The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-06-29
READY FOR A FIGHT.
County Officials Expect a Lively Fight
with Lumbermen.

AHo lOl LldOlOu VI tnC MluuccOGd
Taxpayers association is received by
county officers of ST. Louis county as
a notice TO them to grid up their
loins for the fray, for it means that
they are going to get fight from the
lumbermen on taxes says the Duluth
Herald. The Minnesota Taxpayers
association is made up entirely of
lumbermen who are in charge Of
operations In the woods of this county
and while the title is general and
gives the idea that the association is
going to work for the good Of the tax
payer, the membership indicates
without any question that the work
that will be done will be entirely in
the interest Of the the lumberman.
though Of course if the work has any
result other taxpayers may incidental
ly reap portion of the benefit there
of.
The objects of the corporation, as
stated in its articles Of the incorpora-
ton, embrace number Of things, but
the item that the tax officials of the
county are regarding as prospectively
productive scrap is that relating to
''any tax or assessment in any village,
town, city or county in the state"
The articles Of incorporation permit
the association to object to any tax
or any assessment in any political sub
division of the state. but the way the
county officers look at it as that the
greater part of the objection will be
made right here in ST. Louis county.
The matters Of looking into bonds Of
county officers, preventing unlawful
use of public money and the prose-
cution Of officers charged with misap-
preparation Of money, are looked upon
as incidental. The great matter is
that of taxes and assessments, and it
is on this taxes and assessments, and
it is on this point that the real work
Of the association is expected to mat
erialiZe.
! There has been of late in this coun-
ty, and perhaps in other lumber coun.
ties as,well a steady contest between
the lumber companies and the taxing
officials on the matter Of valuation ei
pine lands, and the new association is
merely the banding together Of all the
lumbermen for the purpose OF making
in concert the fight that has hereto.
fore been levied by each lumberman
for himself Such consolidation OF
forces cannot fail to be more effective
than single-handed work. but the
county officers are preparing to meet
the fight and defend it to the best OF
their ability.
One of the matters on which there
has been and perhaps always will be a
fight is on the valuation Of cut-oveI
lands. When the bi-annual assess
ments are made the lumber companies
make up lists of their lands that have
had the timber all removed from
them. and accompanying them by
affidavits they send them to the asses
sor. As it is impossible for the asses
sOrs of unOrganiZed territory to get
over his territory in the time allowed
these lists have tC be accepted, even II
they are accompanied, as they some.
times are, by atfidavits so general III
their terms that they are practically
meaningless and binding the atfiant
to nothing. When these lifts are al
prepared a value must be placed on
the land, and here the tug Of war be.
tween the lumbermen and the asses
, sors begins. The lumbermen have
been maintaining that valuation OF
81 per acre on cut over land is ample
while the assessors have been putting
on valuations of 81 to $3.50. This is
one of the largest points of difference
and it is probably one that the new
association will concern itself with.
According to the taxing officials
there is hardly valuation that the
lumber companies do not object to-
yet they are not taxed any heavier
than any other class of business in
the county if they are cut over lands
there are fights on general valuations
that will come in for attention, In
all probability the formation of the
lnmberman's association will be fol
lowed by new crop Of suits against
tax collections. The owners of city
real estate have been as rule, pretty
, constant with their objections anG
contests, but now that the lumbermer
have got themselves together anG
dumped $4,000 into common fnnc
for fighting taxes there will be new
line of tax suits to make the life Of
the county attorney enjoyable and hi.