The record-union., 1891-09-01
IN TROUBLE AGAIN.
San Francisco Officials Before the
Board of Equalization.
Mysterious Agents Who Werc Sent
About the Interior-Deputy Me-
slgaes Tries to Explain.


Equalization not to raise its assessment
roll
When Assessor Siebe. accompanied by
4 host Of deputies, and the Su 5ervisors
and attorneys came up last week and
started in with their arguments, they felt
confident of completely overwhelming
the equalizers. But before they had pro-
ceeded far they became aware that they
had a hard crowd as one of them de-
scribcd it, to deal with.
THOSE AGENTS.
When the San Francisco oliicialslearncd
that they would have to go to Sacramento,
thoy began Immediately to make clab-
oratc preparations for the inquisition.
They had maps, diagrams, tabulated tig-
ures, copies of court appraisomcuts,
Sheritf's sales Of property, etc. At the
same time corps OF agents nySteri0uSIy
went out into the country and collected
luf0rmltiOu regarding assessments irOIn
twenty different counties. These figures
We're to be laid before The state Board
with the view OF showing that. compared
to the interior assessments, san :JuH-
clsc0's assessment was nigh instead OF
being low.
But it leaked out that several interior
-ANHNNNOtr iltttl ttilDt!CCt INC ~ tlt>
tau Ell by the san E'r0nciStO 20 agents were
To great degree fictitious, und did not
exist on the record boolls-a,!d the sauc
Assessors We're ready 10 SO ,tate un iey
OATH. Aud when the san Francis 8
delegation put in an appearance n the
Capitol these assessors We're on band too.
They were observed, and none OF the
data obtained from tho interior was intro
dUcei
But before the delegation left for homo.
Assessor Siebe announced that he hal
some more figures and would like TO
have them read to the board some othcr
time. Five days were allowed The visit
Ors in which 10 hand IN their data, and the
tive days were up yesterday
THOSE COMPARISONS.
Deputy Assessors Mesigaos and Tyr
rell were on hand to look after the
interests of San Francisco. but there were
none Of the interior Assessors there.
As anticipated, the object OF this second
journey WAS 10 present 10 the state Board
the Data obtained from the twenty diller-
6Ht counties. Mr.. McsigacS began the
argument by saying that he considered it
highly proper that the board should draw
a few comparisons between San Francisco
valuations and those Of the interior. He
coutendcd that such comparisons would
show q much lower percentage in the in
terror than in the metropolis. The be-
aforementioned agents who had been sent
Out into the country had not obtained
any very exhaustive reports. They went
to the cOurthouSGS, and after copying Oft
a few. sales Of estates com pared them with
the assessment on the same property
The state EqualiZers were inclined to be-
lieve that these entries werO exceptional
cases, and had been picked ont because
they would further the end desired, but
Deputy Mcsigaes disputed this vigor-
Ously. He said that the agents had copied
the entries Just as they appeared on the
records, and had made no particular Sc
lGctOnS.
SOME MYSTERY.
Mesigaes also had some figures show
ing that IN these same twenty interior
counties there were instances wherein
the mortgages on property were even
greater than the assessment. For in
stance, his figures ON Monterey County
(Which are fair sample of all the othersy
ran about as follows: In Monterey
County seven cases were examined ;
amount of assessment on these cases, g, :
go; amount of mortgages OH this prop
erty, ST. ,6S3; percentage in said county
rs; percentagein San Francisco, SG; hence
mortgages are assessed higher in san
Francisco by - per cent"
EQUalizers MOrehouse and Beamer were
very anxious to know who authorized
the sending ont Of these agents Mr..
Beamer was particularly interested, and
remarked that it was very mysterious
proceeding all round, and one that was
not just to the interior counties.
Mr.. Mesigaes said he did not know of
his own knowledge who had sent the
agents out: nor did he know if Assessor
Siebe could throw any light on the mat
ter. He understood, though, that citizens
Of San Francisco had contributed the
money to pay the expenses of the agents.
He acknowledged, though, that he had
INSTRUCTED THE MEN
What to do. When asked if be could
tributed, Mr.. Mesigaes could only recall
the name of John Nightingale, a heavy
taxpayer Of San Francisco.
Mr.. Beamer referred again to what he
termed the stealthy manner in which the
agents moved from county to county, and
asked the deputy why it was that the
agents refused to divulge to anybody dur
ing their journey what they were gather
because 1 told them not to tell any
body what business they were on re-
piled the deputy. II had the handling of
the men and the direction Of the work,
but had nothing TO do with the paying Of
them"
Mesigaes said he did not believe that
al Ol lllt -lSocSSDIS Oh inc interior would,
under oath, say that the agents figures
were incorrect.
Now, that's whore you are wrong,p
said MIR. Beamer. There were some of
them here when you were here last week,
and if you had sprung this data at that
time they would have taken the stand
Oh, you know all about that"
Deputy MCslgaes denied that he knew
anything about 1t. He woUid prefer in
vestigating the matter before discussing
it.
ALLEGED MISREPRESENTATIoN.
There's another thing I mention" )"
broke in Mr.. Bcamer again. "While these
agents were over in Yolo County they
were asked what their business was. and
am reliably Informed, they replied that
they were gathering information for the
State Board Of Equalization. Now, did
you or your superior otncer authorize
them TO make such false representations"
No, sir: and | wouldn't like to say it
was so unless | had investigated the mat
ter" replied the deputy.
Who do you appear here for, Mr..
Mr.. Mesigaes?" asked Chairman More
house.
"The City and County of San Francisco.
I am deputy under Assessor Siebe, and
came here at his request, to introduce to
you gentlemen-'
ITO introduce information gathered by
citizens" sarcastically interrupted the
Chairman.
Deputy Mesigaes did not like this con-
struction, and corrected the Chairman.
Not that" he said, ''but to introduce in
formation bearing on San Francisco s
case before this board.''
Mr.. Morehouse said that while the San
Francisco delegation was in Sacramento
last week, one OF their lawyers told him
that Deputy Tyrrell was the man who
paid the agents.
Mr.. Tyrrell denied positively that such
was the case. He said he knew nothing
at all about the matter.
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