Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-11-02
A LAST WORD WITH BARBER COUNTY
TAXPAYERS.

Last year Bank Commissioners Al
baugh AT that time chairman of the 1e-
publican state committee. charged the
State Board of Equalization with in
creaslng the tax levy and making an
arbitrary raise in the assessed vaiua-
ton of the farms and personal property
of the state, amounting to S23 600. 900,
In order to raise half million dollars
in state taxes more than was needed
50 that State Treasurer Kelly might
draw interest on it from the banks in
which he illegally deposited the states
money. Everybody knows without being
told that taxes were greatly increased
1t is noticeable, however that the mem
bers of the Board of Equalization were
careful to lower the valuations in their
own counties, and also that no part of
| the additional assessment was put on
| the railroads.&c. was all put on the
| farm and personal property.
The State Board of Equalization is
made up of State Treasurer Kelly
of Miami county, Auditor Wells, of
Neosha county. and Secretary of State
Burrow of Smith county. This board
''eQualiZed" Barber county by increas-
ing the assessed valuation of all real
estate and personal property IA per
cent. At the same time it decreased all
property Ill Miami and Neosha counties
| 10 per cent, and all personal property
| in Smith county so per cent.
| Barber county farms were raised
from $1.76 an acre to $500 while the
land in the home counties of the mem
bers of the board was reduced.
By this raise the valuation of the
| farms and personal property in Barber
taxes on them were correspondence
| increased to help raise that extra half
million dollars of state taxes for
Treasurer Kelly. The following table
shows what was done in Barber county
as compared with the home counties OF
the members of the board. 1t gives
| the assessed valuations returned by the
county clerks and then as fixed by the
state board:
Returned by co. clerk Fixed by State Boa rd
Barber 81, 1888 ,967 increased to. ... 81, 245 1873
| Miami So, 1S6, sos reduced to ........ 1852 724
Neosha 81 ,34 087 reduced to ......... 1885,, sos
Smith So, $685. reduced to......... $3.50 438
This increase made the state tax of
Barber county run up to S14,307 where
words Barber county contributed about
SIS, 500 toward Treasurer Kelly's half
million dollars on which he wanted 10
draw interest.
Does that show anything about how
the taxes were raised?
Again: The railroads were not made
to contribute toward MIR. Kelly's half
million dollarS-it was all taken out of
the farms and personal property. In
1902 the railroad valuation in Barber
county was $l95 ,965 and in 1908 it was
$l9S, 4S9. The raise on the farms made
by the State Board of Equalization was
IA per cent. If raise In the same
ratio had been made on railroad proper
ty 1t would have amounted to $27 ,7SS
in this county.
The average tax levy in Barber coun.
ty is So .05 on the 500.
SO the action of the State Board OF
Equalization, who with Attorney
General Coleman and Lieutenant
Governor Hanna. also form the State
Board of Railroad Assessors, saved the
railroads ST. ,6S1.17 in taxes in Barber
county alone. and this burden was pu
on other property instead.
Is it any wonder that the convention
which nominated all the present state
officers except Governor Bailey was g
J railroad convention? Is it any wonder
that the railroads want the presen
Board of Railroad Assessors re- elected