Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-18
A psmoRALIzED BOARD.

Tbs State Board of Equalization yester
day. Jus. prior to the afternoon session. was
thoroughly demoralized organization. Th'
Supreme Court decision had apparently taker
! all the starch out of it. The rooms, torweek'
the scene of the most lively activity. wore s
detected and deserted air. The members
struggled in and dropped into chairs in a
limp sort of way. like unto the Gfeless de-
scent of well wrung dish-rag into an empty
pan. The desks were Uttered with bits of
paper, which the nervous fingers OF the IN
settled members had torn as an accompani-
! ment to their muddled cogitations. The
Clerk heretofore go active, hustled about IN
an aimless, hopeless sort of way, with his
hands full of statistical papers that had lost
much of their interest since the coup d'etat of
the supreme tribunal of the land, by which it
had taken the Board into the judicial camp
and squeezed its life out But the Clerk
was kept busy nevertheless making cal
culations en- which to base the tax levy
that is to be made to-day. One Of the men,
bers got his heels away up on chair back
and swore he'd got a judicial rest now, and
proposed to draw his salary with the utmost
regularity, while another presented through
an open window to an admiring city below a
full view of the breadth Of sole that adorns
his boots, and vowed he'd go to tie races next
week anyhow. The President, with
half-amused and half troubled expression on
his serious face. sought consolation in the
statutes, Political Code, Section 3693, which
reads:
Section $685. When, after general investigation
by the Board the property is found TO be assessed
above or below its full cash value, the Board may with
out notice. so determine, and must add to deduct
from, tbax l he
ments upon sAch real estate. 3. The personal prop
erty, except money, such per centum, respectively
as is sufficient to reduce il to its full cash
value. New section, April 5, 1891
From this he argued that the Board, under
the powers left it by the Supreme Court, can
raise or lower the aggregate assessment roll
of county by classes, either on realty, i'm
provements or personally, except money.
That the Constitution is not grant of power,
but only restricts legislative power, and that
in the absence of any prohibition the statute
stands giving the power he claimed.
Butte this pious member objected in terms
positive and forcible, saying that the Supreme
Court had knocked the everlasting stuffing
out of the eternal law, and laid the eternal
Board on its blasted eternal back, incompe-
tent to do ANYTHING but raise or lower roll
by the eternal lump job.
The President held as warmly for his view,
maintaining that the statute defined the
method of arriving at the judgment necessary
to determine the raising or lowering process,
and that the increasing or reduction of classes
of property is not meddling with individual
assessments.
The Controller held with the positive mem
ber firmly but less forcibly.
The Attorney General had already advised
that to test the matter the Board act on the
proposition of the President, but gave the
Board to understand that in the light of the
Supreme Court decision he entertained small
hopes of the position receiving judicial sup
port. He thought it ought to be determined,
however, and a case sent up.
Bursted Burke wandered in and struggled
out, apparently broken in all his equalization
hopes and aspirations, and Clipped in now and
then with radical views. To reporter he de-
clared he was neither a hired agent nor a
philanthropist, but simply man who had
beaten capital that was afraid to come to
taw and show it was fully assessed. He was
asked il that consolation would pay board
bills, and replied that he didn't owe any, and
besides he lived cheaply and didn't care if
they did call him "bursted Burke, as long as
he was called early to dinner. If they would
raise San Francisco's assessment roll 100 per
cent he wouldn't squeal bit, but would pay
his share of the tax like q little man. AT
this juncture the Board concluded to go into
formal session and settle down to the serious
in life. The session did not result in the
Board arriving at any positive determine
ton as to what it will do.