The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-05-07
ACTION Of GU|LBERT

ACTION OF GU|LBER1
Arsuses the Astute ReprbIIcan Polite
isss Of the Buckeye State.
PARTY'S SUCCESS JEOPARDlZED
Stopped tho Cuyahosa Auditor Frem
Pursuing Inquiry Into Amount
sfTaxes Duo From Cleve-
land Corporations.
Cleveland, .)-Ths At
tempt Of State Auditor Guilbert to stop
County Auditor Wright OF this (Cuya-
hoga) county. from conducting . pro-
posed investigation into back taxes ow.
! ing by Cleveland corporations. has thor
oughly aroused the politicians Of The
state, and particularly Of this county.
Under . Columbus date line, the po-
Ntical writer Of the Cincinnati En-
Quirer. published this interesting mat
ter:
"A perfect roar Of disgust went up
from tie various Republican leaders
and once holders this morning, when
It was learned that State Auditor Gull.
bert had stopped the auditor Of Cuya-
hoga county from pursuing an inquiry
into the amount Of taxes due from
auasi-public corporations of Cleveland.
1t is the popular belief here that it Ia
due to similar actions on the part Of
the general assembly and the supreme
court that Cleveland has been made q
Democratic city and Mayor Johnson
the hero OF the masses there. Some
politicians freely predicted that the
action Of Guilbert will seriously jeop-
ardize his candidacy. already in dam
ger because Of the third term cry that
has been raised against him.
Investigation develops the fact that
Judge Saunders of the firm Of Squire.
Saunders & Dempsey of Cleveland,
the attorneys for the quasi-public cor
porations named In the proceedings,
reached this city early Tuesday morn
ing.
He called upon Auditor 0uilbert and
spent the rest Of the morning WIN
him. afterward taking lunch 1T the
club with that oficial. He submitted
q petition signed by the Cleveland
City Railway company, praying that
an order be issued against Auditor
Wright Of Cuyahoga county, to estop
him from proceeding farther in the
investigation then under way. In this
proceeding or petition Judge Saunders
cited Section 166 of the Revised Stat
utes as the authority for the state
auditor to interfere. This reads As
follows: TAG
He (the state euditor) shall from
time to time prepare and transmit to
the auditors Of the several counties of
the state. such forms of returns to be
made by them to his office, and such
instructions upon any subject Injecting
the state finances. or the construction
Of any statute. the exception 6f which
devolves in part upon county auditors
and which affects the interests of the
state. as he deems conducive to the
best interests Of the state and the
county auditors. and all local officers
acting under such laws shall observe
and use such forms and obey such in
1t was with this section in mind
that Auditor Guilbert sent the follow
ing letter of instructions to Auditor
Wright. positively forbiddins him to
proceed farther with his investisa-
ton:
There having been this day nled In thu
ONCE q petition BY the Cleveland Electric
Railway company. Of your county, from
which 1t appears that you are claiming
authority. under sections 27sl and 27s1a
Of the revised statutes, to reyalus the
1893. 1890, 1900. 1901 and 1907, upon the
that the same has not been re-
turned at Its true value In money for said
years. and 1t further appearing from said
petition that your predecessor In ONCE, W.
D. Craig. did revalue the property Of said
company for said years. making for each
year such additions to the value Of the
property OF said company n the auditor
In such proceeding found to - warranted
By law. which additions were placed upon
the county duplicate. and the taxes there
On paid BY said company In October. isoo.
By virtue - the authority vested In me
10 auditor Of state. upder section 100 Of
the revised statutes, you are hereby In
Itructed BY ne. as auditor Of state that
you are proceeding under an erroneous
OF said statutes 27S1 and
z78la, and that the said statutes confer
upon you no power to revalue and add to
the valuation Of property which has al
ready been rsvalued and added to BY your
predecessor In o6ies. under . proceeding In
pursuance Of the same sections of the
statutes.
And you are hereby instructed to at once
discontinue said proceeding. and make NO
further claim for the said years for which
tt property has already been % rsvalued
and additions made thereto By your pre-
1ecessor In ONCE.
The more sagacious Of the politi-
clans argue that the claim should have
been set up through the courts, and
not demand that Auditor Guilbert
take such an arbitrary step. It IL
openly asserted that such . proceeding
gives the impression that the case Of
the corporations was q weak one. re-
luiring methods that cannot help but
prove harmful to the Republican
party. Auditor Guilbert takes the
ground that taxpayers should not be
kept upon the rack all the time. A.
! member Of the state board of remis-
NON Mr.. Guilbert voted to reduce tho |
raluation Of the selfsame corporations
~, ,000,0 900, which increase had been |
added by the city board of equaliza-
ion.
The courts decided that the board
lad the power to make the increase,
md the corporations then came here
md had the state board remove 1t.
The supreme court held that there was
10 appeal from the state boards act
The decision of yesterday means that
10 back taxes can be collected. All of
his. the politicians say. is water ON
Mayor Johnson's wheel. and will en-
lble him to sweep the city next fall.
The Herrick men are the 'bluest" of
he LOT over fho furn aR.fra bsva |