Graham guardian., 1902-03-21
FRIDAY MARCH 81 1902,
CORPORATIONS ENTITLED
TO FAIR TREATMENT

4 lesson lnal OtHei COuutloo ic"i IL
ed some time agO-that it is useless
to try to compel wealthy corpora
tionS to pay more taxes than they
feel inclined to pay, One Of the
laws passed by the last Legislature
was supposed to have rcmedied
this. II says that the taxes on
whatever valuation is fixed by the
board ct equalization, must be
paid into the treasury before the
taxpayer can get into court, I'm
dc: this law the board of Supervis
ors attempted to collect taxes from
the rich corporations of that coun-
ty in proportion 10 what poorer
people paid, yet the Copper Queen
company got into court and a
Judgment was rendered in its favor
before the money had been paid.
Well bet dollar to donghnut
that the present members OF the
board wont be elected to the same
office at the next election" IRA
HAM GUARDIAN.
Does the GUARDIAN endorse the
action of Cochise county in assess
ing eight mining claims Of the
Copper Queen company for twice
as much as all the other ratent
mines in Arizona? How would it
bo if the board of supervisors of
Graham county should assess the
land in this valley $1,000 per acre,
while the land in the Salt River
valley was assessed at $50 per acre?
Would that be equal taxation?
Would that be just? Would it be
fair? Corporations are as much
entitled to fair treatment" "-Bulle-
tn.
The Oasis has deferred discus
sion Of the Cochise county tax
decision, for the reason that ii de-
sired to accomplish Il thorough
mastery of the subject before pre-
senting its views. 1t desired also
to test the public feeling upon the
question by a gu ct discussion with
leading business men in the field it
served 1t is now prepared to
state by the card that the decision
of the court in the Copper Queen
tax case is greatly deplored by the
business public, and that in render.
ing that decision Judge Davis has
fallen greatly in the estimation of
a large number of his heretofore
warmest admirers-men who stand
in the very front rank of the Ari.
zona business world.
For years past the business men
of Arizona have felt that they
have been jobbed and outraged in
the matter of assessment of the big
producing mines. The entire tax
able valuation of all the property
in the territory is but thirty-six
millions of dollars. Yet for one
mining property, owned by a
single individual, it is currently
and credibly reported that the
owner has refused u cash offer of
thirty millions of dollars. The
law says that all property shall be
taxed at its actual cash valuation.
Now then, if Senator Clark has
refused cash offer of thirty mil
lions of dollars for the United
Verde mines, the cash and taxable
value of that property is thirty
millions of dolla s-fve-sixths of
the total taxable values now as
sessed upon all the property in the
territory, of what ever kind. Up
on the same basis the Copper
Queen property has an actual cash
value Of at least ten millions Of
dollars. The Arizona Copper
Company's mines at Clifton are
actually worth as much more.
The b G copper mines at Morenci
possess an actual cash value Of
fully seven millions of dollars.
For the Congress mines it was
credibly stated cash offer Of three
millions ofdoliars bas boon refused