The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1868-07-31

Total 81, 6t3, 6l7 \
So this is the assessed value of the
property of the County with debt of |
$4,000 hanging over il. We leave it |
To our readers To compute for themselves |
how long it will take TO pay this debt |
with tax of not to exceed one per cent. /
(the limit fixed by law upon the above !
amount. But yet it is not the SMALL
ness of the assessment itself that we OBJ.
jeci to, for. as we said in the beginning,
people are never found to complain of
being too little taxed, and if the County
Commissioners should see fit to levy
tax of only one mill on the dollar, and
could keep the wheels of the government
tai machine CREASED with that amount,
we should be the last to find fault. But
with the present rate IF taxes we do
complain that an assessment cannot be
as small as that above given and still be
Just and equitable. We have faith to
believe that there are some honest men
in our community, some who make true
returns to the Assessor. 1t is equally
true that there are many who strive by
every eel-like. contortion of conscience
and slipping around OF property To evade
/ the payment of their just dues to the
\ County. To see that no such evasion
|
| Assessor. Has he performed that duty
| Everything seems 10 show that he has
not. A careful examination of the fig
ures above given, even without compar-
ison with any others. will show any
thinking man that the amounts are not
sufficiently large. Who does not know
that the value of the town lots in tEis
| city, with their improvements, is
double the amount given in the assess
ment roll2 Capital invested in mer-
chandize $454, ,590l" Why, the freight
alone on goods annually brought to this
town will equal, If not exceed that
amount. In the amount given as invest
ed in manufactures there is great dis
crepency between the truth and the fig
ures. We know of one instance in
which property valued at $4,000, was
assessed for only $1,000. The number
of horses given is far below the truth2
for we can find under the charge of three
or four livery stables IN town the 7" 660 J"
| reported The item of moneys and
credits, S1S4, ,743,' If true. would give a
not very fiattering showing of the tinan-
cial abilities of our people, allowing
| them, as il does, only about twenty-five
dollars each in currency. But, as the
roaring farce after the comedy comes
40 sheep" the total number in the
metropolitan County of Lewis q Clarke
on the first of July. And yet the sup
ply of mutton, all of il reasonably ole
has held out remarkably well at
our hotels and restaurants since then,
and even now there is no scarcity of
sheep meat in the market. In excuse
of the smallness of the assessment roll,
we are informed that the listing of some
of our heaviest merchants has been post
poned until after the arrival of their
stocks in order that they might be fully
taxed This is all very proper perhaps
but even when these additional returns
are in, the total assessed value of the
property in the County cannot exceed
-. 500. 600. Madison County, in its de-
pressed condition, abandoned by many
OF its business men, and from which a
large amount of capital has fled
! to Helena, returns $2,100,000. Re
! garding this as true statement. and
!, it is probably much too low, the amount
: of assessed property in Lewis aud
e Clark should be, at least, 81, ,O00,0O
d or doubly what will appear upon til,
books when the returns are all complete
The effect that this discrepancy has up
J.. on tax payers is 70 extort double the jus
. amount from the honest man, because
y the rascal pays nothing-to rob him whc
conscientiously makes proper return!
{ for the purpose of paying the tax of tn,
, rogue, whom the assessor does not tax,
= the trouble to look after-to cause ou
u honorable men to pay n tax of ten mill
Y on the dollar when five mills woulC
p bring the same amount into the Count,
Treasury if the assessor performed hi
duty in that energetic, impartial an,
D fearless manner which should character.
i ize a man in his position. While il is
e notorious fact that the Territorial As
SCISSORS have never performed their dut,
in n proper manner. as comparison o
n their returns, with those OF the cores
4 pondlng L. s. officers will show. il i
4 also notorious fact that the Assessso
q of Lewis and Clarke County has alway
;, been more culpably negligent in th'
performance of his duty than any other
While this County pays over half o