The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-06
SORGHUM CANE.

Pratt ........ Is, ,293
PRAIRIE HAY.
Comanche --...... -.-..--.-.-.'..--.-..s1o SO & 7SS
Barber ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 15,2Ss
h1oWa ...-...- do, -
| Pratt 81, ,032
TOTAL.
| COmanche ........ Observation-Disclosures 315, ,069
Clark -.-... 1886
RarDer .---.- --.---.-...------.---.. I'D, i5S
Iowa
fratt .------- 1ooo,zV1
The State Board of Equalization
| fixed the assessed value of Comanche
county landat $1.35 and that of Barber
county at $1.60 an acre, yet the agri-
| cultural products of Barber county
were more than three times those of
Comanche. The valuation given Pratt
county is a trife less than double that
of Comanche, yet the agricultural pro-
ducts were worth nearly six times as
much. Does this look as though the
arbitrary raise given COmanche cOun-
ty was warranted, especially in view of
its extremely small population.
Ford county, northwest of Conan
che, was assessed at $1.55 an acre,
but Ford was last year million BUSH
ell wheat county and the land along
the Arkansas is extremely valuable.
The Value of the Bonds.
Messrs. Coleman, Burrow and Day
hoff strive to make it appear that the
bonds are a good investment for the
state. Il has already been shown
that the Comanche school district
bonds held by the state school fund
are defaulted in their principal and
past due-the commissioners admit
this in their statement. Now a word
as to the Comanche county debt.
The auditors report this year shows
the total municipal Indebtedness of
Comanche county to be $246.S65, or
$147.50 for every man, woman and
child in the county,. The average in
terest on this debt is probably about
5 II percent. This would make the
total interest to be paid on this pub
lie debt each year $13 3,577-57, or $7.75
for each man, woman and child. For
a family of five persons this would
make $3S.65 which the head of the
family would have to pay in taxes to
keep up the interest on bonds alone,
to say nothing of school district,
township, county and state taxes and
a sinking fund to meet the bonds
when they become due. This may ex-
plain why Comanche county school
district bonds are in default. A
strenuous attempt is being made to
keep up the interest but no provision is
made for meeting the bonds them
selves Ii is a tremendous tax when
in taxes just for interest on bonds
alone.
The condition of the county may
grow better. but it certainly is not as
good now as when these bonds were is
sued. The old bondsA were litigated
when the county had over 5000 popula-
ton and greater valuation than at
present. During the past three or four
years the county has not quite held its
own in population. The present popula-
tion will doubtless struggle the best it
can under this weight of debt that was
loaded on to the county during boom
days, but who can tell what a new gen.
Grafton will do? It is we'll known that
investments of this kind in the past
have resulted in the states losing thou
sands of dollars of interest. The special
assistant attorney general was employ
ed by the legislature of 1901 for the ex-
press purpose of compromising many of
these boom time bonds which the coun- |
ties absolutely could not pay. The |
school fund also holds other defaulted |
securities.
In view of these facts would good
business man consider the Comancne |
county bonds an absolutely safe invest |
ment, particularly when it had to be |
done secretly and by reversing former |
precedents with reference to the basis |
of valuations.
About That Raise.
1t would be interesting to know all of |
the inside facts with reference to the |
raise made in the Comanche county val |
uation by the state board of valuation. |
Mr. GODDARD admits that ne asked the |
board to make as great a raise as it |
did last year because he was interested |
in the county's bonds, but Messrs. Cole |
man, Burrow and Dayhoff say that this T
had nothing to do with the raise made |
by the board.
When the excessive raise of over % /
millions was made over the state last |
raise on it's personal proper
ty and real estate of n per cent, exclus- |
i've of railroad property. This increased
the total assessed valuation, including
railroads, from $685., ,S52, as returned by |
the county clerk, to $1,036,S65. 1t was |
this same sort of a raise that Mr.. God
ard asked for this year, but it was dis
covered that this would not let the
bonds in quite under the Is per cent
limit as required by law. The returns
of the county clerk this year were less
than last year, while the valuation as
fixed by the state board mad to be in
creased $409, 900 to let the bond deal
through. Therefore instead of making
a horizontal raise on both personal
and real estate this year, real
estate was raised 100 per cent and per
sonal property so per cent. This raise
was not applied to railroad property OF
course. 1t made the total assessed val
uation of the county, including the rail-
roads, 81 041, III, OF just barely enough
to let the bond deal through. Last year
the valuation per acre of real estate
was fixed by the board at $1-15- This
year the board fixed it at $1.35 That is
the way the raise was accomplished.
Mr. Godard's Dilemma.
H. B. Kelly is having papers prepar-
ed for filing suit against A. A. GODDARD
ard kept him out of in the Comanche
bond deal. Mr.. Kelly alleges
that he employed Mr.. GODDARD as his at
torney to aid him in getting his offer
accepted by the school fund commits
sion, putting Mr.. GODDARD in possession
of the necessary facts, but that Mr.
GODDARD did not try to make the sale
but used the facts to get hold OF the
bonds and put the deal through himself
as soon as Kelly's option expired
There was some difference between
the propositions of Mr.. Kelly and Mr..
GODDARD Mr.. Kelly proposed to have
of Comanche county's indebted
ness paid off to get the bonds through
under the valuation fixed by the state
Ia Sf instead