Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-03-12
To The Voters of Grant County.


desire to call your attention at this
time to the Importance of electing as
SCISSORS, town clerks and Boards of Re-
view, who are willing to observe their
oaths of Office ia respect to the assess
ment of all property and subject it to
taxation at full value as required by
law I think [ can safely say, that in
over thirty of the fourty two Of the as
Sessment districts of Grant County,
an honest effort was made last year by
the town officers to make fair assess
ment. In few instances, however,
justice was not done to the tax payers
in some of the districts, owing entire
ly to the failure or refusal of the as
SCISSORS and Boards of Review to obey
the plain letter of the law. When you
put up man for office this coming
election, hope the friends of fair tax
alton will see to it, that no tax dodger,
and no friend of tax dodgers is elected
to an office in any assessment district
of this county.
1t is impossible for me to correct the
mistakes made by an assessor or Board
of Review, so as to relieve the indlvld-
ual tax payer, from burden, unjustly
placed upon him. All | can do is
through the County Board of Equal
zation, by preventing one town from
robbing another.
For instance, in one city of the
county, much property was assessedby
the assessors and the Board of Review,
at little over one half it's full value
in the same city. The average assess
nent for the entire city, was seventy
five per cent of full value. In equali-
cation the County Board had to in
crease the city's valuation twenty five
per cent.
This was but just as between the city
and the rest Of the county.
But great injustice was done to the
individual tax payers.
For instance, tax payer whose prop
erty was assessed at one half it's value,
say 100000, where it was worth
100000, as equalized by the County
Board, would pay tax on the valua
tion of $2500O0, while another tax pay
assessed at that. After the equaliZa-
ton, he had to pay taxes on VALUATION
of 100000. Now, if the assessor had
corrected this mistake these two tax
payers, would have paid taxes on the
same valuation. t
notice that a few of the county pap
ers are publishing or republishing
some squibs, criticising my work as sup
ervisOr. [ would invite these would
be critics to come out into the open
and say exactly what they mean, l
want to know whetherItheyare CRITICS
ing me, for insisting on the assessments
being made according to the law, or
whether they are claiming that I am
directing that an unlawful assessment
be made.
I suspect from timidlty and OBSCURE
ty of the illusions to my work, that it
is the former and not the latter, that is
criticised.
I notice that one paper says, that some
very good people do not like the work
I have done. However, some socalled
very good people have formed the hab-
it Of committing annual perjury to the
assessor. AS l have seriously disturb
ed some Of them in practice, it is not
Surprising that they should find fault.
II will say in conclusion, that it is un-
likely that any very important change
will be made this year by the legis-
lature. Further. any person who con-
templates seeking the Office of an as
SCISSOR this year, will find the work very
much easier, than last year and a very
simple matter, provided he makes an
honest effort to obey the law The
only difficulties the assessor will meet
with, will be when he tries to follow
some other rule than the lawful one.
W T. L. CLEARY,
Supervisor of Assessments.
Platteville, Wisconsin, March 9Th, 1903.
De-