The Holly chieftain., 1900-01-26
DOlNGs AT DENVER.
Items of Interest From the City and the
, State Capitol.


who was driven from the Methodist
Church because of his denunciations
of high officials. has returned to Den
yer after spending some time In min
ing. He tried to speak at Asbury
J Church Sunday, but was elected ard
arrested.
Deputy Register O'Reilly of the state
land board, who is preparing a list Of
delinquents who hold land under the
certificate of purchase plan. has found
that the sum due to lne state is S2S,-
600. Not all the delinquencies have
yet been discovered. About 1000 GER
tficates are yet to be examined. w.
II. Lawrence, who purchased under
this plan section 36, township 3, range
69 west in 1889, Is behind 5000 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
tncop,", fund
The sthte has taken steps to prevent
the new Colorado Springs and Cripple
Creek district railway from entering q
railroad trust. In deciding Monday to
grant the road the right Of way across
a school section in the Grassie dis
trict, the land board voted to insert
a provision providing II the company
shall ever be directly or indirectly con-
solidated with or absorbed in any other
line or system in conflict with the state
constitution respecting the combina-
ton Of parallel or competing lines
the right of way shall herewith re-
vert to the state as though no right
of way had ever been granted. Attor-
ney General Campbell originated this
antitrust idea.
Chief Engineer Cowan of the Colo
RADIO g. Southern. has returned from
an inspection of the work on the Grip
pie Creek 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 1t 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 earned
around and above their reservoir site,
and to this end have surveyors in the
field running test lines.
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 eqlalize
values in accordance with the state
boards orders. The Supreme Court
handed down a 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
authorities is quashed and the costs
of the suit taxed up to the state. The
victory for the assessor is a sweeping
one. Governor Thomas is much disap-
pointed over the result of the case. In
commenting on 1t he observed: 1.-The
decision leaves the state board prac-
tically powerless as equalizers. All our
efforts to improve the financial condi-
ton 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 $203, 600 to S213,OOO, 900
and a four-mill tax on the increase
would have brought revenue of $40.
900. 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 eQualize valua.
tons 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
thority Of each, within its own proper
sphere be supreme, 1t must necessarily
follow that the state board, in euualiz.
ing and adjusting values, must deal
with the respective valuations as re-
turned by the county assessors as en-.
tireties, by making such changes in
each county valuation rs n whole. as
will relatively equnlize the entire prop.
erty values in the different counties, Sc
that the burden of supporting the state
government shall rest proportionately
upon each. In the case at bar the state
board has not adjusted or eaualized
property valuations in Arapahoe coun.
ty in the manner which the law con.
templates, but in selecting different
classes and kinds of property, and
raising or lowering their values. has