The state herald., 1900-01-26
DOINGS AT DENVER.
Items OF Interest From the City and the
state Capitol.


and while deranged was severely in
jured by Harrison who was n porte
at that institution.
Deputy Register O'Rcllly of the stat
land board. who is preparing list o
delinquents who hold land under tn
certificate of purchase plan, has foun'
that the sum due to me state is S2S
600. Not all the delinquencies hav
yet been discovered. About 1000 Ger
tificates are yet to he examined. w
III. Lawrence. who purchased unde
this plan section 36, township 3, rang
CD west in 1889. Is behind $1,000 II
payments. This represents n balance
of the purchase price, $4,000, and in
terest at seven per cent. Money col
lected from the dclinquents will e
into the public school permanent funt
and the interest into the public schoo
income fund.
| The state has taken steps to prevent
the new Colorado Springs and Cripple
| Creek district railway from entering Il
| railrOnd trust In deciding Monday tC
grant the road the right of way across
n school section in the Grassie dis
trict. the land board voted to insert
n provision providing If the company
shall ever be directly or indirectly con-
solidatcd with or absorbed in any other
,, line or system in conflict with the state
constitution respecting the combina.
| tion 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 X 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 IL 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 10 this end have surveyors in the
field running test lines.
a million acres of federal land may
be added 10 the possessions of the
state without any cost 10 Ii. 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 1t under
irrigation. The present ddministrati ton
Will not secure the whole million acres
before the close Of the biennial period
but II 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-
tion of 1900 or 10000 acres In the vi
clnity Of La Jlntn. This action will
stand as precedent upon which other
irrigation concerns may obtain similar
grants. The title TO the land does not
20 10 the irrigation companies, but to
actual settlers. II II should happen
In the course OF few years that the
precedent established should result in
the irrigating of the million acres
which can he secured from the govern
ment under the Carey act, the state
would secure SJOO.0O0 as the Colorado
law says that land secured under the
Carey act shall be sold for % cents an
acre. II further guards the small
landholder and the great middle class
OF citizens by limiting the amount of
land 10 be allowed one person TO 100
acres.
The state has been defeated In every
point In the suit Instituted against VII.
lard unI al h.r
sors TO compel them TO increase assess
ments iivc per cent. and to cqualiZe
values In accordance with the state
boards orders. The Supreme Court
handed down n decision Wednesday
morning In which the bench unani.
mously agrees that the Board of Equal.
iZaiion usurped Its powers and went
entirely outside of Its Jurisdiction In
making the recent changes In the coun.
~ assessments. The writ OF mandamus
against Amcs and the other county
authorities Is quashcd and the costs
OF the suit taxed up TO the state. The
victory for the assessor Is Il sweeping
one. Governor Thomas is much disnp.
pointed over the result OF the case. In
commenting on It he observed: "The
decision leaves the state board prac.
tically powerless as eluallzers. All our
efforts to improve the financial condl.
ilon OF the state are declared void. The
court says that our method In raising
assessments and equalizing are Illegal
but prcscribes method that has been
tried time and time ngnln and has been
found 10 be impracilcablc. In fact. II
Is absolutely impossible 10 carry such
an Idea into effect MS the court recon.
mcnds. This adverse decision does not
necessarily mean nm extra session Of
the Legislature. There VIII be no extra
session II II can possibly be avoided" :"
The decision OF the court takes SiO.oo0
from the prospoctly" income OF the
state, The board Increased the vnlun.
tlons from Seo3,poo,eoo 10 s2i3.oOO. 600
aud fourmlll tax ON the Increase
would have brought n revenue of So.
go. The main points In the decision
are given In the following clause: "'rhc
state board hns no authority to revise
The work OF the county bonrd; there.
fore, II hns no power Ia cqunllzc yalun.
lions between classes or kinds OF prop
crty In the respective counties. for that
Is n matter which the constitution con
iides 10 the county board. In order.
then. that the two boards may work
hnrinonlously, The action Of one not to
Interfere with the other. aud the su.
thorlty Of oach. within It's own proper
sphere he supreme. II must necessarily
follow That the state board. In cqunliz.
Ing and adjusting values. must deal
with the respective valuations rs re-.
turned by the county assessors ns On.
llrctics. by mnklng such changes In
each county valuation Ms whole. ns
will relatively rIunllzc tie entire prup.
criy values II. the different counties, so