Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-30
POLITICIANS SCARED.
Leaders Holding Caucuses Over the
Assessment Trouble.
APPEALS LIKELY TO BE GRANTED.
Lines Being Drawn in Councilmanic Fights
on This Issue.
LAWYERS MEET TO lNDORsE sHlRAs

The discomfort occasioned by the recent
triennlaI assessment from which ap-
peals are now being heard seems to have
spread into every ward in Pittsburg and is
becoming factor even more important than
politics in the contest for ward offices. All
the political lines seem to have been broken
down by the citizens who claim
to have been outraged by the largely
increased assessments and the political
workers of both sides are just now engaged
in defense of their party's representatives
on the Board of Assessors while the many
citizens who claim to have been injured
financially by the effort to raise sufficient
money to run the city as it is at present run
are casting about for satisfactory candidates
for Council and other ward offices.
The threatening attitude of the people
has more or less alarmed the political lead
ers. Senator Finn, Chief Brown c. L.
Magee and others of that class have been
holding conferences day and night during
the past week with view to staying in
some way the effective crusade being made
against the authorities and the party in
power.
Appeals Likely to Be Granted.
1t is expected that most of the appeals al
ready made and most of those to be made
will be favorably considered by the Board
of Revision as salve to the feelings of those
who have been wounded. Those in charge
of the management of the city's affairs, it is
stated, have discovered their mistake in at
tempting to place valuations above the
limit, and they will, if possible, correct
their error by granting the appeals.
In nearly every ward in the city, how
ever, there are many taxpayers and voters
who claim they will not be satisfied even
with the correction of the error, or rather the
effort to enlarge valuations at their expense,
and they will carry the war on whether
their appeals are granted or not.
The taxpayers irrespective of party talk
of organizing for the approaching Council
manic campaign. They are acting quietly,
but it is said they are determined and are
preparing for an effective fight. While
they may be able to accomplish but little,
they have already thoroughly frightened
the present managers, who are just now
conferring in deep earnest regarding the
outlook and suggesting to themselves some
plan to allay the feeling that threatens
their power
The county assessment, too, has been de-
cloedly unsatisfactory, ana appears from
every part OF the county are coming in.
The taxpayers of the county, however, have
little or no hope of relief from the Commits
sioners, who believe that the assessments
were made equitably and fair, and only
positive errors in the work OF the assessors
will be corrected.
Owners of Oil Property Kicking.
Property owners in that part of the
county where oil has been discovered within
two years claim the assessments this year
bear especially heavy upon them. They al
lege that they haye been Disseminated
against and most of them have filed appeals
asking for relief The Phillips farm, near
the Mcdonald oil field, is the example of
the assessment given. sThis farm of100 acres
is assessed at 5000 an acre. While oil is
being produced on the property the valua-
tion is satisfactory, but as the assessment is
intended to stand three years and the oil
production is not guaranteed for any partic-
ular time, the owners allege that they are
being imposed upon. Before oil was found
on the Phillips farm, it could have been
bought, it is said, for S75 per acre and the
land without the oil, it is claimed, is hardly
worth that amount now.
The Commissioners refuse to say what
action they will take In this particular case,
but they argue that all the property in the
county was assessed at its value and that
the oil in this property has made it worth
more even than the assessment placed upon
ii