Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1879-03-15


BnemTEOus BILL.
The Ehseyprise characteriEes the bill
which related 10 the back taxes and penal
IA. - above. Neither political party said
snytbipg about penalties in the late can
vass. Each merely required that the bull
lion tax Law should be preserved intact.
II has not been intsrfered with, nor was
there any attempt to disturb il.
With reference to the Bonanza penalties,
the Democratic party stood solemnly
pledged in State Convention to relieve
them. These are tho reasons /: In May,
1877. Bradley, Kittrel. Deal and others in
authority, agreed with the Bonanza people
that il they would pay the full AMOUNT OF
their back taxes. including costs and Dis
trict Attorneys fees, all penalties should
be RENTED. Mr.. Deal was OF special
counsel for the State at the time. The
BONANZA firm paid every dollar, IS per
stipulation. twas understood and agreed
smeng the high contracting parties that
the Legislature Hate session. should be
appealed 10 10 complete and make valid the
settlement. 1t was 80 appealed TO, and The
tsrms Of the contract enforced. There
were also many equities on the side Of the
mining companies, not the least OF which
the fact that the mines are nov in the DOS
session Of innocent purchasers, who shared
NO part Of the profits arising from the
bullion yield by which these taxes accrued.
The big end Of the whole business belonged
10 Storey county. The States portion,
had there been no contract or settlement,
ali told, aggregated only $4,000. The
State and Storey county had been bene-
Ated vastly moro than this sum by sd-
ysnces ON tax account from the Bonanza
drm pending the litigation. But let us re-
turn TO tho political aspect Of the case, and
So how that stands. We have shown that
Bradley. Kittrell and Deal. in May, 1915
participated In the compromise with the
BONANZA firm, c~onsenting to, and urging
1t that time. precisely what has been con-
summated by the Legislature. And what
did the Democratic party. in its late
State Convention do? Did it repudi-
sts Nsssrs. Bradley, Kittrell and
Dealf Not ct al. The very reverse, in
fact, IL true. These gentlemen were all
placed on the ticket ~ proper opponents OF
the aims and purposes Of the Democracy
Of Nsvads. and thereby were their acts,
olacial, semi-oficial and otherwise, ratified
and indorsed by the Democratic party Of
Nevada. This ought to be sufficient among
decent Democrats, to place . period to
further adverse criticism on the score Of
partisan thunder. There was never any
thing from the start, in this Bonanza howl,
except . few distempered imaginations. 1t
b now . dead issue. il it were ever entitled
70 that dignity at any time, and it is, per-
hsps. - we'll to ''let the dead and beautiful
sest." Finally, and once for all. we shall
permanently dispose Of the subject. by re-
producing the following truthful statement
Of the case from . late number Of the En-
t~erprise:
Our agricultural contemporaries in Elko,
Washoe, and Humboldt counties, Affect to
b greatly exercised over the fact that the
Legislature passed . bill to remit the PEN
slties due under the law from the BONANZA
arm, and 70 end the litigation, in progress,
TO collect from other Comstock mines .
bullion tax, claimed TO have been due sew
oral years ago, but never collected. The
Reno Gazette, Silrer State, Elko Independ-
snf. and some other papers, treat the
passage Of the Law % . modification Of the
bullion tax. an injustice to the people in
TIE interests Of corporations. and ~ .
breaking Of pledges on the part Of legisla-
tors. This Il not only sheer folly, but it
sviness something very nearly akin to
dishonesty ON the part Of the men who
make the charges, ~ 1t cannot be pos
sibIa that they are ignorant Of the
Legislature passed . vindictive law, inn
posing . severe penalty upon mining COM
panies who refused to pay the bullion tax
assessed TO them. The Bonanza firm
thought their tax too much. and com.
mencod 10 contest IL. Before . decision
was reached, however, through the dis
tress in this city for wan of money to
carry ON the schools, the Police and Fire
Departments, the Bonanza firm compro-
missed with the county authorities Of Storey
county, and with the State through its
financial officers. consisting, We believe,
Of Attorney General Kittrell, Treasurer
Schooling, Controller Hobart and Mr..
0arrsrd, acting for Governor Bradley.
The terms Of this compromise were. in
sdect, that the Bonanza firm should pay the
whole tax, but that the penalties should be
RENTED. II this contract was not abso-
lutely reduced to writing. it was fully un-
dersto0d. and it was enti' ely right and just.
Al for the other suits. they amounted to
simply this: In years past the managers Of
the C0mstock mines paid the bullion tax
exactly = it was charged up by the Asses
sor. There was not . days delay, not q
protest or even apetition for . modification
Of the tar. This was the condition Of affairs
al through the years that the Belcher and
Grown Point were paying their dividends.
Some months ago some lawyer discovered
that the Assessor made . mistake In levy
ing the assessment upon bullion in years
gone by, Ind suit was commenced tn re-
cover It. It was . matter Of doubt whether
. Judgment ever could be obtained; Of 30
much doubt that the lawyers employed
were 10 receive, in case Of success. . fee
which would have amounted to more than
the average practice Of Q first-class lawyer
amounts TO. even in this country, for ten
years. In the meantime the mines had
changed hands and had ceased to pay.
The bill kills these suits. - it ought to.
II the County Commissioned Of Washoe
were to order suits commenced against the
farmers Of Truckee Meadows for . tax on
hay sold from their ranchers ten years ago,
md for . sum greater than the value Of the
ranches, the Gazette, we suspect. would
think Il . rough procedure; but when the
same1thing is tried on the miners here, it
thinks IL q perfectly just business. No
Legislature ever passed . more righteous
bill than the ono which stopped these suits;
and to say that any pledges were broken
any trust was betrayed in voting
for Il, 4 TO hy in the face Of truth and to
insult the good sense Of the people Of this
Rtats.
II has 70 be on ; very small scale, but
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