Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-12-01
Col. Godfrey as a Reiarmer.

During the past two weeks Col.
J. +. Godfrey, the present Drmo-
cratic City Attorney. the late d. m
ocratic candidate for the Coustitu-
tronal Convention and, as he in-
formed a gentleman Oh the corner
of Ducomnun block the evening
of his nomination as delegate, a
Democratic aspirant for Congress
sional honors IN 1879, has developed
alarming symptoms of an attack
Of demagoguism Only four days
b. fore his nomination by the Work.
ingmeu he was III II CAUCUS with
several of our leading citizens ar
ranging slate for the Peoples
Convention, aud on the slate were
the nm m ~ Of several persons in hia
(the Fifth Ward, who were dele
vates aud Candidates in the Peo-
| plr's Convention Since his sudden
fiop he has learned, We must believe,
f,r the first time, that property iBA
Los Angeles has not been assessed
ut its full cash value. It Is somewhat
strange that the Colonel Ill not
learn this fact from the assessment
Of his own property during the two
wears he has been City Attorney.
| A part of u tract owned 10y him aild
Others was sold In April, 1877, at
The rate uf $1,000 per acre, tile re-
mainder was, subsequent 10 thissaie,
assessed at less than $250 per acre.
The tract adjoining his resifencr
was sold, unitnprnved, at over $6OO
per acre, and the Cnlopei's land, with
4 fine orange grove, (Which by the
| law of this State Is real e-tat-) Is
and has been assessed at $500 per
acre, which seems to be a striking
'pxam pie of how little the ring is
assessed in proportion to the value
of its property. ."-(Godfrey on tax
alton, Nov. Goth, 1878, which II
floating around town. As the
Colonel, in his able treatise on tax
alton above quoted, has called puh-
| lic attention to the assessment at
large properly owners, ("nf whom
he is which'') would it not b. We'll
for him to examine section l2o. y.
lO7, Ordinances and Resolutions OI
the City of Los Angeles. ANY
property wifully concealed, re
moved or misrepresented by the
owner or agent thereof to evade
taxation, upon discovery must he
assessed at not exceeding three
times its value, and the assessment
20 male must not he r. ddced 10y |
the Common Council sitting as u
B ,ard of Equalization"
In the days OF the great reforma-
tion (that is to bp). DOUBTLESS this
"unfair assessment, caused by the
"misrepresentation of the value
of his property in the sworn state
meut uf the noble Colonel will tie
"pqualized," aud u liberal portion
of his SALARY as City Attorney wi
he called f,r to pay this triple tax
alton. "Verily, whom the Gods
would destroy they first make
mat" Ii the Colonel believes that
the Assessor and the large proper-
ty holders Of tn 8 city have follow.
ell his noble example and thereby
caused the Oppressive taxation"
of which he howls, why did he not
last week appear before the Grand
Jury and have somebody indicte'i?
But the Colonel il n remarkab y
successful lawyer. We are told in
the Evenin0 Express that Godfrey
has scored nine nut OF Il possible
ten in important cases for the city.
The legal fraternity hav- been ex
amining the books and cinnol find
ihpse cases reported. In fact, his
services the past year seem to
have been given to securing juig.
ments for the Temple g. Workman
estate, at a cost of about SlO0 each,
which were sold at public auction
at about So dozen, a little more
| or less.
The Colonel says, "There have
never been any rates by this Water
| Company established ny law" Il
is passibie that this learned att0r-
hey does not consider the orii.
nance establishing water rates,
(see PIP. 238 ct seq, Ordinances and
Resolutions of the City of Los An
geIes) is law, from the fact that
1t was not approved by his fellow
reformer J r. roherman, then
Mayor of the city, but became a
law by "not being returned within
ten days" Ifthese rates, as stated
by the Colonel, "bear heavily on
the consumers" it is probable that
they will hold the worthy ex
Mayor responsible for his lack of
back bone sufficient TO enable him
TO veto the ordinance.
If our Great Refnrmer had shown
some of his present Zeal during the
two years he has been in office, i,-
stead of reserving 1t for the two
weeks that he is a candidate for
re election, the people might vote
for the man of words, Godfrey, and |
not for the man of deeds, Judson.
If the people will remember that
| Col. Whiting Is not u Candidate,
and that their choice must lie male
between Judson and Godfrey, the |
military hero will probably be
given furlOugh.
coNUNDRuMs FOR COL. GODFREY.
Is 1t a fact, Col Godfrey, that
you have, until very recently, EN-
ployed Chinese labor, to the entire
| exclusion of white labor?
Is it a tact that you have. since
your nomination.. dismissed your
Chinese help, fearing the retention
of that kind Of servants would in
jure your prospects for election2
Is 1t u fact that you own real es-
tate in his city worth from $4,000
to SIS 600. aud which is assessed al
only $500?
Is 1t u fact that you were an ar
dent Republican before coming to
California?
Is it a fact that you left the DEM
ocratic party BECAUSE you found
you could not get renominated for
City Attorney by the Peoples Con.
ventlOu?
Is 1t fact that you have lost
eleven inportant suits for the city
duriu the mast two wears?