Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-11
THE milk IN THE coCoANUr.

The San Francisco papers are very
much wroth at the treatment that city
has received at the hands OF the state
board of equalization. The Examiner
of Yesterday ornaments its front page
with cartoon in which masked high
waymen, representing the equalizers,
and armed with revolvers, call upon a
hardy looking male to throw up his
hands, which he proceeds to do in
stanter. 1t would have been happier
conceit to have represented the city as a
female-cities and countries are fem
inne-with bulged out skirts attempt
ing to carry off plumber which did not
belong to her, while the equalizers could
have been ftly represented by suave
but determined detective, with the re-
mark, "Ah there, Madame" We
merely suggest this for future
use. The Chronicle is equally
mad, but it does not resort to pictorial
illustrations 1t advances the ingeni-
GUS and highly original theory that the
state board of equalization has sold out
to the railway corporations, whose
assessments it has largely reduced, and
that that body, to divert attention from
this surrender to the railway magnates,
has moved upon the city and county OF
San Francisco. rhis would indeed be a
piece OF Machiavellian tinesse worthy Of
Morehouse. That acetic individual,
like joey Bagstock, is "sly, sir, devylish
sly" We are curious to learn precisely
in what manner this square charge OF
the "live" paper will be met by the
board.
San Frarcisc2 is, OF course, mad, and
there is nothing extraordinary in that.
For years and years the toll taker by the
sea has escaped its just share OF taxa
ton. Angeleiios, too, are mad, but the
people Of the Angelic city and county
do not see any way of getting over the
matter and have concluded to grin and
bear it. As a matter, of fact, since this
jump in the valuations Of San Francisco
by some thirty per cent. has been made,
the actual loss by our own "raise" is
either wiped out or becomes infnites-
imal. An acute mathematician could
probably demonstrate the fact that what
we have lost in the enhancement Of oul
assessment roll we have more than re-
covered in the rate OF the state tax levy
To employ homely smile, there are
more ways of killing pig than smoth
ering him in butter. We're all right.
That there is great rage amongst the
heavy taxpayers of San Francisco goes
without saying. Some of them tall
about contesting the issue in the courts
This is all "poppycock." Tie board
which is really about as useful as th'
fifth wheel to a wagons authorized
to make these equalizations, and that il
the end OF it all.
The true inwardness OF the whole
business is that the Republican Leaders
OF California desired to have the assess
ments all over the state largely in
creased in order that they might b.
able to keep within their fifty cents ol
the dollar limit of taxation. The Re
publican board of supervisors of tn
city and county of San Francisco desireC
the increase for the reason that the,
have already incurred expenditures to tn
amount of 100000 beyond the 81 limi
of the charter, and the increased valu
ations and accompanying share of tn
state school fund will enable that bod,
to pay off this indebtedness. The way
of Republican politicians. are past find
ing out, but one can get an occasiona
glimpse at them If observant. When j
comes to questions Of taxation the peo
pie of San Francisco are very alert, anC
they will be long time in forgivinl
this Republican trick through who's,
aid hollow platform has been carried
out, keeping the word Of promise to thC
ear, but breaking it to the hope.
Perhaps this aspect of the matte
could not be better presented than by
the following extract from a converse
tion had by reporter of the Examines
with honest "Chris" Refs, for quite {
while treasurer of the city and county o
San Francisco
The story can be told in a nutshell
BY adding s8S,000,000 or so to the tax
roll it enables the party in power, witt
all its state and city extravagances' O.
which we have read so much lately, tC
keep its so cents pledge. But the de
plorable thing about it is that in adding
unnecessarily to the state roll, it also
under supreme court decisions, permits
the board Of supervisors of this city tC
collect rate of $1.G3 upon sos, ,000, 900