The San Francisco call., 1896-07-23
MAY Be CALLED
ON TO EXPLAIN.
Supervisors May Have to
Defend Their Re
ductionS.
GRAND JURY WILL ACT
District Attorney Barnes Look
ing Up the Jury's Legal
Powers.
WILL REPORT NEXT MONDAY.
Then the Grand Jury Will Determine
What Steps to Take in
the Matter.
WILL REPORT NEXT MONDAY.

The meeting OF the Grand Jury which
was to have been held this afternoon has
been postponed until next Monday, at
which time some action will probably be
taken in regard to proceeding against
those Supervisors who showed themselves
so kindly disposed to the corporations last
Monday.
District Attorney Barnes and his as
sistants are busy looking up the legal
aspect of the matter, having been requested
to do so by committee of the Grand Jury.
Upon the presentation of their report on
Monday the jury will proceed against the
'solid seven" either by criminal prose-
cution or by an application to have them
removed from Office.
THE probable course of the Grand
jury" said Secretary McLennan yester-
day, twill be to proceed against the Super
visors for dereliction of duty. They GER
tainly cannot plead ignorance as an excuse
for having lowered the assessments OF the
corporations. Exhaustive researches were
made, expert figures were furnished and it
was established beyond the shadow of
doubt that the assessments should be
greatly raised above even the original
figures. If in the face of all this the mem
bers say that they acted according to the
best of their Judgment it is time that
their places should be filled by men whose
judgment is more competent.
''Our aim primarily is not TO compel the
corporations to produce their books. al
though it may come around to that. The
books would probably be of little help for
if any money had been paid out, as it is
believed to have been paid, there would
probably be mysterious entries which
would be perfectly uninteiligible. What
~ 6rc% ic 20 ho% ~
visors have fagrantly neglected and ig
nored their duty, and we believe that we
can back our statements with considerab BILE
evidence. Afterward if we are in a posi-
ton to prosecute them criminally we shall
probably do so. We do not aim to do this
Just yet, as we do not wish to overshoot
the mark by aiming too high.
Another thing that we hope to do by
these proceedings is to establish some
standard by which to assess property. The
present method is entirely unsatisfactory.
A corporation is assessed only $4, 600, 600 or
$5,000.000 when 1t is paying interest on
stocks and bonds to the extent of perhaps
$4,000. 600. There should be some uniform
rule of assessing valuations that should
equalize the burdens of taxation.
Suppose I own a piece of property
worth $50, 600. If I have to sell immedi-
ately at forced sale l may not get SAC, ,000-
l may not get $30,000 but am pretty sure
to get S25, 900. If this basis of valuation
were employed in assessing and were en-
ployed uniformly, it would certainly tend
to equalize the burdens of taxation by
making all, corporations and individuals,
pay their share.
81 believe that the majority of the
people are with us in this fight, and in
tend to stand by us. 1t is the first time a
Grand Jury has attempted such thing,
and we intend to find out just to what ex-
tent Supervisors are responsible for their
legal actions, and how they can be called
to account for them"