St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-29
TAXES ARE BOOMING.
South Dakota's Assessments
Raised in a Most Remark
able Manner.
The Board Of Equalization
Charged With Dense Ig-
n0ranee,
Or a Wilful Neglect OF Duty
in Making the Taxation
Equal.
Farmers Beeo ming Decidedly
Weary Of Gross Rep ubliean
Extravaganza.

CHAMBERLAIN, S. D., Sept. 2S.-The
vigorous howl that is being raised
throughout the state because of the
action of the state board of equalization
in raising the state assessment over S2S,-
000,0G0 is causing the Republican man
agement considerable worry and anX-
iety. State Auditor Taylor. in trying to
JUST fy his action in the part he took in
raising the assessment, says: 1.-The
law provides that the state board shall
equalize values and raise the assess
ment," and farther on, after stating that
the two mills levy would give the state
little less than half of what was neces-
sary to pay the running expenses. he
says: "The legislature understood this
and sought to Obviate the difficulty by
authorizing and requiring the state
board to raise the assessment to meet
the expenses" For what purpose
Auditor Taylor should make these
two glaring false statements cannot be
understood unless he thinks that the
taxpayers are such set OF nincOmpOops
that they cannot read the law or under
stand it if they should. The law says
crease said aggregate valuation Tor as
sessmenD in such an amount as may be
reasonably necessary to obtain just
ana true value, and equalization of all
the property in the State;;" and we see
by this that the law simply authorizes
the board to
Raise the Assessments
to get just aud true value, but 1t no.
where hints that they raise the assess
auditor says it does; neither does it say
that the board shall raise the assess
ments, but that they may raise the as
seSsments to get a just and
true value sin such an amount
as may be reasonably neces-
sary to obtain just and true value and
equalization of all the property in the
state" But Taylor admits that they
raised the assessments to meet the ex-
penses. This is a plain violation of both
the spirit and letter of the law. He
further says: THAT it was freely talked
in the last legislature that the property.
real and personal, was not assessed at
one-third of its actual value" Yet land
can be purchased all over the state for
just what it has been assessed for. A
quarter section in Hanson county was
sold for 5000; just what it had been
assessed for for years, and by what
authority Can an assessor or an equal
iZing board say that land is worth 5000
more than it will Sell for? If the board
has got itself
In BOX
it had better get out of it by cutting
down expenses; recommending that the
legislature be cut down -third-save
$4,000 or $4,000 annually in that way;
try and do away with holding two SeS-
sions of court year in counties that
have no need of it. and thus save each
county few thousand dollars in that
way, etc. The above facts are given for
the earnest consideration of the tax
payers of the state. The Republican
party is on trial, and the verdict is sure
to be against them. The lame excuse
that county auditors did not send in
their returns until near the middle of
August does not Justify the board
in waiting until few weeks
ago in giving out their report.
The fact is the board was roaming all
over the state during the month of
August fixing up delegations in favor of
their denomination, and Furthermore
the board did not adjourn from day to
day as the law directs they may in order
to finish their la bOrs. The fact of the
matter is the board was not in session
at the time prescribed by law, nor made
any adjournment
''Frosaa Day to Day.'.
and furthermore the board was not en-
gagged more than one working day in
equalizing the entire state and making
the levy. Assessments were not equal
lied as we understand the meaning of
the word. The board Seta minimum rate
on the different articles assessed, and
raised all below that sum up to their
standard. but left ali sums above that
as they were returned by the counties.
Is this equaliZing? For instance, horses
we're set down at $40 each. Some coun-
ties rated them at $50, but the board
left them where they were and raised
all that were below $40 up to that stand
ard. The same thing was done with
other things. The state auditor, in try
ing to eXtricate the state board. has sue
ceeded in coayicting it of dense ig
norance of the law or willful neglect
of duty. This matter will cut consider
able figure in the campaign from now
until election day, and the farmers are
becoming decidedly weary OF the eX-
travagance of the present Republican
state administration.