Arizona weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1885-1903, 1890-06-18

\ The following isahe letter OF transmit
'sal of Sheriff and EXC Hicic AssesHc
)'Neill to the board Of supervisors:
% the Hon. Board Of Supervisor,
Ysyapsi County, Arizona Territory
SEsTLEsEs Herewith, ] have th
b snor TO submit the assessment roll Q
avspsi county for the year 1890. Tn
to Cal amount Of the property assesse'
70 the year is s6.0ls!02a 40. showing
sli ight decrease over the assessment 10
Il 30. This decrease has been ocaa
81. med by the following saases;
lst. The Immense loss Of property %
cas- ioned by the Walnut Grove disaster
ID The lower valuation placed ioI
1880 o, the ranches Of the Verde valley
which q ecreass in valuation Was caused
by the q, 's,ruetion OF irriyating ditcbe,
by the Nc ODDS OF February last. The
heavy pee. unisry loss 30 inflicted, in nay
| opinion, sh ould be taken into cousid-
GRAFTON by nhe Board. and the values
| have placed on ranches so affected
should be allowed 10 remain without
being increas d.
Sd. The lowering OF the assessment
on cattle from eight 10 seven dollars per
head, the latter price being in my opin-
len a more fair and just valuation in
view OF the greas depression existing in
the cattle market.
In submitting the assessment rell TO
you. feel il due to the taxpayers OF
the county to publicly call attention
10 two Glasses Of property which, in my
opinion, unjustly and wrengfully escape
their due share of the burdens OF tara.
ton, namely:
lat. The money loaned in the form
OF mortgages; and
I'd. The land owned and controlled
by the Atlantic & Pacific railroad CON-
pany and other wealthy foreign cerpo-
rstions in our county.
Under the frst class, the records Of
Yavspsi county show that during the
last year alone there has been loaned
in the form OF mortgages, and which
are still in force, $2l7 500. the average
interest on which is "a per cent. per
annum, yet on this vast sum not a sin
gle cent of taxes can be collected un-
der our present laws, although there is
not an industry in the county that
gives such enormous returns with so
little risk. This puts premium on
Shylockism, and At the same time in
cresses the tsIes borne by every other
class OF tax payers TO favor the money
lenders. While I recognize the fact |
that your board can do nothing To reach
this class OF tax shirkers. ! feel that the
necessity for doing so should be
brought prominently before the public,
10 order that the next Legislature
should SO legislste that in the matter OF
taIes the man who lends money will
be placed on the same footing as the
man whose poverty eompels him to
borrow.
In the matter OF the railroad grant
lands belonging to the Atlantic & Pa
cific and other corporations, / have,
after due consideration, assessed the
same at sl.2t per aere-the minimum
price charged for public lands by the
6oveInment--no;wi withdrawing that the
same assessment mad, by me in 1889
Was reduced by your honorable board to
he nominal valuation of 80 cents per
acre. In making this assessment
nave done so believing that as the six
lundred odd thousand acres Of these
ands on which taxes are paid, are
merely about ope-tepth OF the entire !
grant, and are slso the finest timbered
Ind wstered lands in the southwest,
hat $t.25 per acre was q small valua-
ion, especially as the average valaa-
ion OF all other lands in the county is
lot less than thirty dollars per acre.
"a this connection, I would also call
'our attention to the fact that while
be amount OF grant lands taxed is but
trife over sir hund red thousand acres, }
he Atlantic 4 Pacific railroad, to which | =
he or ant was originally m .de, has sold i
0 different parties several million
cres on which all taxation is avoided | |,
~ the refusal Of the company TO apply .
or title TO the same. That ia to cay a
hst the Atlantic & Pacific railroad, .
rhile exercising all the rights OF owner
hip over millions OF Scres of laud in | y
our county, while cutting the timber !.
rom it at the rate OF millions of feet Il
'eT sunum, while selling the same, and 8
reating as tres passers all persons whom s
hey may see at to treat AS such, are
aerely paying taxes on about one acre
ut OF every ten granite them. while at
be same time demanding every advau-
age aud privilege afforded by our pu b.
&c institutions. ], therefore, trust that |
GU will permit this vaiu,t of $l25 0
er acre to stand instead Of reducing il
D thirty cents. as WAS done in 1889,
specially as snch reduction will mean
he loss OF over 5000 in taxes "a loss .
lresdy borne by the county during the y
.st year. Very respectfully, |"
VIM. o. O'NEILL, II
heriff and e1-efficio assessor Ysvapsi !,
County. A. L. lT
Prescott, June rs, 1890. L.,