Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-11-27
How the Popular Will Is Sometimes
Defeated

''' "' '''' ~ 81 '!E'ulI3 y.
l''|'''" '''\'h>' Il ~''f hi"'':Ht Tor tie
Hh'i''h' t1N "n certain r!tN reality
"''''F "': col l>'-. VII. stevens based
HIS F'i"'"I u pay upon the ground
'l''' inc tax levy WA excessive. and
WIS H!i'!' 80 ny a conspiracy On the
part 81 'he 'lty Council, which, Will"
suing aS board OF equalization,
iila"c Il horizontal! raise 81 ASSESS
liieii'9 10 enable II |" incur further
Indebtedness. Inns contention WAS
sustained 'E inc lower court
Very few 81 "ur people who wcr,
residents i'll 1892 viii forget the cx-
"liemcnt that "n>ucd when it was as
c"rtancd that this course was being
pursued by the board OF equalization
during rs session OF over Il months
duration. Realizing that the boom
which had sent property values up to
unreasonable bounds was sub,iding
and was likely to he followed by sea-
son OF depression, the people had pro-
vldcd Tor reasonable assessment by
election OF an officer pledged t" reduce
'' ~" '"i"'..'''S from "'oi'' i'".'r'S
''''''0''''''S linz '''''i '''f'' N"i"'S
VI '''' property INC 'i''A'ii' '"'ioi-
u''o .oi A'HeSsoi WIS eiec'eo upon
.'l''. iSS't' anu MS WORK was dohe
IAN ~ anu WE pclie'e rs impar'iaiiy as
su''' !" iis' co'io DC maze. IL was hot'
i''"''ei' uee'iieo necessary 10 eject a
No.'"'i. picuse" W recognize the 1t"
oiuo' u Things anu VINO would, IN 'his
Aiio oi REFORM CONSIDER IL a duty TO
pio'e'' INC inui'iouai taxpayer as
"e'i "s 'he PRESENT anu prospective
oo'i''''oiuei' ~ was thousht that
''ie'i uo'ieS Will 'iie taA Toll applied
'i'S " equ'ii%iiis assessments when
sum- "i0viep"li's i"o crep' ILL., NOT
"iliStaiioihs 'he care Oh It's compiler
'hu VIGIL oo'ise oeihS CLEARLY uellIieo
Wy INV IL was not ior q moment sur
ihiseo 'lia' there couid possibly occur
any hiisapprehenslons as TO It's scope.
That this was the very general i'm
preston was shown by the action of
the people when it became known that
the board of equalization had deemed
it to be their duty to "protect the
public credit" by horizontal increase
OF the city assessments, so that the
maximum levy would produce enough
money to sustain for a few months
longer the high pressure service which
had already placed the city in a 1" hole"
from which only prOvidential aid
could rescue it. An indignation
meeting was held in Columbia hall,
the City Council was invited to be
present, and on appearing were inter
rogated as to the course they were
pursuing and it's object. Their an
swers were evasive and unsatisfactory,
and it was evident that they had been
coached by their legal advisor and in
structed to admit nothing that might
render their work abortiye. A COM
mittee was appointed to confer with
the Council, and after several attempts
succeeded in gaining an audience with
that body. So jealous were this self
constituted board of assessors in the
policy outlined that their treatment
of the committee was scarcely cour-
teous, while they calmly went on with
their work of making roll that would
stand another issue OF bonds. A little
Just congratulations of values
were made to give the appearance of
compliance with the law, but it was
an open secret, tacitly admitted by
several OF the Councilmen, that the
object was simply to place the aggre-
gaze OF the roll at hgures which would
justify plans for expenditure already
formed So lonc were tho Corrc;, on
o''''A o''
eaged IN thls work OF re-assessment
that the time for making a levy came
oro,,,d o,d st;,, +ho .1- -,
oN' az" sum ."o WIN was iliooiii-
plete and no legal ground existed upon
which to base q tax lew excent that
,,.;o. h,a - ,i
WHICH iiao oeeh suppiled by the City
Assessor. The Council did not hest
tate. however, in t;x;no tho nox;,,,
=.
leVy' NOTWITHSTANDING the law contem-
plates that it be based upon accurate
I.no,r,edn. a.. ua,,. - ..,-y-I,,
'0"'."9o :" ."' '"'"' ~ o'""oole pro-
perfy for taration.
Tho Srnroo Co,u.
N"pi o'io Ooui' aoiiii' Tile truth
OF this contention when the learned
Judges base their action mo, tho
aro,,,5 Co.. $50, .,.n 'Ao
so''iu 'oi reversal 'liat there was no
p7i{pncp tn ChOuy that that ,,,.-