The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1892-12-24
LAND OWNERS sQUEAL.
ING.


The Standard said last week that the
holders OF acre property in Detroit,
Mich, were bursting with iudigna-
ton over the action OF the city asses
sorF in raising the assessment on their
property TO something nearer its real
value than had ever been the case oc.
fore. A late numler Of the rctroit
Journal has come to hand which not
only confirms the report about the in
dignation. ut tells of one large prop
CITY owner. VIM. q. Thompson ~
name. . no declares that he is on the
warpath. where he intends 10 stay until
he has the political scalp of City ASSES
sor Pcrren, who IS the cause OF Mr..
Thompson's woes. Thompson is mad
clear through. lie met MIR Pcrren yes
terdny. says the Journal, and the eS-
mayor and land agent began to use un-
classical combinations of words;
Say, see here, Perrcn, he said. in
effect, you rrised the valuation of n
certain tract OF land 500 oOo Inst yenr.
and now understand you have tackled
on 500, 600 more this year? Why
You know we can't stand that m see
lkat VOH don't remom assessor l0ag."
oh, it is more than 100000" said
Mr.. Perrcn. with his Enthusiastically
pleasant smile and quiet manner. The
exact figures are SIC 1000"
Language is inadequate to express
Thompson's state of mind at this frank
statement and his threats of vengeance
against Assessor Perrcu. 1t takes
nerve to run up against such aggrega-
,ions of wealth as the Brush estate.
says the Journal. but Mr.. Perren is
equal to any occasion. lie told Thomp-
son that the property was assessed at
the same values as surrounding prop
erty: that he knew what it is worth,
and he guessed there ought to be no OBJ
lection to the valuation.
The journal says that Thompson, at
III, time of this colloquy. did not know
the whole truth. There i, other prop
erty belonging to the Brush estate, and
Mr. Thompson did not know when he
met Mr.. Perren. that that had also been
assessed higher than the year before.
Thompson was indignant at the hun
dred thousand increase on one piece of
property, whereas the asscssm mt on the
entire estate had been raised $500 600
over last year. One piece of ninety-six
acres was raised from SIS, 900 to Sl54,-
900; and Mr. Perren thinks it will
stand.
The Journal gives in detail the in
crease in the assessments of a large
amount OF property in Detroit, and
shows that the total increase will reach
SIP 900. 600.
James A. Randall one of the large
property owners affected. takes the
matter philosophically. He owns l00
vacant lots, which IN 1851 were assessed
at $1,000. This year he will without 4
kick pay taxes on valuation OF Sl23,-
200, n jump OF $500 per cent. in ten
years and it is possible that even this
does not represent the full increase in
value that has taken place in those lots
in that time. 1t ought to be great
object lesson for the Detroit people.
The trouble about assessments is not
all on land; some of it is on the water.
Under the law the Detroit assessors
have to tax all vessels registered in that
port For some years past this law has
been more honored in the breach than
in the observance: but this year Assess
or Perren, evidently not desiring to be
caught by the land owners in an in
iringement OF the law, has put the lake
vessels on the Tux roll on basis of ..
per cent OF their value. The ship own
ers are very angry about it, and threat
en- to move to a town called HamtranclS,
where they will escape local taxation
altogether. One man. who owns YES
sells worth not less than st.011,0o1, told
MI Perren that If he did not reduce the
valuation on them to at most 500 ooo
he would move his vessels Immediately
and not pay cent Mr.. Pcrren said
that it could no. be done, and rs the
vessels will go to Hamtranck, Mr.. Per
rem recognizes that Detroit will losc
much Of it. shipping because OF its fool
ish tax laws; he saws he would not tag
vessels II he could help himself. but
what can we assessors do about it?'
Tho personal property tax advocates
ought to SEQ the moral In the assessor
remarlk-Ths Standard.
PRIVATE ownership Of land u TIE
nother milestone. Material progress ii
the upper milestone. Between them
with an increasing pressure, the work
ing classes are being ground.-Progrssl
and Poverty,