldridge, N. D. WILTON MUTUAL STORE GENERAL MERCHANDISE Hardware, Drugs. Headquart- ers of John Deere Machinery WILTON * N. D, Anstrom’s Clothig Store Tailored and Ready-made Clothing for Men and Boys Shoes, Trunks and Bags, Men’s Furnishings. Lowest prices in town. WILTON, N. D. You will always get a square deal if you trade with Chicago Cash Store Co., Inc. J. K. Edelman, Pres. and Mer. GENERAL MERCHANDISE Egeland and Rock Lake, N. Dak. The Edmore Mercantile Store Wants your business; we also want your good will. Right treatment should get both. We try to be right. Edmore, N.D. YOU always find Satisfactidn in buying at the Peoples Trading Co. General Merchandise i HANSBORO, -2 NO. DAK. Our established motto is “MORE FOR YOUR MONEY”’ Michigan Mercantile Co. MICHIGAN -2 NO. DAK. J. D.} Reeves G. B. Smith Auto Repairing Garage Satisfac?tion . Guaranteed STEELE, a5 '_NO. DAK. ~ DENTIST Dr. Prescott, of Steele g Will be in P KINTYRE................... May-1 to 13 TAPPEN............ May 29 to June 10 COL. H. A. klg;VNEY REAL ESTATE AND REGIS STOGK_ AUCTIONEER guarant ¥ Your work and orders will best of tnutmont.mAll lmtl?e — trusted my care will be attended to. Phone MILNOR or Write Mo at - N.D PURE BRED POLAND CH(NA We offer March and April furros pigs. Write for prices and breedi:gszhllvg. N. Midgarden & Sons, Hoople, N. D. Beaufort Hotel " Minneapolis, Minn, . European Plan, Opposite Old Post Office. . Rates, 75c to 1.50 single; 1.00 to 2.50 Double. “‘Service’’ is our Motto. - e, Special ‘ attention will be given the members of the Farmers Nonpartisan Political League of - North Dakota, - e ~R.H. GREER, Manager . PAGE TWENTY-TWO “thousands of ‘dollars he is worth; I . ment he ia-"enjby%gg .a great deal Farmers and Taxes ~ They Pay Enough Without Being Soaked on - rvic o THetr Househol Goods, Says Peter Benson - ‘Editor Nonpartisan Leader: In order that the taxpayers of Ward county may not be misled by Mr. Vandenover’s letter published in all . the papers of Ward county on April * 6, I have decided to make this-reply. © The only assertion that I have ever made is that the county commissioners of Ward county have unjustly raised my personal property taxes on my furniture for the year 1915. I will attempt to give the facts here and let the readers decide whether I am right or wrong, and if I have a just cause for complaint. I happened to be the chairman of the board of township supervisors of Anna township during the year 1915. Our assessor, Mr. VanSickle, visited every home in our township and re- turned his assessments to our board. At the time the said assessments were returned the board discussed the mat- ter of furniture as found in the res- pective homes. e Mr. VanSickle assessed my furni- ture at $25 and Mr. S. H. Wiswell’s at $10. No further assessments were ‘made on household furniture in our township for the reason that the as- sessor* did not find any household outside of the two homes he did assess which had any furniture of marketable value,.or which he con- sidered ought to be assessed. For instance, the household goods con- sisted of a homemade table, home- made stools, in most cases nothing but grocery boxes, homemade beds, hinged on to the walls covered by straw ticks, cupboards made out of grocery boxes, old cook stoves, bought years -ago and ‘second-hand at that—such was the furniture in the homes of Anna township. WANTED MORE TAXES The assessor, as well as all the members of the board, decided that such household goods,.although they have some value to the owner because they serve a purpose, had no market- able value, and that they had no tax- able value.. It was not our intention, nor did we endeavor to evade the full assessment of all personal property in our township, but we- could not conscientiously tax a man for things which had no commercial value. As soon as the tax assessments of Anna township came into the hands of the county commissioners they im- mediately called upon us-to make fur- ther assessments on household goods so as to raise the amount to $400. We immediately took the matter up and we informed them that there was- no more household goods that we could conscientiously tax in our town- ship. We told them what the house- hold goods consisted of in the homes where no assessments on household goods had been made. The county commissioners then raised my assessment on my house- hold furniture from $25 to $257. The assessment in the first place was a reasonable assessment on the house- hold goods found in my home, which fact can -be verified by anyone who desires further proof. The county commissioners did not contend that I had been assessed too low on household goods, but they- did - contend and they justify their acts on the sole ground that they had to raise s0 much pergonal property taxes on household furniture in Anna township, and so whether or not I had the fur- niture, they decided that I should pay $2567 on my household furniture when I ought not-to have been taxed more than $25, and which -was the amount for which 1 was assessed.. Now, I leave it to the reader to decide if jus- ° tice has been done, and if Mr. Vand- enover can defend himself for what he and his associates did in this: case. NO LUXURY ON: FARMS 3 Mr. Vandenover says that: the city of \Minot pays more taxes on house- hold goods than the entire rural dis- trict in the county. ; The only’ thing J'can see this proves is that the people: who toil on the farm and earn the bread to feed themselves and all of the city people are comparatively poor and :it 'is ‘a shame that the people who do the actual work in life shall have so little ‘of-the luxuries thereof. I do not care to enter into any dis- cussion about the taxes of Mr. Van- ‘denover.. ‘T do not know how many. do not know how much luxuries he .enjoys, but evidently from his state- luxuries * than brother farmer, who has to make his living direct from the farm. I am not intending to .. go into any personal discussion with Mr. Vandenover; I am not intending to give him any political boost for the coming election. FARMERS PAY ENOUGH So far as our taxes are concerned in a general way, I am sure that the farmers, as well as all the poor people of our county, are paying all the taxes they ought to pay, and some of them are paying a great deal more taxes than they should be required to pay. I believe there is nothing: that is practiced in this state with such great Injustice as the assessment of property. : et " _Take it for instance in a township like ours where all of the farmers are comparatively poor, They have just started in; they have taken up rough, rolling and stony lands; they have a life time before them in carving out for themselves and their children a ‘home. ° It is necessary for them to borrow almost-as much money as their prop- erty is worth, and I think that I can .safely say that there are very few quarters in our township which do not .carry a first mortgage, and in -some instances a second and a third mortgage, that except in few instan- ces there is hardly a farmer but owes one-third or more of the value of his - personal property. Théy are assessed as if .they were the absolute owners ‘of all this property, both homestead . and personal property. If the books were balanced their equity in some cases would not be more than $500, but they are possibly paying taxes on $2000. Can any man contend that this is equitable? The assessor lists ‘every -article of personal property, for instance, horses regardless of whether they are twenty years old or five years old. They are assessed for the same amount. ALL HORSES LOOK ALIKE Any man of common experience in the development of the country knows that the farmer in such a community does mnot have the -best of personal property. Instead of having horses valued at - $250, they will generally have horses valued at $75; instead of - " having a full blooded breed cow, they will have an ordinary cow worth pos- - ..sibly one-fourth as much, and still : € .- they pay the same taxes on their with them and had a personal inter- ' view with the”county commissioners, property as the richer :man pays for his well-bred - stuff. R Now, I am not contending that Mr. Vandenover is in any way to blame for this inequity, but in view of all these inequities which Mr. Vandenover can- not help he ought not try and double up the inequities as he has done in the case of my own assessments on household goods. LS It is not the few dollars that I have been required to pay that makes any particular difference in this case. It has been paid and that matter has been forgotten but the principle of the thing is what I am contending for. More rights and more equity, and -any time Mr. Vandenover com- mits an act such as he has committed, and then comes out in a long article in every newspaper in the county to justify himself, we feel that we are justified in coming back at him with all the 'pegs that we can put in the toes of our shoes, and we are going to make them be felt more seriously: than M: - r. Vandenover has any dream of. SER : GIVE FARMER A CHANCE “.It is certainly gratifying to see that the farmer is taking hold things ‘as ‘he "has doné the last few years, ; I some - consideration, but the farmer ‘has been left out by himself. This, " however, is changing, and _the man ~who -produces the ‘wealth of this country is coming to act, is' making. ' himself heard and known.: It is like- _an:immense storm sweeping from ‘one’ - end of this country to the other. It is a wave of intelligence that is rous: ing each and every farmer, If M ‘Vandenover cannot see this, if he e not: realize and feel of i Every class of people in this county have received from the state .- - AUG. B. JOHNSON, H. G. HIGGL) B JOHNSON, B, G. HlgaNg 'BALDWIN STATE BANK. | BALDWIN, N. D. | Wm. C. Benz BLACKSMITHING — GARAGE PLOWS AND WAGON WORK 7 AUTO REPAIRING ; Moffit : N. D. Francis A. Brugman, M. D. E EAR, NOSE AND s THROAT. .~ GLASSES FITTED 36 So. Main St. MINOT, N. D. . G. G.-Wood " __ Lillian J. Wood WO0D & WOOD MINOT’S PIONEER CHIROPRACTORS : -, Drugless Healers Brauer Block Minot, N. D. UNION NATIONAL -BANK 5 - of Minot § Capital and Surplus $90,000.00 Farm Loans Negotiated at Lowest Rates. Prompt Service, No Bonus. MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA Henry G. Middaugh = and- Rollo F. Hunt : LAWYERS ., - Deyils Lake; North Dakota Meritorious matters: only. accepted : # . or desireds A 'LOFTHUS BROTHERS CO.: : ; Incorporated : Dealers in Hardware and ¥ Implements Adams, North Dakota I Appreciate Your Trade _NELS E. STEEN M ‘aufacturer of - ! CREAM : Aii"Qualfly,Gwds - KREMENETSK1 . BROTHERS GENERAL MERCHANDISE Groceries, Ful Line of Hard- ware, Clothing, o AU Kindsof - .. ~ Automobile Repairs, Vuleaniz- _ing, Acetylene Welding, =