The record-union., 1896-05-29
ASSESSM ENT VALUATIONS

ASSESSMENT VALUATIONS.
The arrest Of Assessor Siebe of San
Francisco on the charge of having un-
dervalued the property of Judge Will
lam 7. Wallace appears to be agitating
Mr.. Clunie, Mr.. Siebe and Judge Wal
lace not little. 1t is altogether ap-
parent that an assault upon the Mar
ket-street Railroad Company might
have for it's motive a stock -jobbing op-
Grafton. Such a device might be en-
ployed by persons who desired to either
bull or bear the securities of a corpora
tion, and the margin thus created might
cover millions. But the arrest Of Siebe
for undertaking the property Of the
venerable jurist, who Is to try the case
of the Assessor for an alleged under
valuation of corporation property, could
have no other significance than test
Of the question of the adequacy Of in
diyidual as we'll as corporate assess
ment.
Assessor Siebe declares that he did
not value Judge Wallaoe's property at
all; that when a man gives in his
property under oath and places his
own valuation upon ii, the Assessor
does not feel at liberty to either dispute
the oath or to enter the premises with
view Of making a. valuation of the
property assessed. This statement
shows that the assessment OF personal
property In San Francisco Is not done
by public authority at all. The valu-
alton is the result of private assess
ment alone In short, every citizen in
the city of San Francisco Is assessing
himself. and, according to the Asses
sor's own confession, all he does Is to
accept the assessments handed In un-
der oath, taking it for granted that no
man is mean enough or uppatriotic
enough to perjure himself in the matter
of the assessed value Of his property.
This statement raises a very strong
presumption that the personal property
Of San Francisco is not assessed for 10
per cent. Of its value. and the atten-
ton Of the State Board of Equalization
is called to this very clear presumption.
The last report of the State Controller
shows that the proportion Of the value
Of the personal property to the value
Of the real property was about 13 or Ii
per cent. of the former to the latter
that is. of every $100 of property found
upon the assessment roll about $50 re-
lated to real estate and improvements
and about $14 to personal property. In
the year 1860 the personal property as
sesssment Of the State amounted to As
per cent. Of the whole valuation; that
Is, S4S In each S100 was the value of
personal property. while S52 In each
500 related to real property and i'm
provements
The question raised by the arrest of
the Assessor upon the charge Of hav-
ing undervalued Judge Wallace's prop
srty Ia one Of fact. It Is already dis
closed to the public, from the very re-
markable statement of the City and
County Assessor. that every man in San
~ASAA~ASNS 40 AAAS Wv A. acSCSSoT WIf&n per-
sonal property comes to be valued. The
proceedings relating to Judge wallace's
property ought to be prosecuted with
the utmost vigor. and like proceedings
ought to be instituted as to one hum
drsd other rich men Of that city. We
have been told time and time again
that the rich are escaping taxation and
that the poor are paying taxes. Here
10 an opportunity for judicial INQUIRY
into the whole subject. Let all the
corporations and all the great private
fortunes Of the city be brought to the
bar of a judicial tribunal II the object
OF the proceedings against the Market
street Company was to correct abuses.
let the remedy be as broad as the evil.
The telegraph company, the telephone
company. the Spring Valley Water
Company, the banks, the foundries. the
manufacturers and the merchants
should ell now be brought to book In
this matter.
But lot the court whioh has ths houos