The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1900-01-27
DOlNGs AT DENVER.
lts.s II l.tsrsst Fren the CITY asa tAs
STATE Capitol.

~ state Capstoi.
Mayor JOhnson's name will 20 down
to his posterity AZ TIE inventor of \
new tangled cuff button. He has q
patent on II.
Justice Mullins has held Charles
Harrison to the District Court on the
charge Of numbering Jacob .Uhl. Uhl
was a patient at the county hospital,
and while deranged WAS severely In
5ured by Harrison who was a porter
at that institution.
The holders Of leases on mining land
owned by the state may breathe free
~ awhile. The State Land Board, at
its meeting Monday, practically gave
up its crusade against alleged viola
tors of these Leases 30 far as past trans
gressions are concerned. The board
decided several days ago that It could
not cancel the leases. OF miners under
what are known as "old lenses" that
IL, twenty-year leases. But 1t went
further, and In the matter Of the short
leases, or eight-year lenses and the
coal leases. into which the investiga-
ton was first begun, 1t decided that
owing to variance of views on the mat
ter 1t would not attempt to cancel any
Of them. 1t ordered the register to
notify holders Of eight-year leases that
they would be allowed until April
LIST next to begin improvements re-
quired by the leases. The question OF
improvements does not enter into the
twenty-year leases, and the only cause
for which they can be Cancelled II for
non-payment Of rental. None were
cancelled on this ground Monday, al
tn<, t~A IT..
ground at the next meeting. At this
meeting the report of Mining Inspector
Lee will be tnken up.
A million acres of federal land may
he added to the possessions Of tile
state without any cost to II, and with
the accompanying benefit that this vast
tract will be irrigated and placed at
the disposal Of small householder. The
land may be secured under the Carey
act. which permits each state to ae-
qulre l.OO0,0OO acres Of arid goyeru.
ment land, merely by putting II under
Irrigation. The present administration
will not secure the whole million acres
before the close of the biennial period,
but 1t will make start. This policy
was made known when the State Land
Board granted the privilege to the
Henry Improvement Company to
undertake the redemption and irriga-
ton Of 1900 or 10000 acres In the vi
entity of La Junta. This action will
stand as precedent upon which other
irrigation concerns may obtain similar
grants. The title to the land does not
go to the irrigation companies, but to
actual settlers. II 1t should happen
In the course OF few years that the
precedent established should result In
the irrgating Of the million acres
which can be secured froM the govern
ment under the Carey act, the state
would secure $500, 1000. as the Colorado
law says that land secured under the
Carey act shall be sold for 80 cents m
acre. 1t further guards tho small
lnndholder and the great middle class
OF citizens by limiting the amount of
land to be allowed one person to 100 1
acres.
The state has been defeated n every
point In the suit instituted agalil1t vii
lard l.. Ames and other county aases-
sOrs to compel them to increase assess
ments five per cent. and to equalize l
values In accordance with the state
boards orders. The Supreme Court
handed down decision Wednesday
morning in which The bench unani-
tnOusly agrees that the Board Of Equal
txatiOn usurlletl Its powers and went
entirely outside of its Jurisdiction 10
making the recent changes In the c0un-
~ assessments. The writ OF mundamus
against Ames and the other county
authorities is quashed and the costs
OF the suit taxed up to the stnte. The
victory for the assessor Is n sweeping
one. Governor Thomas is much dIsap-
pointed over the result of the case. In
commenting on 1t he observed: The
decision leaves the state board prac-
tically powerless as equalIzers All our
efforts to improve the financial condi-
tion Of the state are declared void. The
court says that our method In raising
assessments and elualizing are illegal,
but prescribes method that has been
tried time and time again and has been
found to be impracticable. In fact, 1t
IL absolutely impossible to carry such
an Idea into effect as the court recon-
mends. This adverse decision does not
necessarily mean an extra session Of
the Legislature. There will be no extra
session II 1t can possibly be avoided"
The decision of the court takes $4,000
from the prospective income Of the
state. The board increased the valua-
lions from 1908, 100000 to $213,OOO,O0O,
ana a fOur-nill tax on the increase
would have brought revenue Of So
600. The main points in the decision
are given In the following clause: THE
state board has no authority to revise
the work Of the county board; there
fore, 1t has no power to euualtze yalua-
lions between classes or kinds Of prop
erty In the respective counties, for that
b . matter which the constitution con-
fides to the county bourd. In order,
then, that the two boards may work
tremendously, the action Of one not to
interfere with the other, and the au-
th0rity Of each, within its own proper
sphere be supreme. 1t must necessarily
follow that the state board, in equaliz-
ing and adjusting values, must deal
with the respective valuations a re-
turned by the county assessors A. en-
tireties. by making such changes in
each county valuation as whole. as
VIII relatively equalize the entire prop