The San Francisco call., 1899-07-18

assessed in argument that was but
| weak subterfuge and weaker figures
over nothing but Intangible property"
In an instant it developed that this
! quibble and apparent i'll feeling that
| had arisen in an argument solely over
! a comparative bagatelle of $S00,0 900 on
/ the franchise was calculated to furnish
! the reason and be the excuse for a re-
! duction of $3,555,5 $50 along every. line of
the monopoly's prOperty-tangible as
/ well as 'untangible."
Assessor Dodge let that kitten out OF
| the bag when, in answer to a question
| from Supervisor Collins DR.. Dodge ad-
mitted fatty that while he had assessed
! the real estate of the individual prop
/ erty holder-the man who owns his
! home-at from seventy-five to ninety
! per cent of it's actual value, he had as
! sessed the tangible" property of the
! Market Street Railway Company at but
| sixty per cent, and in some cases at
! fifty per cent.
Supervisor Collins gasped, Mayor
Phelan cast a soulful eye of entreaty
! at the Assessor. Mr.. E. Black Ryan
merely fidgeted. Mr.. Foulds came to
| the front with the brave statement.
! which was calculated to fill an embar-
RAISING pause, that he considered that
! he had convinced his hearers that the
| figures of Assessor Dodge were out of
all reason; that he thought his $500, 900
argument fully warranted a reduction
! of three million and half. Then he
! closed his case.
Mr.. Ryan however was not so sure
! of that argument For once the little
! politician of the Southern Pacific was
ratified. His perception had not been
| dulled by the difficulties of a bad argu-
ment and he had not been blind to the
| effect Assessor Dodge'S admission had
! had upon even those who have been
! considered the most .unregenerate of
/ the board. 1t came to them all as a
substantiation of a grist of rumors that
/ have persisted ever since the board sat
as body of equalizers and Assessor
| Dodge's involved figures were brought
out where they could be seen.
For days residents of the Panhandle
| district had been asking why the as
! sessments along the line of that pro-
posed flower garden had been figured
| at so much higher a figure than other
| properties in other sections which was
considered quite as desirable for resi-
| dence purposes. individuals who owned
! blocks next to and like their neighborS
| had asked why theirs was the higher
! by several per cent than the other.
! Bankers with a hundred thousand dol
! lars in deposits had been in to ask why
! their franchises were assessed at $2500
! and the franchises of banking inStitu-
| tions whose deposits bumped around
among the millions were set down at
only $4,000, or at the most $4,000
Oh Sucn discrimination
were of daily occurrence, and the un-
guarded admission of the almost always
aStute DR.. Dodge had given them the
| confirmation which they might have al
ways lacked. 1t was apparently fur
| ther to conceal this break that Mr..
Ryan kicked up a little argument on
his own account with DR.. Dodge on the
other side of the question 1t involved
only couple of hundred thousand dol
lars. however, and was dismissed by
the board as frivolous Mr.. Ryan, Mr..
Lynch and Mr.. Foulds were allowed to
depart
Supervisor Phelps went into the main
chamber and talked for moment with
Lynch. Mr.. Byington moved that the
Assessors figures be allowed to stand.
Mr.. Phelps promptly moved as an
amendment that the Market Street
Railway Company'S assessment be re-
duced 81 ,000, 900.
Assessor Dodge, did 1 understand
you to say that you had assessed pri-
vate property owners at Seventy-five
and ninety per cent and the Market
Street Railway Company at only from
fifty to sixty per cent" suddenly de-
manded Supervisor Collins.
why, yes, you see i
Then it seems to me that instead Of
being reduced this assessment should
be raised. | see no reason why the
private property holders should be dis
cr1m1nated against In favor or the cor
porations. / move as a substitute that
the assessment of the Market Street
Company's franchise be raised $500, ,00o,
and that that amount be added to the
franchise"
Il second that notion said Aigel-
finger. And l." chorused Perrault.
and then the motion was put, and only
Mr.. Phelps, who had talked with
Mr. Lynch, voted against il.
Then some one said Spring Valley.
The representative of the water COM
pany had been waiting all the morning
and should be heard, but somehow or
other the Oakland Water Company got
first place and DR.. Dodge was afforded
an opportunity to come out in the open
and defend another of his assessments
against an unsought increase. The
Oakland Water Company, for reasons
best known to itself does business
across the bay and keeps it's incorpora-
| ton papers on file in this city. Until
this year it's franchise had not been
assessed. DR.. Dodge appraised it at
s40O .000 Aigeltinger said it was the in
tentiCn to run that figure up to $780,
000 and Dodge strongly objected. He
said he had consulted with Assessor
Dalton of Alameda County and from
facts supplied by him knew that he had
assessed the company fairly. we do
not want to assess them to the extent
that we will drive them from the
county" said he. Il think 100000 is