Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-01-24
The Assessments Upheld.
GOVERNOR STONE ANSWERS DIR.
TUBBS OF Usage AT LENGTH.
The Charge That Farmers Were Dis
eliminated Against by the State
Board of Equalization Resented
Facts and Figures Sent
to the House.


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo, Jan. 22.-Dr.
Tubbs, of Usage and Governor Stone
have locked horns.
DIR. Tubbs introduced a resolution,
which the House adopted some time
ago, calling on the Governor to ex-
plain why the State Board of Equaliza-
tion taxed farm property hear its real
value and railroad property at a very
low figure. DIR. Tubbs exploited this
resolution at the top of his strident
voice. Now comes the Governor, with
an answer in the form of a special
message to the House, in which he in
sists as a preamble to the mass of fig
predicted mis- resolution ON a mistake
in fact; that while it is, therefore,
hardly worth answering, it affords an
opportunity to place some facts and
figures before the people of the state.
In his special message, submitted to
the House to-day, the Governor de-
clares that the House has been stbe-
trayed into an unwarranted criticism
board of equalization has ever added
IS million dollars to the farm assess
ments of the state. He declares that
the assessments of 1898 of real and
personal property aggregated 1884,
1853 ,S03, and of 1894, 1887, 279, $40. The
state board increased this S37 ,0i6, 712.
Of the total increase, s29, 160, las fell on
ST. Louis city and county and Jackson
county and S2s, 172, 1856 on acre prop
ty. The total assessed valuation of
farm property in 1894 was 1906, 920, 04S
and of city and town lots 1887 zoo, 609,
while the farm taxes aggregated S767-
900 and town lots taxes about one mil
lion dollars.
The Governor declares that the in
creases were due to the efforts of the
state board to equalize valuations be-
tween the several counties of the state
and no individuals. The local assess
ments as returned showed grossest
inequalities. Many instances of these
r given-notably, Atchison county,
+s11.2 per acre, and Nodaway, richer
and more valuable, S9.37; Barton, ST.
So, and Vernon, Sc. SO, though the lat
ter was more valuable in every way;
Livingston, S7.56, and Charlton, 1927;
Knox, SIT, and Putnam, $3.50. In
each case the assessment of the lower
county was raised so as TO make it
juster by comparison. The Governor
declares his firm belief that all intelli-
gent people will approve of the work
of the board.
AS to railroad assessments the Gov
ernor says that in 1898 the railroads of
the state were valued at S64, 473, 900
and in 1894 at $40, 1865 900. This does
not include terminal assessments made
by local authority. The action of the
state board in dealing with the rail
roads is explained at length and it is
held that the assessments were made
as nearly in conformity with justice as
possible. He acknowledges that the
superstructures and buildings of rail
roads are not assessed at full value,
but n assessments are relatively as
high as upon other property. He
shows that the average valuation per
mile in Iowa is s 5,293; in Kansas So
626; in Illinois s9,542, and in Missouri
ST. ISL. In Missouri the Chicago &
Alton is assessed at SIT $50 per mile,
while the same road in Illinois is as
sessed at only s10,545 per mile. If
similar comparisons should be made of
roads extending from Missouri into
Iowa or Kansas, the contrast viii APP
pear all the more marked and striking.
Thus it will be seen that railroad prop
critics in Missouri are assessed very
much higher than in the great states
upon the border of this state.
In closing the Governor says: "The
intimation contained in the resolution
adopted by the House that the state
board had Disseminated against farm
property and in favor of railroads in
making and equalizing assessments is
unauthorized by the facts. The in
crease made by the board on farm
property was only All per cent, as
against 7.5s per cent of increase on
railroad property. 1 call attention to
the fact that of the s3,037 ,523 paid into
the state treasury in 1894, about "a per
cent was derived from axe levied
upon farm property, real and person
al; about 40 per cent was from taxes
collected from city and town property,
real and personal, and the remaining
rs per cent came from corporation and
license taxes and from miscellaneous
sources. / believe it is true that q
large amount of property escapes tax
alton altogether, and that n or two
| classes of property are assessed much
too low; but this is due to defects In
the law, and is a matter ove which the
state board has absolutely no control,
| and which cannot be refnedied except
by amending the statutes. To this
very important work of revising and
amending the laws | invite
the attention and cooperation of the
general assembly. I respectfully sub
nit that the public interests can be
better promoted by sincere efforts to
enact good and much needed legiala-
| ton than by the hasty adoption of
| partisan or ill-eonsidereeI resolutions.
Oh the properties assessed or equalised
by the state board, / am confident that
farm property is not assessed relative
" higher than other property. No
| pretense is made that the adjustments
SIS to value are entirely accurate, or
that inequalities do not exist, but |
express entire confidence in the belief
| that no griev6Hs mistakes have been
committed
Mrs, Maria Allen Dead
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