Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1893-06-22

Natl0nhl AuLnOrlJy county cOulullb-
sioners raising their assessments from
rs to 100 per cent higher than re-
turned by the assessors. by this un-
called for attempt they virtually call
each individual whose assessment
was raised a liar, as we'll as the as
SCISSOR, and that the truth is not in
them. that the people who elected
these trustees were gnoramases and
we're not sufficiently competent to
cast an intelligent ballot. Ii this
state of facts continue it will soon be
that these great men Of power will
sit IN the council OF the jusR-made
so by being populist-and dictate
both the public and private affairs OF
the entire county. Then they can
say to their servants, the tax payers,
and the republicans in particular,
do this or that, and 1t will be done,
for what We say is law and no man
dare resist" We see no reason why
one class Of men should be singled
out and the burden Of legation thrown
upon them, and that from what ap-
pears to be from a personal antipathy
and not from point Of justice, We
are opposed to all lines of discrimi-
nations and think all property own
ers Shpqld pay their just portion of
the taxes, and Il our business men
were not Disseminated against they
would not complain as IL is not their
nature or desire to be on the kicking
side Of the fence. -DiSpatch.
Ever since this county has been Or
ganized tho county commissioners
have acted as q boprd Of equalization,
1t is so in every other county lp tho
state, and in nearly every state in the
Union. And now will the Dispatch
rise aud toll its readers just why the
action Of this boaSd happens to be SO
despotic, ("made 50 by being popu-
list'O? II the township assessors are
infallible because Of their election by
the people, why are not the commls-
sioners infallible alsoY Were they
not elected by the people? When
the last republican board raised the
assessments of a large number Of peo-
pie, some as much as 50 per cent, was
it despotism then?
The facts in the case are these:
The county commissioners as every
body knows, Dispatch included, must
meet as board of equalization after
the assessments are all in, and adjust
all inequalities which may arise in the
assessments Of the different town
ships.
In the course of their duty the
board this year found that in their
| judgment the merchants of Rirwin
and Phillipsburg were not assessed
as high as those of the other towns
Acting on this view they notified
these merchants and asked them tc
come before the board and show why
| their assessments should not be
raised. This great many did anG
the result was that the assessments
were mostly left as before. And as q
consequence the levy raised.
AS a matter of fact the present
board acted a great deal fairer thar
previous boards, as before this yeal
the changes were made without mott
flying the parties whose assessments
were raised.
The Dispatch further says thai
twenty-five citizens organized and
decided by a unanimous vote to reSiS
the authority Of the commissioners.
But here our esteemed contemporary
errs again, No such organization
was effected. True a meeting was
held, but it was finally agreed thai
those who chose to do SO should &C
before the board as individuals and
state their respective cases. This
most Of them did with the result as
stated above.
Now as to the discrimination. The
HERALD knows of hundreds of farm.
ers who say that they are assessed on
personal property fully one-half Of
actual value Surely the merchants
should be willing to pay in the same
proportion
This incident only serves to empha.
size the fact that the only right way
is to assess full valuation. This will
do away with many of the petty diff
ferences, and will raise no ones taxes
since the levy will be correspondence
lowered.
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