Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1903-07-29
A FEW SUGGESTIONS, HINTS AND
INTERROGATORIES PERTINENT
To the Question Of the Compromise of the
United Verde Taxes==-Subterfuges in Its
Support Exploded.

Both of the Journal Miners cor
temporaries, each of the editors c
which have professed the creates
friendship and interest in the tax pay
ers of the county, have lined them
selves up with the wealjbiest corpora
ton in this county, and one OF tn
wealthiesf in the territory, and witt
bits servants, the board OF supervisor
of Yavapai county. to defraud thi
county of over Sl4, 900 in taxes du
from last year, and against the assess
ment as returned by the county asses
sor for this year.
One of the aforesaid contemporaries
has posed for years as being oppose,
to favoritism to corporations a
against the interests OF the people
and has advocated the breaking o
contracts, which are considered sac
red, in order to place property on th,
tax roll which is exempt by law.
The veneer of its "taXless toot'
crusade. which it has kept up for tn,
past ten years, is now made apparent
by its advocacy of this shameless at
tempt to defraud the county out o
over Sl4, 600, which the courts have
virtually said have been legally assess
ed against a wealthy corporation
which is abundantIy able to pay. Car
the public accept its former utter
ances as coming from a sincere motive
to work for the welfare of the public.
in view of its present attitude toward.
the collection OF a legal tax?
If it has been honest and sincere all
these years in its ''taxless footing
bowls, what can be the motive which
now impels it to throw aside all its
former traditions and come out il
support of a principle Numerically
opposed to all of its utteranaces for
the past decade?
The public may answer these ques-
tions as best they can.
The other of the aforesaid contem-
poraries INDUCES in a gust of wind,
characteristic of all of its utterances.
and makes no attempt TO give any
reason why the county should be de
frauded out of this Sl4, coo, but sim
ply says it stands in with the deal.
and thinks the board of supervisors
did right. Possessed of more sense
than great many people have given
him. credit with the editor of that pa
per realized the Righteousness of the
position taken by him, and the utter
untenableness Of it and FASTENED to
tell his readers that he did not wish
it to be understood by his readers that
he is taking up this matter simply be-
cause the United Verde people are
wealthy. This interjection of the i'm
Polling motive of the writer is the
ablest and most pertinent sentence of
the entire whirlwind of words on the
subject. although the motive was APP
parent to any one porting over the lit
erary garbage dump VIII the hon
esty. avowed in this case, have It's re-
ward?
The effort on the part of both pa
pers seems to be to attract attention
to the editor OF this paper, and away
from the real question a, issue as
though the board of supervisors might
be able to hide behind his alleged
mistakes, or weaknesses.
Neither paper makes. or attempts
to make, any tangible. reasonable, or
sensible defense of the action of the
board. 1t is alleged that other naming
properties some place else in the ter
ritory are not properly assessed, just
as though two wrongs make a right.
If the Journal Miner wished TO in
troduce this sort of argument. it could
refer to the assessment of the Copper
Queen mine in Cochise county for
over s., 600. 900 couple of years ago.
The company went into court, 10 con-
test this assessment. won its case in
the district court and when appealed
to the supreme court of the territory,
that tribunal reversed the decision OF
the lower court.
Another excuse, it is no argument,
it is alleged. that a fire in the mine
last year entailed a heavy loss to the
company. and the most remarka BILE
statement l. made that Senator Clark
lost 81. 600. 600 on the years business.
OF course no one outside of a lunatic
asylum. or one who has ali the NEIL
tai qualifications to be admitted ia
one, will believe this statement. The
plant was only closed down for a DOR
tion of the year. when its expenses
were cut down TO the minimum. The
immense profits during the period il
did run would have covered the ex-
penses Tor several years while not run
ming. But just admitting that state
ment As true. that Senator Clark
really AA4A llbb Atlilt OAAh even Dl k4A
operations for the year, does he
come to the board of supervisors as q
mendicant: Just imagine q man who
can buy and pay spot cash for a SO
600. 600 railroad on his knees before
the Yavapai county board of supervis.
ors, supplicating them TO retrieve
some of his losses in mining Wonder
what the millionaire senator would
think of picture Of that kinds Sup
pose that the loss sustained by thJ
fire had been on the part Of Yavapat
county. Suppose for instance the
court house had been destroyed by
fire during the year. Does any one
imagine for an instant that Senator
Clark would have come to its rescu,
with cash donation of $4,000:
Again. the losses by the fire in tn,
jerome mine last year fell much NOR,
heavily on the business men Of thai
town. in proportion to their means
through the loss of business to them
than it did on Senator Clark Ha,
there been a single instance Of one o.
them coming to the board Of supervis
ors in the attitude of mendicant OF
supplicant as Senator Clark is repre-
scented as doing by one of these pa
pers, and asking for charity: Ha:
any of tue small or big ranchers il
the Verde valley, who depend largely
upon the markets afforded by the