Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-02-05

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The Malad Enterprise, generally
bright, intelligent and logical shsst,
has been dsvoting almost its entire
space for several weeks to The State
Beard Of Equalization and intsr2rs-
tation Of the law under which they
are supposed 70 act. Il Is no easy
matter to understand just what the
Enterpnss expects the Board to do,
but the following Is about the clear
oct paragraph ws can End and will
give some Insight into that papers in
terprstation Of the law:
The valuations made BY the Dtats
Beard must be relative and harmonious.
In no sense can they be arbitrary. To
illustrate II railroads. throughout the
State should be valued at $1,000 per mile.
the State Board hes NO authority to place
II At $4,000, without also increasing In
the same ratio al other property OF the
same class and reducing to an equal ex-
tent the property in some other class IL
the right to increase the vAluasson OF one
class-of one series Of classes-without .
compersatine reduction be admitted, thon
we concsde the right to asssss. But the
province Of the State Board ID to equalize,
neither more nor less"
Now the question i, what other
property would be considered Of the
same class Is railroad property? Per-
haps the Enterprise would say tsls-
graph and telephone lines. Suppose
the State Board should conclude that
railroad property was assessed st one
half its actual value and that tslo-
graph and telephone property was
assessed at double its actual value,
they would be obliged to double that
which is already assessed twice too
high, thus making one class pay four
times what is Just in order to raise
the other to the correct figure. Then
all other property would have to be
reduced to Offset this raise. No Leg
isIature, no matter how stupldor venal,
would ever pass law with such m
intent, and if such = condition - IL
lustrated had existed, and the Board
had proceeded - the Enterprise In
terprets the law that paper would now
be bowling itself hoarss and string
ing out red-hot epithets that would
reach from the North to the South
pole. The theory of the Enterprise,
as we construe its language, is that
the State Board can neither raise mol
lower the total valuation Of any
county, as shown by the assessment
roll of that county, but if one class oi
property is raised BY the State Board
other classes must be diminished thai
same amount in order not to change
the total. Suppose all other property
is assessed at its true value, the State
Board must reduce. Then we have
1
one class assessed at its proper value
after the raise, and all other property
too low. That would be a quse
kind of equalization. Yet the Enter
prise sustains the law as thus inter
preted. Better have no State Boart
of Equalization than one acting unde
= law, the Interpretation of which j
SO manifestly unjust and absurd. l
would seem from the decision of tn
Supreme Court that the Board has NJ
powers whatever except As stated
If it has not then it would be bette
to have no equalization law at al
If State Board is given any power
at at all it should be to make the as
sessment of railroad, telegraph AM
} telephone property each the same pc
mile throughout the State. Ever.
mile of such property is of the sam
value as every other mile. Eiths
} the State Board ought to be given tn
power to fix the value per mil
throughout the State, of such proper
ty, or the State Board ought to b
abolished.