The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-11-01
WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW

rus ISLANDER cbeerfully gives
.,oce to the full communication OF
,ne "E,st Sound Bryan Club" and
acknowledges the justice of its appear
70 us to "give all fair show" we
hova lille knowledge of the personnel
of the club, as the names OF none OF 'he
members are signed to the commun'ca-
,;on hut It comes TO us In the hand
writing of a well-knOwn and respected
citizen who patiently bore the incubus
of The fusionist legislative nomination
IN this county two years ago. ana we
feel that he and his friends and politi'
cal associates are entitled to respect
full hearing and what he terms "a lair
shown 1t doesn't matter whether
Mr.. Hicks is "the whole thing or not,
in the Bryan Club. His co'nmunic"-
ton doubtless fairly represents the
clubs views upon the one subject
treated, however large or small may oe
the membership-and it cannot be SD
large in East Sound precinct as TO oe
unweildly. The one object sought to
be attained by the circular Is the de-
feat of Assessor Buxton for reelection
aud the election In his stead of August
wold. and the one complaint made as
n basis for the great effort being put
forth to bring about such result Is
that Mr.. Buxton, in making his assess
ments of real and personal property,
has Disseminated in favor of The Ia
coma e. Roche Harbor Lime Company
and the Pacific American Fisheries
Company, and against the farmers OF
the county. Ifsuch all allegation could
he substantiated there might be some
excuse for the peculiar kind OF opposl-
ton which Mr.. Void has succeeded in
inducing the EAST Sound Bryan
Club to father. 1t was he who ex-
amined the Roche HarbOr Lime Com
pany's assessments for the past tell
wears and furnished the figures used in
the East Sound circular. The editor
of this paper respects him too highly as
a rood citizen and an honest man to
believe for a moment that he would
wilfully misrepresent the figures as
they appear upon the records in order
10 deceive the taxpayers, but the fact
remains that the figures are misrepre-
scented, and it is worthy of note also
that not scintilla of evidence is given
in support of the circular allegation
that 'since 1890 the assessed valuation
of all farming lands has continually
climbed higher and higher" while IL is
charged that corporation taxes have
been greatly reduced. Now what are
the facts?
~
The EAST Sound Bryan Club" says
and it should be borne i'm mind that
Mr.. Wold furnished the figures-that
the assessed valuation of the Roche
Harbor Lime Company, on real and
personal property, in 1898 was SllS,33O
whereas the record, which the writer
took care to examine since the bryan
Club" favored him with a copy of the
circular. plainly shows that the tOta
valuation upon which the company
paid taxes in that year was 500, 2l2. II
the excess OF his zeal to show glarins
disproportion between the company's
assessment of 1893 and that of 1900 Mr.
Void included the personal assessment
twice and made the total SIS, 11S more
than it really was. This error, which
we have not the least doubt was quite
nnintentional, knocks big prop Ou
from under the circular argument
The fact is that the reduction in til,
company's assessment during the sever
years to which the circular directs
particular attention is considerably less
OH percentage basis than the reduc
tIou made during the same period OF
Mr.. Wold's own farm In the San Juan
valley, which was assessed for So, 779 il
1893 and only 1921 in 1899, the las
assessment upon which any taxes have
yet been paid. Reduction over thirty
six per cent.
~
As further proof that the "Bryar
Club OF East Sound" is "off lis basel
II it has any-in its allegation thai
stakes Oh the farmer have BEEN climb
ing higher" we give the valuations
in 1893 and 1899 OIL some of the
finest farms in the county, and it hap
pens, by the way that the owners ofmosl
of these particularly fine places are, fol
some unaccountable reason, either
Democrats or Populists.
In 1893 p. E. Peterson was assessed
$3.50. He has since built one of the
finest houses in the county, and a large
barn and made other valuable improve
ments, and he paid taxes this year
upon an assessment of $2,43l.
Alfred Douglas, whose farm is con
sidered the finest in the county, paid
taxes in 1898 on an assessment of &c..
OBS. He, too, built a fine house in 1885,
with some of the surplus accumulated
by him since the footsteps Of q ponder
Gus Democratic president ceased t.
echo in the corridors of the White
House, and he paid taxes this year or
an assessment of 81, 066, a reduction o.
nearly SO per cent by Republican as
SCISSORS.
. K. p. Bailer, whose fine farm il
second in value only to that of Mr.
Douglas, paid in 1893 on an assessment