Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1903-07-29
STILL HUNTING EXCUSES.

The Journal Miner has no desire to
prolong the discussion OF the action
of the board of supervisors i'll refer
ence to the United Verde tax ques-
ton. 1t was not entered into with any
anticipated pleasure to be derived by
the discussion, but from a conscien-
tious conviction of public duty.
We have attempted to~present the
case. logically, fully and free from
any prejudice or abuse, and so long
as a word is offered in defense of the
action of the board, that is not logical
or tenable, we propose to show up its
fallacy. Having entered the discus
sion. it is farthest from its purpose
to surrender while the batteries of the
opposition are trained on it, even
though the most harmless pellets are
used.
our morning contemporary in a
very feeble ana half hearted manner
offers a new excuse this morning.
Here it is:
"Here was a property assessed for
so much under normal conditions.
For seven months a fire devastated
that property, destroyed it to some
extent and made it unproductive. Now
then having accepted the assessment
as right under normal conditions, the
disaster of fire which followed, justifi-
ell the reduction"
The weakness and seniiity of this
argument is best illustrated by simply
stating that fire to have devastated
that property for seven months of the
year must have started its work OF
devastation prior to the meeting of the
board of equalization, and certainly
prior to the commencement of the &C
ton in court. If the alleged abnormal
conditions produced by the fire was
the real cause of settlement it could
easily have been accomplished last fall
and the county could have had the
use of the money nine months before
it was.
As to that fire. While it is known
that a fire has existed in the mine for
several years it is also known that
work has continued right along. There
are those, and not few too, who be-
lieve that the fire was mere subter-
fuge for closing down. 1t just so
happened that about the time that The
fire reached its worst stage, there were
mutterings of discomfort and threats
of a strike at the property, and as
stated there are those who believe that
this oppOrtune time was taken to avert
strike. Readers of the Journal
Miner heard il discussed. The Jour
nal Miner has always been inclined to
believe though that the fire was real
and the fact that the two occurrences
happened about the same time, was
merely "a coincidence. 1t has no de-
sire to rob the board or its apologists
of this fire excuse.
1t would like to have explained
though how it happened that the
wealthy corporation was the only one
to appear before the board in the
character of a mendicant, and seek
relief from the county, while scores
of others suffered much greater pecun-
larry loss. proportionately than it did.
Turn which way they or their apol-
gists will they are unable to advance
one reasonable argument in support of
the action, or if they have one, they
have failed to advance it.
Our contemporary in order to at
tract attention from the real issue,
still shouts that it is political and err
roneously states that the Journal
Miner endorses the action of assess
ing the Tombstone mines at 50 per
acre. because they are owned by re-
publicans. Any one who has read the
Journal Miner article knows that
there is not word of truth in that
assertion.
1t could not endorse il for the rea-
son. first that it is not aware that such
an assessment is made. Second, it is
not aware of the politics of the own
ers. Many of the heavy stockholders
reside in the east and it would be
strange indeed if some of them are not
democrats.
Assuming that statement in the
Courier, to the effect that the mines
we're assessed at 50 per acre, but
doubling at the same time the correct
ness of the assertion, the Journal
Miner very clearly showed that the
cases were not parallel. as one was a
producing property, and the other in
its development stage. But no en-
dorsement of the other was made or
iDtimated.