Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1877-07-10
RAMBL1NGs OF RoUsTABoUT.
ROCKY BAR, July Sd.


Monarch mine, loaded on six wagons
drawn by fifty-four oxen. On this
ore there is three-fourths of a cent
freight paid for packing from. Atlanta
to this place, and two cents to the
railroad from here, which makes $50
per ton freight. The quantity that
has been shipped SO far, added to
what will be shipped before winter
sets in, will run up into the thousands
most likely. 1t is upon this class OF
ore that an attempt has been made to
levy and collect a tax. The act In
troduced in the last Legislature by
Sidebothagn to tax it faileds but
Supreme Court decisions having been
recently rendered, declaring it and all
other ores taxable, leaves nothing in
the way of its being now assessed.
Whether it is being done or not am
not informed. There seems to be no
very good reason for exempting this
kind of personal property from taxa
tion any more than cows, hogs or
sheep, WOOL wheat, butter, &c. The
reasons offered against taxing, to the
effect that it would tend to keep out
capital and retard the development OF
the country, is without much force;
for if capital comes and removes from
the country its natural wealth without
contributing to the general fund that
supports county ard territorial gov
ernment, and without building up any
permanent or stable improvements, it
takes wise head to discover any ad-
vantage resulting to the country from
the introduction of such capital. The
mere fact of few thousand dollars
coming here and operating for the ag-
grandizement of it's owners, who op-
crate under the protection of laws en-
acted and enforced for their benefit,
without contributing anything to de-
fray the expenses of even the enforce
ment, cannot be of any great advan-
tage to the country. A large hole in
the ground from which millions of
treasure came, and went to the East
to enrich individuals there, is of little
comfort or benefit to the people of the
Territory. 1t would be better that it
remained for laborers to extract as
best they could without capital. 1t
might not be policy to tax ores up to
their full supposed value, but where
ton of it is thought to be worth 81 900,
an assessment at a valuation of one
fifth of that amount would not work
upon the owners, while il
would assist an impoverished coun-
try, and make the Burden of taxation
fall less heavily Npon those who are
less able to pay taxes. 1t is natural
for men or corporations to look to
their own interests, and no one can
find fault with them for so doing; but
the interest of the public is the inter-
est that should engage the attention
of newspapers. Legislators, etc.; and
these thoughts are perused in that in
terest, as coming from newspaper
correspondent without the shadow of
4 thought or desire to impose onerous
upon mining companies.
The twenty tons Of ore shipped out
his morning is supposed to contaia
$4,000. 1t may not be worth SO
much; but to reduce it to only one
fifth Of that amount and assess it at
8, zoe, it would leave little revenue
Il the county from which it is taken
f 1894, from which about $50 would
nd its way into the Territorial Treas
ry. This twenty tons is less than
he hundredth part of what this year
ill export from this county for re-