The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-01-04
TOWN OF MANrTowoc.

tax roll has been given to their Town
Treasurer, begins to open his eyes to the
unjust taxation put upon that town by
the Assessment Committee, and be even
goes SO far as 70 accuse the County
Board Of ''even more than malice"
When the facts become known to our
afflicted friend, he will find that the fault
Of the high assessment of Manitowoc
Rapids and some other towns, lies with
the Chairman Of Manitowoc Rapids who
was Chairman of the County Board.
The Board Of assessment as appointed
by the Chairman were
DAIMLER, of Two Rivers.
Whitman, of Manitowoc.
Smith, of Newton.
Reardon, of Cooperstown.
Stoker, of Franklin.
and afterwards, on the second day Of the
session, | think, Danforth OF Meme, was
added to the list.
The working men Of that committee,
we're Messrs Smith and Daimler, and
their great efforts were to reduce the
valuation Of their respective towns. In
this they succeeded partly, by blindening
the eyes of the rest of the committee,
and partly by reducing the valuation to
some extent of each town represented by
this renowned committee of six, except
the City Of Manitowoc. The amount of
County and State tax is about sos, OOO
By the assessment of last year, Two
Rivers, including the village, pay $4,000.
By Mr.. Damlers assessment is So, 333.
A gain to the town Of $2,167.
The reduction Of the town of Newton
from last year has lessened their tax
about $40O. Of Cooperstown-one of the
committee towns-is between two and
three hundred dollars. of Franklin about
one hundred dollars. The several reduc-
tons Of the committee towns has of course
to beaded to the other towns The reduc-
ton of these fine towns amounted in the
aggregate to $3,142, compared with last
years assessment, all of which had to be
added to other towns, Centreville and
Gibson were allowed to remain as they
were the previous year, Kossuth the
wealthiest town in the county, and having
four sections more land than any other
town, was also reduced in valuation.
Our friend from the Rapids can readily
see that this reduction on one side and
increase ON the other, would make a
large direct increase Of the taxation or
amount to be collected from those unfor-
tunate towns, not represented In the
County Board by man in the commit
tee on assessment.
Indirectly those committee towns were
largely helped by raising the valuation of
the City of Manitowoc 1-20 over last
years assessment they must now pay
nearly t of the entire taxes Of the county
But for the city [ for one have no SYM
pathy as every Supervisor from the city
voted for the Smith and DAIMLER assess
ment-
When the report of this committee was
read, an adoption was Immediately
moved. A few believing the assessment
selfish on the part of the committee, and
unjust and unequal on the part of the
payers, moved that the whole mat
ter should be laid over and be made the
special order for the next day. But this
was voted down. All the members from
the city [ think voted, e;two days after
this Mr.. Stoll, from Cato, having ascer-
tanned that this unjust valuation would
throw his town into about $3.50 more tax
than by the assessment of the previous
year, moved a reconsideration. he having
unadvisedly voted for it when first read,
other members by this time began to dis
cover the sWindle, and on putting Mr..
Stoll's resolution it was found to be tie
vote, and the Chairman of the Board,
Mr.. Donovan, of Manitowoc Rapids, voted
against Mr.. Stoll resolution to reconsid
er, an1 it was lost. And the tax payers
of the town of Eaton when they pay the
extra $3.50, AMI the tax payers of Mani
towoc Rapids when they pay the extra
$3.50 can thank Mr.. Donovan for it.
But [ am not done yet, [ fear some
little selfish or personal consideration
were at work behind the curtain. 1t is
currently reported that our venerable
friend Ii. II. Smith is very largely in
terested in the tax roll of the town and
village of Two Rivers. IF so a reduction
of their valuation would Immediately
benefit Ii. II. Smith & Co.
Now through what influence was Mr..
Donovan induced to appoint Mr.. DAIMLER
Chairman? L happen to know one fact,
1t is this, before this committee were ap-
pointed, II. III. Smith went personally
to MIR. Donovan aud persuaded or re-
quested him to appoint Mr. DAIMLER
Chairman of the Committee. But the
most bare faced transaction was, after
this committee had rushed through their
report, fastening upon the county more
than $4,000, belonging to their own
towns, they had the impudence to get
resolution through the Board, giving
them, the committee. IS 90 per day for
the whole time they were in session.
One thing more and I am done, have
we any right to surmise, that HI. n.
Smith having been so much helped by
DAIMLER for such heavy reduction of his
taxes, wished to give him better bust
ness than making the best boots ever
made in Manitowoc County, succeeded in
getting him annninte1 Chairman Of a