Gilpin observer., 1900-01-25
DOlNGs AT DENVER.
Items of Interest From the city and the
State Capitol.

and while deranged was severely in
5ured by Harrison who was porter
at that institution.
Deputy Register O'Reilly of the state
land board, who is preparing list of
delinquents who hold land under the
certificate Of purchase plan, has found
that the sum due to lne state is $2S,-
600. Not all the delinquencies have
yet been discovered. About 1000 GER
tificates are yet to be examined. w.
II. Lawrence, who purchased under
this plan section 36, township 3, range
SO west in 1889, is behind $1,000 in
payments. This represents n balance
of the purchase price, $4,000, and in
terest at seven per cent. Money col
lected from the delinQuents will go
into the public school permanent fund
and the interest into the public school
income fund.
Chief Engineer Cowan of the Colo
RADIO & Southern, has returned from
an inspection of the work on the Grip
pie Greek Short Line in South Platte
canon. He says that the ground is so
frosty that the men are making slow
progress. He does not think it practi-
cable to do more than complete the
working surveys before spring. The
survey is now complete for eight miles
up from South Platte station, and so
far the construction presents no very
great difficulties. Rhodes Bros. remain
confident that they can prove in court
that the short line can be carried
around and above their reservoir site,
and to this end have surveyors in the
field running test lines.
A million acres of federal land may
be added to the possessions of the
state without any cost to it, and with
the accompanying benefit that this vast
tract will be irrigated and placed at
the disposal of small householders. The
land may be secured under the Carey
act, which permits each state to ac-
quire 100000 acres of arid govern
ment land, merely by putting it under
irrigation. The present administration
Will not secure the whole million acres
before the close of the biennial period.
but it 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 5000 or 10000 acres in the vi
cinity of La Junta. This action will
stand as q 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. If it should happen
in the course of n few years that the
precedent established should result in
the irrigating of the million acres
which can be secured from the govern
ment under the Carey act, the state
would secure 100000, as the Colorado
law says that land secured under the
Carey act shall be sold for 80 cents an
acre. 1t further guards the small
landholder and the great middle class
of citizens by limiting the amount of
land to be allowed one person to 160
acres.
The state has been defeated in every
point in the suit instituted against Will
lard l.. Ames and other county asses
sors to compel them to increase assess
ments five per cent. and to equalize
values in accordance with the state
boards orders. The Supreme Court
handed down decision Wednesday
morning in which the bench unani-
mously agrees that the Board of Equal.
iZation usurped its powers and went
entirely outside of its jurisdiction in
making the recent changes in the coun-
ty assessments. The writ of mandamus
against Ames and the other county
of the suit taxed up to the state. The
victory for the assessor is sweeping
one. Governor Thomas is much disap-
pointed over the result of the case. In
commenting on it he observed: 1.-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 equalizing are Illegal,
but prescribes method that has been
tried time and time again and has been
found to be impracticable. In fact it
is 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 If 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-
tions from 500, 100000 to S213, 1000, 600,
and n four-mll tax on the increase
would have brought revenue of S40,-
OO0 The main points in the decision
are given In the following clause: 1.-The
state board has no authority to revise
the work of the county board there
fore, 1t has no power to cqualize valua-
tions between classes or kinds of prop
erty in the respective counties, for that
is matter which the constitution con-
fides to the county board. In order.
then, that the two boards may work
harmoniously. the action of one not to
interfere with the other. and the au-
thorlty OF each, within its own proper
sphere he supreme. 1t must necessarily
follow that the state board, in equaliz-
ing and adjusting values, must deal
with the respective valuations as re-
turned by the county assessors as en-
tiretles, by making such changes in
each county valuation as n whole. as
will relatively equalizc the entire pop.
erty values In the different counties, so
that the burden OF supporting the state
government shall rest proportionately