Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-29
More Official Corruption.

can be done when a man tries. The
chairman of the board of county com.
missioners votes to cut down his as
sessment and then chokes off the press
by abating the taxes of the editor of the
Optic "whenever he gets ready to pay
his taxes"
On May 10, the desire to still favor
corporations seems to continue, for at
page 60 of the record of the proceedings
of that day it is found that the Aqua
PQra Company settled it's taxes for 1896
by surrendering $504.21 of accounts
against the county.
The Chairman Getting to Know His
Business.
The chairman of the board of county
commissioners, on the 18th day of May,
1897, beginning to learn what it really
is to be chairman and not wishing to
allow all the favors to go to corpora
tions and other wealthy individuals,
came to the conclusion that it was high
time to get some of the pickings him
self, so he had passed, and approved
himself, the following order found on
page IS, of the record:
ut was abated %one-fOurth of all taxes
due for the year 1896 by Henry G..
Coors of precinct 80, the said one-fourth
amounting to $3.50. IS, being an excess
amount having been paid with county
script"
Mark the words! "Being an excess
i've and assessment" and yet
the chairman pays it, not with cash, but
with script probably bought at so cents
on the dollar. Thus the chairman pays
taxes at one-half the cost to other
and less fortunate taxpayers. 1t is
plainly to be seen how it pays to be
member of the board of county commits
sioners of San Miguel county, and par
ticularly chairman of the board.
And There Are Others.
But there are others. At page rs OF
the record it is found that on June 8
1897, Mr.. Meyer Friedman, who is moi
slow to take advantage Of any snaps Of
this kind with other citizens, as appears
by the following order of the board:
"Amount of account Of Vidal Ortiz, as
signed to Romero & Romero, abated or
the taxes of Meyer Friedman g. Bro.
500. 90, 1896, Pr. 26 and a."
And on June IA, at page 81 of the rec
ord, is found that Mr.. S. A. Clements
appeared before the board, not will
any claim of his W against the county
bit as a sort of a collector for DR.. Mill,
gan, and secured the following order:
1.-TWO hundred and thirty-siX dollar.
and thirty-nine cents abated On taxes o,
s. A. Clements, he having surrendered
the equivalent in county script belong
ing to and transferred to him by DR.
Milligan, which amount has beer
charged to his original BILL
Strange, Indeed.
Up to this time the record shows tina
the regulation abatement had beer
equal to s5 per cent of the amount due
Very strange that the excessive an(
erroneous amount should have Away!
been rs per cent! But on June II, 1897
the board appears to have been hypnot
lied into the belief that a rs per cent re
duction and abatement was insufficient
in some cases. This is shown by the
record of the proceedings on June II
for on that day Hon. Felix Martinez ap
peared before the board and convinced
| Nv HACiilDOlS uhUU ulullUuS II lC uuu mdOt
out his tax returns for the years 1894
1895 and 1896, and had sworn to them
still the assessment was erroneous ant
excessive, and in the interest of justice
and consistency, Mr.. Martinez a%rtfully
suggested to the board the following res
OlutiOn which was passed:
SIN the matter of the settlement O
the taxes OF Felix Martinez, the boarC
allowed an abatement of so per cent Of
all taxes due the county by them, the
said amount above stated to be surren.
dered to the county board for taxes due
for the years 1894, 1895 and 1896, in pre-.
cinct 49,"
1t does not appear from the record
just what was surrendered, but an ex.
animation of the collectors books shows
that the taxes of this gentleman were
abated so per cent on the amounts due
the county for those years.
Other People Catching On.
Little by little other people ascer-
tanned that there was money to be made
in working the board Of county commits
%sioners, and ON June 2l, 1897, at page
80 of the record, 1t was found that Cap.
tain L. G. Fort, having an old account
that he had vainly attempted to have
put into bonds OF the county, finally
succeeded in getting full value for $50
Of the account, as the following order
shows:
San order from L. C.. Fort vas re-
ceived for $4,000 in favor of Wise &
Hoggsett, the said amount to be de-
Quoted from the the total amount due
him from the county"
And on June "a, page 90, E. Rosen'
wald's assessment vas fixed up to the
tune of 1910 and he surrendered tina,
amount of script to the board,
In July, page 81, DIR. Olney gets q re.
d~uction of $119.4 As in the same manner,
and the board on the same day thought
best to help out another taxpayer and
|, citizen, Mr.. Hugh Louden, SO the fol.
lowing remarkable order, found on page
102, was passed:
"Order was given to the collector to
accept in payment of taxes to be paid
by Hugh L0uden, an order of abatement
formerly given to +. H. Pierce for the
sum of 800"
Not content with helping out Brother
Pierce, they took up Brother Louden
and contributed to his satisfaction OF
mind and convinced him that there orc
advantages In living in America, particu.
larry In San Miguel county, when there
are taxes to pQy,