Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1903-07-29
SUMMONED INTO COURT.

District Attorney E. S. Clark yester
day instituted proceedings against the
board of supervisors to annul the act
ion of their star chamber proceedings
held on July 81 whereby they agreed
to give the United Verde Copper COM
pany bonus or gift of over sl4, 900
OH the taxes due from the company
for last year.
The proceedings were in the natore
of petition for writ of certiorari
directed to said defendants as the
board of supervisors Of Yavapai coun-
ty, Arizona. commanding said board
and the clerk thereof to certify fully
to the court, at time and place to be
specified in said writ, and annex to
said writ transcript of the record
and proceedings relating to any of the
orders or proceedings set forth in
this petition, made or adopted by said
defendants or their predecessors in
office sitting either as board of sup
ervisors or board of equalization, that
the same may be reviewed by the
court. and that defendants in mean
time desist from further proceedings
In said matter"
The petition recites at considerable
length the history of the case in said
matter, and recites the proceedings
had by the board of equalization and
board of supervisors. One of these,
taken from the minutes of the board
of equalization, of August 81, 1902,
reads as follows:
"In the matter of the assessment
of the United Verde Copper company,
it is ordered that the valuation of
said company's property he fixed at
the several amounts as returned by
the assessor.
Another quotation from their rec
ords, as a board of supervisors at a
meeting held ON July n, 1903, in con
trast with the above reads as follows:
"In the matter of the assessment of
the United Verde Copper company for
the year 1902. This matter coming
up for consideration, upon motion it
was unanimously ordered that the
treasurer and ex officio tax collector
is hereby authorized and directed to
accept $50, 30 from said company and
to issue therefor in favor of said COM
pany a receipt in full for all taxes,
penalties and costs for the year 1902.
And it is further ordered that upon
the payment of said amount and the
issuance of such receipt the claims for
taxes and all suits, controversies or
disputes growing out of such claim for
the year 1902, be and the same are
hereby settled, discharged and releas-
ed, and the treasurer and eX-Officio tax
collector is hereby directed to cancel
tax certificate No. 159, issued April
IS, 1903"
The amount of taxes, penalties and
costs due from the company when the
above order was passed, amounted to
$50, $50. 20, so that the exact donation
to the company, after waiting nearly
a year for the payment. and after sue
cessfully contesting a suit in court to
recover the taxes due, was Sl4, 626. 20.
Upon filing the petition Judge r.
E. Sloan Immediately issued an order
summoning the board of supervisors
and their clerk. and the United Verde
Copper company to appear before the
district court on the Sd day of August
at 10 o'clock a. m. or as soon there
after as counsel can be heard, why a
writ of certiorari should not issue as
prayed in said petition and the pro-
ceedings therein mentioned reviewed
as therein prayed, and that pending
such hearing. the defendants desist
from further action or proceedings
in the matter mentioned therein.
By this action the whole proceed
ings will be brought before judicial
tribunal and it will then be determ-
ined whether the board of supervisors
of this county are the autocratic
rulers of this county or not, and
whether the United Verde Copper
company which seems to dominate
them shall dictate the financial man.
agement of the county.