Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-07-30

To enforce trugality in public srpendi-
tures and abolish unnecessary taxation.
FOR CONGRESS, SIXTH DISTRICT
REEL b. TERRY, OF Fresno.
why Los Ans seles Democrats Have
a Walk.Over.
From time to time we have shown why
the Republican party is weak in the State
and Nation. In few short, convincing
sentences we propose to make it plain
to-day why that organization is specially
weak and helpless in Los Angeles county.
In the first place, very lately Repub-
lican county Tax.Collector ran off with
all the money he could lay his hands on.
OF course we allude to Ell Hammond, of
pious and immortal memory. The San
Fernando vacquero did his work pretty
well. Ii he did not get away with more
it was because his opportunities though
great were not unlimited. He would
undoubtedly have preferred to have got
ten away with the whole county treasury
but he could not compass that laudable
end and the God and Morality party,
like the law, does not compel a
man to do an impossible thing.
It may be said of Ell Hammond's big
steal, as Mercutio said of his wound, that
it will serye-serve to show what hollow
practice accompanies very vehement Re-
publican precept.
But we could we'll afford to condone
Hammoad's offense when we contem'
plate the rack and ruin to the finances oi
Los Angeles county wrought by the Re.
publican County Assessor Mason. Last
year, by his uncomfortable assessment,
he caused the sending to the State
Treasury at Sacramento of about $780,
600, of which prodigious sum some
$12O, 900 were returned to us in the school
apportionment. In other words, round
half million dollars we're taken out of the
circulating medium of Los Angeles
county. Ii San Francisco city and county
had been assessed at as high rate as
Mr.. Mason put upon property values in
this county the figures there would
have been a thousand million dollars
instead of one-fourth of that sum. II
Mr.. Mason had assessed our people al
the same ratio that the Assessor of the
City and County of San Francisco
thought compatible with his conscience
instead of having had to transmit to Sac
ramento six hundred thousand dollars
one hundred and fifty thousand would
have suficed, and we should have got
most of that back.
This is strong presentment of the
case but it is not an exaggerated one.
It is true, and it is aggravated by the
fact that all the money flowing from all
portions of California is disbursed in the
northern and central counties-every
dollar of it except that which is returned
in the school apportionment fund,
These enormous tributes 60 to swell the
volume of ready money in San Francisco
and Sacramento which is constantly
available there to stimulate enterprise
and make business active and remunera.
tive. The half million dollars which
Mr.. Mason caused to be sent to Sacra
mento would have. been very useful in
the City Of the Angels.
But bad as last years record of this
official was he has surpassed himself this
year. He has raised the already exor-
bitantly large assessment to $107 ,000, 900.
Should the State Board of Equalization
sustain this colossal assessment fully
equal in ratio to an assessment of one
thousand two hundred million dollars
for the city and county of San Francisco
the treasurer of Los Angeles county
will this year be obliged to send about
$500, 900 to the State Treasury at Sacra-
mento, of which we may hope to receive
back perhaps one hundred and fifty
Thousand dollars as our share of the
school fund apportionment.
How do our people like this prospect
How do they relish the idea of having
the community drained of ready cash at
this prostrating rate, as an incident Of
the Republican ascendancy in Los An
geles county? Is there anything
exhilarating in such an outlook ?
The citizens of Los Angeles will cheer
fully submit to paying taxes which will
be disbursed in our midst, but it is an
entirely different thing when they are to
be sent abroad, and he knows that he is
to the maintenance Of the
State government in ratio at least four
times Is great as the citizen Of San Fran
cisco.
To the just arraignment Of Mr.. Mason's
indelonsible action, we are told that that