The Holt County sentinel., 1896-03-27
The Board of Equalization.

he capacity as board Oh equaiiZatiob.
The law provides that they shall ;
,ouallze the valuation and assessments
,oon all real and personal property"
70 equallze, Webster's dictionary says:
means to "equalize the burdens oil
taxes"
Our present county court is compos-
D6 OF thorough gentlemen, and We be
|ieye they will compare favorabiy IN IN
telligence and ability with any OF the
county courts Of our state, but ike
many of the courts OF the state We De-
lieye they have an erroneous idea as 10
the proper Interpretation ot the laws
the assessment OF real ana
personal property.
That they have the right to raise or
lower valuations We believe is undisptu-
ed, because section 1913 provides that
"they shall raise the valuation OF all
such tracts or parcels OF land and any |
personal property returned below their
real value" For any person to say that
the real value OF lands IN 633s IN Holt
county is but S15 per acre is to write
him down at once as hit subject Tor
asylum No 9; or to say that the real
value of the lands OF 6O.3 is but $40
per acre is equally as ridiculous; or To
say that the real value OF the lands oil
60,39 is but $500 per acre is even as silly
as the former.
The assessor on entering upon his
duties subscribes to an oath that he
will sssess all property "at what he be'
lievee to be its actual cash value. Ihe
question of assessment OF property
should not be 10 any sense one OF senti-
mept, but one OF actual obedience TO
the law, and II any fault is t. be found
let it be laid at the door of the statutes
and not to the officer who Is elected TO
obey that law. Ii the law is an unjust
one, the quickest and sursst way TO Sc
cure its repeal, is to enforce its proVis-
ions.
Why should an assessor ignore one
section of law and enforce another
Why should A be assessed at 100 cents
on the dollars and B at 80 cents. and
G. at % cents on the dullar? Why should
farmer A who has loaned his nelghbor
$500 be assessed at the full value and
the neighbor accommodated at only one
fourth the true value OF his property.
The truth is, We do not believe that
one tenth OF the assessors or county
courts OF our state come anywhere near
obeying the law governing the assess
ment OF property. and from this cause
more than any other, the majority OF
these courts are continually handicap
ped in the administration OF county
affairs.
Section 1864 OF the revenue law SAYS
that 'the assessor shall value and assess
ALL the property on the assessors books
according TO ITS TRUE VALUE IN MONEY
1t the time OF the assessment" When is
this time? June lst.) and all other per
sonal property shall be valued AT THE
CASH PRICE CT SUCH PROPERTY at the
time and place of listing the same for
taxation. This is the plain letter OF the
Law, and it 10 for the conrt to equalize
the assessment in accordance with that
lsw--and they cannoS possibly make the
"burden of taxes" equal unless they
obey sections 1913 and 1864. They haye
no right to make fish OF one and fowl OF
another.
We have in mind some very forcible
illustrations which We desire to present
to the hoard and insist that they should
be considered as a basis upon which
they should proceed to equalize the
value OF the assessment OF property IN
this county. and We insist that this
persistent effort to discriminate against
the man, whether farmer, merchant, or
banker, who by frugality and excellen,
business judgment, has been able to
accumulate a sum Of money which he
loans, is 40 injustice Ih at will, IN time,
be Of almost incRlculable injury to oui
county.
Let Us see and inquire iEto some o'
theee cases: A certain citizen loans q
brother farmer $500 en- % acres iI
township 81. range 80, which is located
in Bigelow township. This loan is made
on Q basis of $3.50 value per acre
whereas the land is assessed at an aver
age value in this township and range o
$3.50 Der acre, and the individual lane
at eI2 and SIS per acre. II A is able Il
secure loan at a value OF $3.50 pc
acre, surely this must be the true o.
approximately the true value OF this
land, whereas the assessed value OF thi
land ls but about one half to one thirt
OF the amount Of money borrowed upol
it. Is it equals it equitable. that |
should pay 100 cents value on the note
and A only one third or one fouth of tn
value OF the property on which NJ
secures this loan.
Case second. A borrows $1,000 on Is
acres III township 60, range 3S. which i
located in Lewis township. The averag
value Of this land as returned by tn
assessor is sl20O per acre. and the in
dividual value as returned is S12.JO Pc
acre, ard yet A has secured a loan a
an average value OF s2l.75 Fer acre. A
psys on fifty per cent valuation, ant
b pays on 100 cent valuation.
Case three: A borrows $1,000 on 12
acres iu township 81, range 30
this is in Bigelow township. Th
amount borrowed is on basis OF s2o.Oi
valuation per acre, and the averag
value OF the laud in this township !
out ell.50 per acre, and the individua
value Of the land loared upon is bu
about $40 per acre. Is it right; Is IT tn
Law; is it equalizating, the burden G
taxes, when you require A to pay take
on the face value OF this note, and onl
axact from B but one-third or one hal
the value OF his property?
Case four: Farmer A loans his brothe
farmer b. 5000 on 2O0 acres in town
ship 63, range 40, which is located i
Lincoln township. The average yaise o
this land as rsturned by the assessor a
Sll.OO per hcre, and the land whicI
secures tho note is only valued at 1
and is dollars per acre, yet b has Sc
cured a loan on this farm at an averag
value Of s3l.5O per acre. Either tn
TRUE VALUE Of that land is S3l.5O pc
acre or the CASH value OF that note |
S2aOO or 5000. 1t ia an outrage, or
species OF highway robbery to compe
A to pay taxes on that note on its fac
value and B to pay taxes on such lo'
valuation OF his farm.
To discriminate against a class OF on
citizens because they have been sue
ceosful 10 the management of their at
fairs is unjust, as well az unwIse. and IT
continuance will, in time, result 10 d
loans being made only upon the assess
ed valuation OF the lands, and this WI
mean much embarrassment to tn
feeder and the beg:nner.and will tend
the end to the withdrawal OF muc
capital from our county.
We hope the board al its meeting wi
be able to look at this matter as we d,
and treat all interested exactly equal.
We think that the northwest shoul
be represented on our state ticket an
TO that end We ara in favor of Senate