The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1903-03-14
THAT TAX LIST
AMENDMENT AGAIN.

The SENTINEL is 10 receipt of q com
munication from Senator II. Z. Freud
entbal Of Lincoln county, published in
this issue, relating to his bill to amend
the Assessment law of 1901. In the
SE~STIsEL's judgment the Senator simp~
ly begs the question.
Mr.. Prudential may have intended
that his amendment to the present law
should compel the assessors in making
up their statements for distribution to
the taxpayers to show separately how
much real estate and improvements
they owned, and also 8 separate show
ing Of the value of personal property
assessed, as the gentleman illustrates
In his communication, with Johp Doe
as the igurehead. But the SENTINEL
does not believe there is anything in
the amendment to show that such a
form of statement was intended, and
will again quote from the amendment
the section in regard to the form in
which the tax statements should be
made out:
SECTION 1. 1t shall be the duty Of the AS
ssssor in each Of the respective counties of the
State on or before the second Monday Of Sep
TENDER in each year to prepare a printed list
Of all the taxpayers in the county. which list
shall represent the total value of real estate
and personal property. and improvements,
with the total value in figures aforesaid to
each taxpay er."
Does Senator Freuden thai wish the
thinking people of Nevada to believe
the majority of the Assessors 10 this
State are verdant enough TO interpret
and make up their tax statements ac-
cording to the John Doe form given in
his communication? Why was not the
form illustrated in the amendment if
there was any intention of having the
statements made ont in that form? We
do not believe il was ever SO intended.
or Senator Prudential would have
made it plain and so stated in his bill.
If the Senator is from one of the COW
counties. he is generally credited with
having cut his eye teeth. Ae was
Chairman of the Joint Committee ap.
pointed by the Legislature of 1901 to
confer with the Southern Pacific Com
pany with the view to securing low
rates for passengers and freight trans
portation in Nevada, and the secur-
ing of that craftsmanship against an
almost solid Fusion opposition, will
always stamp him as being shrewd
enough to draw a bill to cover and
make plain just what was intended.
1t was pretty generally understood
throughout the State that the opposi-
tion to the publication of the tax lists
in the different counties dates back to
the time the first law was enacted in
Nevada compelling Assessors to show
the public q list Of taxpayers and the
property assessed.
1t is also an open secret among an in
terested few that the first law was
amended and the form of lists changed
30 that they would enumerate the diff
ferent classes of property, instead of a
list that gave only the total amount as
sessed. 1t was expected that the prints
or would refuse to accept the twenty
cents allowed for printing the list of
each taxpayers enumerated property;
that the law would become q dead
letter. and that no list of any character
would be printed. This would compel
any interested taxpayer to go to the as
SCISSORS Office and look over the books
If he desired any information.
The SENTINEL believes the amendment
under discussion, which was Fortunate
~ killed in the Assembly by q vote of
10 to Is, to have been a sham and q
fraud. designed to defeat the execution
of q good law.