The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1890-10-17
CHE aematrat.
ABsuRpIrIEs AND FALLAcIEs,

II was our intention TO give some fig
ures this week to prove that the southern
half OF Linn county has been and is now
paying more than her Just proportion OF
taxes, but owing to the very ineonvenient
and dlsagreeable manner of getting to and
from the county scat, We found one days
time entirely insufficient to investigate the |
matter, 20 was obliged to walt until we can
catch up with our work sufficiently to take
more time. However we wish to apply |
little reason to the subject, and see II our
position Is not correct by this test. There
arc 46I,oi7 and fraction acres OF assessa'
bic land In Linn county, the assessed value
OF which is SS,aS5,oSo. One half OF 4oi,-
otT acres gives Southern Linn county ago..
oss aeres. assessed at $a,6iI,s4o, about
SII,So per acre, or about one-hah the
average selling price. One half of ALL
0i7 acres gives the northern half, s3o,9SS
acres assessed at Ss,6II, $40, $II so an acre,
or about one-third the average selling
price. The difference In selling price Is
caused By teal estate booms, and has, as Is
the case wherever boom Affects a coun-
try, placed heavy Indebtedness ufon the
land In the northern part This, we think
can be shown by the public records, But
for the sake Of being liberal we VIII say
that the northern part of the country Is In
debtcd no more than the southern part.
Il Is safe, as an illustration, 10 say that 10
per cent Of the selling price of land In Linn
county Is covered by Indebtedness. roper
cent. of Ss5, the selling price of an acre Of
land In the southern half OF the county,
gives g. so to be exempted from the SII.so,
the assessed value, leaving S9.ao on which
taxes are levied. 10 per cent. of $33, the
estimated average selling price of similar
land In the northern part OF the county,
gives $3.50 to be deducted from SILSo,
the assessed value, leaving $S.so on which
taxes are levied, OF 81 less per acre on an
average than land In Southern Linn coun-
~. 81 on ,3o,oSS acres, gives the euor-
nous sum of S35o 0SS. We believe the
public records will show a greater differ
ence than this, especially when we come
to include city property and live stock
We shall endeavor to give hguies to sub
stantiate our position In the near future
II should be remembered that indebted
ness Of whatever kind is deducted from the
ASSESSED value Of land and not the selling
price. We thiLA from what we have seen
that the northern part of the county has q
greater per cent. Of Indebtedness than has
the southern part, which, II true, will slow
a much greater difference than Is shown
above.-ByOEEsrIL' TTMes.
We give the above from the Times tC
show the absurdilies and fallacies to which
our contemporary Is compelled to resort IL
order to make a show of maintaining 4
contention raised by It sometime ago.
The Tines divides the number of acres o.
assessable land In the county into two
equal parts, and then assumes, without :
single datum upon which to base the as
sumption, that the south half Is assessed Al
Just the same amount as the north half
This the Times does not show TO be true
nor does not even attempt to prove it. Il
assumes, without Offering single fact a'
proof, that lands In the south part of the
county are assessed at one-half, and In the
northern part one-third of their real value
$780, sl--sS f-irv O,.s--- all the
absurdiiies and pretended arguments ir
the above article. As the DEMocRAr said
before, there must be fair dealing between
all parts Of the county. II the court ha'
neglected to repair bridges in the southern
part Of the county, upon them must resi
the blame. We showed In a former article
that the south part Of the county has, dur.
Ing all the fifteen years spoken of by the
Times, had representation on the county
board, and, during half that time, had a
majority Of the board. So that the Time,
position, that the north half Of the county
had, for the past fifteen years, been taxing
the south half at greater rate than the
north half, and that, too, wien the south
half had no representation on the board, IL
utterly fallacions and without semblance
of fact to stand upon The Times ought
to know that mere assertion and assumpt-
ion, unsupported by facts can not be forced
upon the minds Of intelligent people. We
repeat what VIC have said before. that the
DEMocRAT will stand for the substantial
interests Of the whole county, and not for
some particular locality as the Times says
II will do.