Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-22
ASSESSMENT REPORTS
State Executive Council Re-
ceiving Valuable Informa-
tion From Counties
THE DISTURBANCE AT DUBUQUE
1t Is Hoped the Record of the Iowa
Guard, That Not Shot Has Ever
Been Fired in Hostility in the State
of Iowa, Will Not be Broken-oriein
of Street Car Trouble.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. June 22.-Three fourths
of the reports from the county auditors
to the state auditor giving the abstract
of assessment on reality and personal
ty as made January l of this year have
now been received at the state house.
| All the big counties are in except Polk
ard Linn. The state auditor has re-
ceived word from Linn indicating that
! the report may be expected some time
| in the fall. The council will insist on
| having the report before July 13, when
the equalization work is to begin. but
| Linn county always lags behind the
others. Woodbury.. Scott. Dubuque.
Pottawattamie and other large counties
/ have already reported. The later re-
ports indicate about the same proper
| tion Of increase in assessment as the
earlier ones. The reports from coun-
! ties on the actual sale of land and as
sessed valuation thereon, are also COM
| ing in regularly. These reports show
in themselves the necessity for such
IeDOl U.s. L liz SECRETARY VI iIlc tStCu-
tive council has been informally class
flying them. The larger group of
counties show that they have made an
honest effort to comply with the law
requiring a 100 per cent assessment
with one-fourth valuation for taxation
| purposes. The real estate reports from
these counties show an average of as
sessrnents of about IS to So per cent
! of the actual sales. This is regarded as
substantial compliance with the law.
| Another group of reports indicate from
! 80 to IS per cent, which may be due in
| some cases to conditions easily eX-
planned. But in another class of
reports indicate that the actual land
sales were at prices from three to four
| times what the assessors valued the
! land at Here is where the value of
the reports will come in. There is
tendency in some counties to deliDer-
| ately make low assessments and for the
| county boards to equalize very low.
Some inquiry has been made outside
as 10 conditions prevailing. One coun-
| ty auditor privately reported that In
| his county the board declared that. for
| political reasons, it would equaiiZe
| very low, and place the burden on the
state, administration of raising the as
sessments to the requirements of the
law. In one county Of southwestern
Iowa the members of the board talked |
| the matter over and decided they would
put the valuation way down, the mem
bers stating frankly that they did this
because they wished to embarass the
state officials. They requested that
nothing be said about it in their local
papers The state executive council is
preparing to meet the problems thus
presented and to dispose OF them in ac-
cordance with the letter and the spirit
Of the law: and the council Will this
) year have before 1t more information
on this subject than was ever before
any state body.
1t is the record of the Iowa National
guard that not a shot has been fired in
hostility in the state of Iowa. The
purpose of the guard is to keep order
and prevent bloodshed and not to do
execution. This spirit has always pre-
vailed. The nearest to actual action
was when companies We're sent to An
gus number of years ago. on account
of the mine riots. There was blood
shed there but not shot was fired by
the guardsmen, who merely protected
life and property. The killing was all
by the rioters themselves. SO at
Muchakinock and Evans a few years
ago where the situation was desperate,
the guard companies under Loper and
Wilkins preserved order and came
away with honor. AT the time of the
Kelley army of tramps, the guard COM
panies acted as peacemakers only, ana
in the strike troubles at Sioux City
a few years ago, there is no doubt the
guards prevented bloodshed. Governor
Cummins expressed the hope that there
will not be any break in the splendid
record of Iowa at Dubuque. He sent
three companies of the guard to Du-
buoue only after the representations
ma lie to him We're such that he could
not ignore them. Dubuque people teie-
graphed him and telephoned him ana
their words Indicated that they We're
badly scared about something. IN snort
they represent ed that unless outside ald
for the police was furnished the city
was in danger Of being burned. Per
haps this was exaggerated, but the
governor had no alternative but TO ac-
cept the statements as reasonably COR
rect.
If the troubles at Dubuque should
compel the governor TO break his en-
ga agement at Waynesburg College it
would cause much regret. II have been
planning for more than year he
said TO go to Waynesburg this week.
But | feel that if there is any sign of
impending trouble al Dubuque my duty
is here in Iowa. l certainly shall not
go to Pennsylvania if it appears that
my duty is here But friends have
advised the governor that General BY
ers, Captain Thrift, and others are
quite capable of taking care of the sit
uation here, and that there is no real
son why he cannot go to his alma
A story is in circulation here as to|
the cause Of the strike in Dubuque ana
it passes current among those who are
Interested The trouble all arose overI
woman and dog. The rule on the
street car line Is that no dogs are all
lowed on the cars under any circum-
rni rf