Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-06-08
County Supervisors on the Assessments
They Talk and Act-Town Assess
ors-Beetown and Potosi.

SCISSORS. Some Of the town assessors
DO not read nor act under the laws
at all. In one case d town assessor
boasts that, although having done
the assessing of his town before and
ever since the State organization, he
has never read any of the laws, nor
acted upon any instructions except
the old territorial statutes. This
year his town will suffer dearly for
his work, by having to pay 10
heavier County and State tax, rela-
lively, than any town in the County.
The present burthens of taxation
arise wholly from Irregularities -
Men often pay double their share be-
cause others pay but half what they
should. The man having few acres
and house exposes all he has and
is assessed at nearly its full value
while the rich man too often covers
up his paper secured wealth, hides it
in the bank, and goes free from as
sessment and taxation, the poor thus
bearing the burthcns of the rich
Some towns elect assessors for their
known intentions to shield the rich
from taxation. One such assessor
whose practice is not TO assess the
lands OF his town below a third val
nc, but who takes but little account
IF personal property, being mere
tool of a few misery rich men, has
brought upon his town the dearest
taxation OF any town in the County.
Some town assessors are menaced
by men of bond and III gage riches
and made TO squat as ours. They
are told that il is not tho duty Of the
assessor to HINT up business, TO in
q1iFe into the privacies ofmen's bus
mess, or go to Lancaster and exams
inc the mortgage and judgment rec.
ords for assessabIe property. Well,
the law plainly requires Of the asses
sors,,, hat they obtain Authorization in
their power from any and all sources,
as 20 property, and to assess it at
the full value thereof and the law
further requires assessors to return
under oath their lists of property,
all property they are able to find,
the same so valued fully at the worth
thereof. OF course the County
mortgage and judgment records are
to be consulted, just as necessarily
as any other source. These records
are not private records at all, but
public, for everybody to examine
The public interest of great major,
ity, say five>sixths of the people, is
for assessors to go and examine
County records and find out personal
property Of their respective towns
in the shape of mortgages, judgments
and other money dues secured by
public record, and to assess the same.
By this means the big majority of
people will have far less taxes to
pay, say fourth or third less, than
if the assessors neglect their duty.
These several points were taken
into account by the the County SUI
pervisors at their late meeting, and
they are to meet again in June for
another talk and further considera-
ton of the subjects suggested by the
question, how shall taxation be made
uniform? 1t is public misfortune
that the Board publishes only their
figure tables, without argument,
showing why this or that is DONE
But it is for the tax paying people
to demand of them such lessons as
would be sent home by full publ
cation Of their acts.
We only notice that Plattevills
and Smelser were assessed the high.
est Of any towns in the County, and
that the Board complimented them
by greatly reducing their valuation.
Potosi and Beetown were assessed
the lowest of any towns in the Coun,
ty, and were dearly raised. Potosi
was charged 5000 additional on
personal property, besides being
doubled on landed valuation. The
Board publish no reasons for so rails
ing Potosi, but we learn they did so
upon these facts coming to light; the
Lancaster assessor had valued the
Griswold and Hagart farms at $500
per acre, and the Potosi asse ssor had
valued the UT farm, along side the
others but n Potosi, at only 81 90
per acre-the improvements being
of like worth And upon examina
lion throughout it was seen that the
valuations of the Lancaster and Bee
town assessors were uniiorm-how
ever differing IN ore town from the
other So the Poto,i assessments
were equalized upward TO double
what the assessor had fixed them.
We also learn that Beetown was
set up on her reality valuation to o
fair standard, and SO 900 were add
ed on personal property, part of it
however to provide for the failure of
the Beetown assessor to assess MIR.
Barr the amounts found due him on
the County mortgage records.
Property assessing under the pres
ent laws requires much sound iudg-
ment, general intelligence and con-
scientiousness. Indeed assessors
lacking such qualities are very sure
to bring burdensome tax8tions upon
their towns. 1t used to be not so.-
Ignorance, stupidity and innate dis
honesty were the qualifications
sought in selecting assessors to as
sess down property. Now it is fair
ness that wins for the public interest,
and woe be to the town caught in
the attempt to steal from others by
suffering a rascally assessment to 90
before the County Board
The present law is still slightly
defective, especially in not compell-
ing persons to list or itemise under
the head of "dH other PROPERTY" in
out their sworn lists. This
generalising is taken advantage of,
and small GINNING men creep through
it. The temptation to false swear
ing in making report is very great
with many rich men of the penuri-