Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-03-13
FRIDAY EVENING. MARCH 10. 1903
A FEW UGLY FACTS.

rs il not true that our present outra-
geous per cent of taxation in this coun-
ty does more than any other n thing
to ~frighten capital away from this
city and prevent the development OF
our resources2
" And is it not natural that this
should be so?
Owing to the fact that u asses
ment roll is used as a political clear
ing house, it is necessary to levy
about six per cent. upon such property
as il is returned, in order TO raise n
enough to carry on the county gov
rnmen without making any public
Improvement.
lis it al all wonderful that men
looking for chances to invest should be
scared Off by such a fac as that?
Interest on United States bonds is
only two per cent. and any we'll gov
erned county i'm the union can float its
bonds at four per cent OF less. and yet
our property has to be taxed six per
cent 10 pay our running expenses.
But we are told that property is as
sessed away below what it is worth
50 it is. in some cases. and in some
it is not assessed at all, while in other
cases, like that of Nathan Barth, for
instance. ii is assessed at it's full mar
ket value. and possibly more IL it's
owner happens to be persona o
grata.
Eff a man Stands in with the push"
he may be able to get of with a e
low assessment.
But a capitalist who m from a
part of the country where a republican
form of government prevails. may OBJ
jcct to purchasing exemption from out
rage at the expense of being obliged to
sacrifice his right as an American cit
izen to think and act for himself.
"And in that case move on"
What the Journal-Democrat says Of
Albuquerque and Bernalillo county is
equally true of Las Vegas and San MI
guel county. Our tax rate here is
about the same as 1t is in Albuquerque.
1t IL II pretty StNtIt StdtCAtCht VI thiC
situation. hut it is the truth and APP
plies as much to Las Vegas as it does
to Albuquerque.
The question is: How are we going
TO remedy it?"
This is the way they are going at
il in Albuquerque
The Journal-Democrat Of Albuquer-
que is arranging to have made at Its
own expense a complete transcript or
the assessment roll of the county at
present constituted. showing what ev.
cry mar is taxed for and what his prop
erty is assessed at. When this is com
rleted IL intends to employ a COM
mittee Of three competent men approx
ed by the Board of Trade. to ascertain
the market value. as correctly as posi-
BILE, of every piece of property on the
roll and have this carried out opposite
the assessed value, thus showing what
each taxpayer actually owns, n what
he is assessed for. as shown by the
official records, and to this will be APP
pended a list of such properly items,
real or personal. as far as can be as
certained. that are nor returned for
taxation at all.
Care will be taken to avoid DIS
eliminating in favor or against any in
dividual, any company or any class.
Friends and foes will be treated just
alike. II is to be strictly a cold-blood- |
cd matter of figures. for the purpose or
showing. as we believe it will show. |
that the present deadly per e Of our |
without reducing u revenue one dol |
lar. if all the taxable property of the
county can be put on the assessment |
roll at just one-third its actual value"
l