The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-18
DID NOT WANT HIS OPINION
The Scheme Green Smith ConcOcted to
Interfere with County Tax Officials.
His Blather About Raising Tax values Of Cor
pOrsfiOns Not Received with Cool Grace
BY the County Board Of Review.

The awful Green Smith addressed an un-
solicited opinion. yesterday, TO 'the Hon.
Joseph L. Tanning. secretary of the Board
of State Tax Commissioners" ana thereby
got into very pretty little sauabble with
the County Board of Tax Review, all the
members of which are Democrats. AS
nearly as the truth can be gotten at the
scheme originated with Smith. who was
aided in il by County Attorney Spencer,
while Leon Bailey performed his part by
hunting up the legal questions and writing
the opinion. Smith impaired The scheme
to Spencer, and Spencer fixed no COM
munication to the State Tax Commission
ers. asking what method the county board
should pursue in regard to the
lists submitted by +. c. Atkins *
Co.. the Indianapolis Journal Newspaper
Company. the Indiana National Bank. the
Union Railway Company and the Ajax
Manufacturing Company. When Spencer
had fixed up his communication, by some
jugglery he obtained the signatures. or
what purports to be the signature OF Joel
Baker, county assessor, to it. There is a
question whether this signature is forged
or whether Baker signed his name. under
the impression that it was formal re-
quest for an opinion on the State fair
grounds question, a request the board had
made verbally of Smith. Then Spencer
obtained the papers referring to those COM
panies. by telling Auditor TagRart that
Smith had requested them, and carried the
letter and papers direct TO the Attorney
generals office without going through the
fOrmality of presenting them to the State
Tax Commissioners.
The opinion is largely devoted to Atkins
& Co., and seeks to show that the stock IS
not assessed high enough. 1t contains a
large amount OF 'blather" about corpora
tions ana IDtimates that the cOmpany's
sworn statement is q fraud and deception.
The rest OF the opinion IS devoted to the
County Board of Review were very much
surprised when they heard of this opinion
yesterday. 1--WE made no request for an
opinion concerning the assessment OF cor
poratlons," said Auditor Taggart. This
opinion is unasked and not wanted. We
took final action upon the corporation
assessment some days ago, and 1t Is hardly
likely that we would ask for
an opinion afterwards. We took
this &C ton deliberately ard are not likely
to revise it at Smiths request. All know
about how the papers came to be In his pos
session is this: "The other day Mr.. Spencer
came to me and asked me for the papers In
regard to the journal Company, Atkins d
what he wanted with them and he said
Smith had requested him to get them. It's
his request, is itf l asked. He said it was,
and l let him nave them"
Never thought of such a thing" said
County Treasurer Osterman, when asked If
he had requested an opinion. Mr.. Osterman
also stated that the board did not propose
to be used by Smith in any such business.
mo. sir" said Mr.. Baker, emphatically.
when asked if he had signed such request.
nntv W aSk for
an opinion on Is the matter of the State fair
grounds"
County Attorney Spencer was WISER and
staid away from the board yesterday.
When a reporter hunted him up he de-
clined to go into details on the matter. He
ADM tied that he had written the request
and had carried 1t to the State-house, but
would not say whether he had delivered 1t
to the Tax Commissioners or to Smith. He
wanted to see them first and see what they
had to say. He said Baker had signed the
request, bus when asked If il was not with
the UNDERESTIMATE that IL was a different
thing he said whatever Mr.. Baker had to
say was probably true as! he understood it.
Every question put by the reporter to
Green Smith produced regular stump
speech of the monopoly bowling sort, upon
which Mr.. Smith. of course, expected 10 be
quoted. The interview was about as fol-
lows. the asterlsks representing the orator.
cal displays:
"Who requested the Oplnion7" was asked.
why. the County Board of Review.
suppose. These corporations Door
mar fraud and robbery
IL by! ="
"Who brou ght In the requestp
'DOn't know. 1t came in the regular
course of business. We have lots of them
here. Don't know anything about this
County Board of Review, but / know ali
these corporations 4"
Thus 1t went on. 1t was impossible to
pin Smith down to any actual information,
though the effort was persisted in for half
an hour.
The Attorney general observes q pecul-
iarity In opinions concerning taxation that
raises q question as to the Importance of
the "Hon. Joseph L. Fanning's' connection
with the Board of State Tax Commission
ers. In every instance the opinions have
been addressed TO the Hon. Joseph L. Fan
ming" Tanning was elected secretary of
the board to look after the mechanical
work of keeping records. and is not one of
it's menu ers, and it is nowhere shown that
the board authorized him to obtain Opin-
ions for it from the Attorney general. The
latter ignores the superior body to tell the
subordinate what to do in fixing ia values.
About ITO prOtestants registered with
bailitf Martin Murphy yesterday and near
ly all OF these were heard by either the
Board OF Review or the assessors deputies.
The crowds show no diminutiOn, but, on
the contrary, the thing seems to be spread
ing. People are beginning to find out how
easy it is TO have the appraisement re-
duced and are quick to wake no and pro-
test. All next week will be occupied with
real estate matters.