Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-10-14
NOT QUITE APR0POS.
Mr.. Waters Notices an Article in the
Gazette, bat LeavessRis Text to Deal in
Personalities.

Mr.. Waters Notices an Article in the
| Gazette, bat LeavessHis Text to Deal in
Personalities.
ED.ToR GAZETTE: For the purpose of
correcting wrong impressions conveyed
by your article of the 9TH inst, entitled
| present Owner Books" permit me 10
! reply thereto.
The present owner books were prepared
by J. r. Markley & Co., at cost OF
| about 81, 900 to the county. In 1894 the
court desired the books brought dewn to
date, seggregaiing Benton from Lincola
property, making new index and tran
scfibing the book of towns. I submitted
bid at the request of the court for said
work which they accepted and paid me
$3.50 therefor. The books have been
kept up since by the recorder.
At the session of the Oregon Legisla
ture, 1891 (See Session Laws-page 243),
there was passed law making it man da-
tory for the assessor of each county in
the state, to provide himself with just
such books as are now under discussion.
Assessor Bush has at different times
asked the court to provide him with such
books and maps. The court already hav-
ing just what the assessor asked for and
needed, the court did not feel disposed to
run the county uselessly in debt, hence
at its last meeting after careful consider
alton decided unanimously that it would
be for the best interest of the people to
stop the continued posting Of said books
and put them up only on March Ist each
year for tha benefit of the assessment. In
examining the present owner book for
which BentoH county paid $4,000 We
found that pages have been so mutilated
by erasures, corrections, interlineations,
etc., necessarily made ia trying to keep
up book not provided for continuations)
tn at in some cases the book is not relia-
be, and if once badly mixed the whole
thing becomes absolutely worthless and a
total loss to the county.
1t was necessary to stop further post
ing of the present owner book whether
the court changed the plans of keeping it
up or not
The undersigned has for a number of
years been satisfied that great many
people of the county were being imposed
upon by unequal assessments, property
escaping taxation, etc., and that the sur
est way of correcting the same was to use
the present owner books and maps with
al, -~If n yt,ns, ft,n
matter was brought to the attention OF
the commissions they becarle convinced
that it would be for the best interest of
all that said change be made. The books
Office, except when in actual use in max
ing up and checking the tax rolls there
with. They are to be posted on the 1st
day of March each year instead of daily
or weekly as now kept. Yout statement
that this will result in great inconveni-
ence to the farmer, is overdrawn. You
are not we'll advised or are willully mis-
leading your readers. l do not believe
there is farmer in Benton county who
understands the present owner book suf
ficlently we'll to use it without assistance
(and this is not casting any reflection
upon the intelligence of the farmer either,
for it is not in his line) and feel sure
that even the editor Of the GAZETTE who
has had more or less experience with the
records cannot use it intelligently. The
book is used mostly by the officers, law
yers and abstractors. The present own
er maps made by me for the county are
consulted more, but in nine cases out OF
ten the recorder or some competent per-
son assists in the examination of these.
| Having them posted but once year will
result in this-that if any one should ap-
ply at the recorders office to find the
ownership of certain described land, the
recorder referring to the present owner
| books or maps to save time, instead of
examining the other records of his Office,
finds that ga. B. was the owner on
March 1st," he then looks to see if ga.
| B.'' has decided said land since March
Ist, that is all. In this matter as in the
matter of the water supply at the court
members of the court acted in entire
harmony and as I believe with purest
motives for the best interests of the peo-
pie of Benton county, whom il is their
duty to faithfully serve.
In conclusion 1 desire to say that the
GAzETTE's attitude in this matter does
not spring from manly motives, but is a
badly disguised effort 10 make capital of
a rersonal nature against the undersign-
ed, and will be so recognized by your
readers. Yours truly,
VIRGIL E. WATERS.
Corvallis, Or, October I3, 1902.
| THE above article Was handed to us at