The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1901-12-07
letter FROM The MAYOR,
Giving His Views on Questions of Local
Interest to Tax Payers.
EDIROR SUPERIOR Tines

y
The president of the First Nationa
Bank, also, has said that that insti
tuition will not pay it's taxes.
| have heard for long time thu
scheme was on foot, by New
York clique backed by few GER.
tain Superior business concerns, who
reputation are equally we'll known,
to depress the credit of this city and
make a cool million or so in a big
bond deal. That is the ultimate Oh
ject. Besides, they wish to throw
the burden of taxation on the smal
property holders. If the large con-
Germs do not pay their taxes, i,
simply means that others must pay
more because certain amount has
to be raised anyway to pay necessary
expenses: They kno,. they canno
make their schemes work while the
present administration is in the city
hall, 50 they seek by all sorts of in
situations and falsehoods, both in
their official paper and in private,
to undermine us in order that they
may get an administration that will
be subservient to them.
In the recent interview of Mr.
Kelley, the general manager of the
Land Company, he gives several
reasons why the Company will not
pay It's taxes and is most indiscHmi-
nate in his denunciation of every
body: the County Board, the school
board and the city council.
If the interview WAS correctly re-
por'ed, Mr.. Kelly told some of the
blackest falsehoods. Pc haps Mr..
Kelley is like another yei tie,nan
h,rs who recently made som v.l,
absurd and foolish Statements ana
had them printed in the Te egrsm.
A friend asked him why he made
Statements which everybody here
knew were not true. "Oh," he re-
piled, IL don't care anything abon,
the people here; said those for n,
people in New York to read" P,s-
sibly Mr.. Kelly said what he did for
his people in New York to read. and
cares nothing for the people here
who know that those statements
were not true.
Take the reasons given by Mr..
Kelley in their order:
First; he says the land company's
taxes this year amount to $6o, 900
which is more than they can afford
to pay. To begin with, is is not
true: they do not amount to s65 900
nor anywhere near that. The land
company's total assessments are
about 81 100000 which at the tax
rate of .O347 would make a tax of
less than $4,000. But suppose
their taxes did amount to S65 900
on an assessment made on the same
basis as other peoples property.
ought it not to pay them?
Second, he claims that the land
company's assessment is unjust aud
inequitable. | defy him to show
one parcel that is assessed higher
than adjoining property belonging
to other people according to its
value. As a matter of fact, much of
the land company's property is as
sessed very low. For instance, the
West Superior Hotel is assessed for
S45, 900 which is much less than the
furniture alone cost. and it's tax Is
less than $500. The Grand Ouera
House is assessed for $1,000 which
is about what the chairs cost. and it.
tax is less than sl75.
Third, he says: Every department
exceeded the levy last year and this
year they come to US with levy
to supply deficit besides the or
dinary running expenses of the
various departments" To anyone
who knows the facts, this seems So
absurdly false as scarcely to need
comment. In all the departments
for which the city council levied am
over which it has control, there was
not singel levy over drawn excep,
in the health department during the
last fiscal year, and no levy for
deficit was made for any other de
partment. The reason for the over
draft in that department is pretty
generally known. AT the time the
levy was made last year, there was
not case of smallpox in the city
oDI - ,,,. xl