The San Francisco call., 1898-11-01
ASSESSOR S|EBE
 IS MISREP-
 RESENTED A. Plain Statement" of.
 Facts. ... RECORD WILL BEAR SCRUTINY :: ':. .:------ ::':' NO FAvoR1T1sM IN ASSESS. ..-. MENTs. ... Y. ..:. : :,
RECORD WILL BEAR SCRUTINY
Records Show That Statements Made. by Banks Place His Assess ;. : :
 " ;. Inents Above criti-. - .*:- .:. :. " z: .cisn: :.

z. The: Democratic organ. of this city: in
 a vain endeaVor to induce voters. not to: cast their. ballots for Honest John.,=l2* Siebe for Assessor. has repeatediy: n :Inaqe ; misleading: statements in . It's eolufaills @ U il concerning: MT. Siebe's:. official: :aets' !:i which are invariably .disproYEed=: :by:~3an. y an investigation of the records: >x. :.>:- The latest: assault made upon :. MT. Siebers+ record appeared in the Sunday sissIIe:iof; that pa per and: in their .hys-. terfcaI effort made: to frnpress-:readers with: the mia gfiitude: of f: these alleged -..weighty* charges much space:: and: much. black.faced:- type is. used: @@ = :: plain, :: :unyarnished statement: Of the facts in the case completely exon crates MT. Siebe of: any dereTi Gtton in
 the. performance Of s:the: pties5 of his office. Instead 1t is. demonstrated that in this as. in every other Instance M Mr. Sfebe's record. will bear the closest scrutiny and that he is. now and a lW.ays has been: a public official Whose acts are above .reproach< or suspieToll1f.>: ll1.> .:.>::
 On@tlle: first. Monday in March,. 1S96, the German Savings. and Loan. Society filed: with. the Assessor a sworn state ment of the %taxable property" owned by the =bank.:: It was as>followsH :.*:= - 5,.<. .: 6n0- Furniture s. .: :. '' :: z: ' ' " oGa Money. on hand. E.. I: 601 ieog
 Total .:s:..i :... .7:. .,:.. .:,soVo'ovo It so happened in that year that the Governor directed the: Bank: Conlmds- sioners.4 to obtatn' from. all: banks a. statement of their. condition on the first. Monday9of March: This was: a depart=: lIre from; the usual custom and: by rea=. Y..+l r t were. filed or. the same day thatthe. law requires .sail assessments to be uade. Following his usnal custom: MT: Slepe: sent to: the office. :ef" the Bank Com, nlissioners fer3coples or tiie s3, made: by the: several: banks. :whlch. were. The" statement filed by: the GernIa:n Savings and. :.+Iaoan Society contained among other things thesf oMirg Items. ;: :s= 2SsEGs- BONDS: -:::I. .:: S.RegulaT 4 cent bonds .:S2, ,1sSi tls s4 Sou Pac'; R R. Qf Cal: Northern:@'- -' '& - k. RiGf (aI;3<S. F. and N: P R+:.: :.:+ R.I and other Tai lroad& eQmpany.E 5 first mortgage bonds: S:: T ,0o7 0s Misceliaileous ca ble. and. street ratl-. 3 poration first mortgage eonds 1ss66, 7So % Money loaned on stocks eonas ana d., ooo oo. warrants: :i.:. os1iVVuV9 "; After an siIispectfon of. this: sta teTnent: and a comparison of same: with the banks statement: to the Assessor, *-the cashier .of%: the Gerhlan*s Savings, and; Loan. Society: wa un1fnone d=tQ the %AsE sessor' s office and told that the :SS9I,goO: loaned: 0n.:stockss bonds and warrants was a. solvent credit and: Would haN We to be assessed: l. accordingly Mr. Schmidt: denied the Assessor g: cQnteIi+:. 'tion, but: the: latter added the, amount: to the assessment of the. bank; It will be ::noticed that in the list of bonds owned by the: bank as.Teported' by them: to the Bank. Commissioners: there: is no mention made. of municipal bonds and all the: bonds. otherwise enunlera ed"are non taxable :'s-. =.
 Upon inquriy. by the :Assessor, how ever: during: his examination of. the banks representative, it was :.ellc1teq from the:;latter that the. bank. owned municipal. bonds to the value of. S500,- GOO, and thereupon' MT. Siebe added this amount to the banlks assessment. =
 The statement made in the Demo- cratic organ. that there was a detailed statement. on file: with the Bank Com missionerS at the time Assessor -Slebe asked for the statements of the various banks is absolutely untrue. The sec retary of the Bank Commissioners can not and will not deny this. =. Nor will he deny that in 1896 or any subsequent year, when application was made for the statement filed with the *Commis- sioners by the German Savings and Loan Society," that such statement dis closed the possession of any other prop erty than that heretofore detailed. . In the year 1897 this same bank made statement to the Assessor, :;claiming g but S5O8 $50 taxable property. On the showing made by the banks statement filed with the Bank Commissioners that year their assessment was raised $775,- 900, the amount they had loaned *out on stocks, bonds and warrants. This same year (I897)e the bank disclaimed. the ownership of any municipals bonds. In 1898 this saIne banks .assessment was raised from $565. 5.959tto S1,378, 054;: the diff ference, :SSIa, 100; being moneys loaned out on stocks and bonds: For 1898 the bank reported $151 900 in municipal bonds, which were duly assessed,:
 The conditions and circumstances connected with the assessment of the German Savings and Loan: Society are of similar: character: to those con- nected with the assessment of all the banks, including the Humboldt Savings ald Loan Society. In every. instance where the sworn statement of the bank showed any dis: crepancies between. that and the state ment filed with the Bank Commission: CTS, the banks statement to the Ass Sessor has been entirely diSfegarded and the assessments have been made on the statements made to the Bank Com missfoners. In pursuing this course in 1896 the assessments of the banks were increased SIP 900 GOO over the
 
 sworn statements made to the Assessor. The increases in 1897 and 1898 were of nearly as large proportions.
 It should be borne in mind that the short time allowed by law in mak- ing up the assessment roll does not. al- low the Assessor to go into all the off fees of banks, corporations or in- dividualS and expert their books and ascertain If returns of personal propf2 erty have been correctly made. He is compelled to rely on individual statements. Tn the case of banks. however, he realizes that as the Bank Commissioners are charged with tie special duty of Investigating these irf- stitutions. they are the best source of information necessary to make a lust assessment. In every instance MT Siebe has taken advantage of every particle of information that these Commissioners have been able to fur nish him at the date he was compelled by law to make the assessments.
 When the acts of the Assessor are
 T Al H.