Graham guardian., 1905-08-04

head of valuable stock and the
other great money-making organi.
zations and individuals. it is dit
ferent, and the assessor, is forced
in a measure, to accept the figures
of the owner as to his property's
probable worth, even though he
and everyone else, practically, is
morally certain that the returns
fall far short of the actual value Of
the holdings,
''Arizoua wants the wealth re-
presented by the big companies
and the individuals of the territory
and will offer every reasonable in
ducement to others to come in,
but she does not want them badly
enough, nor is she SO much in need
of them, as to grant them privi-
leges denied the humblest of her
citizens.
"The great corporations and big
monied interests of the country
have done much for its advance
ment, but we should not be asked
to pay too much in return for their
favors. 1t must be remembered
that they enjoy privileges not
vouchsafed the private individual,
but it was never intended that they
should not bear their just proper
tion of the expenses Of the govern
ment."
Then comes the Nogales Oasis
on taxation;
ut is reported from Yavapai
county that the board of equaliza-
ton has raised the assessment on
the United Verde mines to four
millions Of dollars. That is about
fourteen per cent of the amount
which it is asserted Senator Clark
has refused for the properties, and
in one year the dividends declared
exceeded that sum. So even with
a raise of about 800 per cent above
the assessment last year the prop
erty gets light valuation.
In this connection attention is
called to an article from the Gr&-
ham Guardian upon another page
of the The Oasis this week, show
ing the way in which the board of
supervisors of Graham county re-
duced the valuation placed by the
assessor on some of the great pro-
ducing copper mines of the terri
tory. The assessor offered docum-
entary evidence to show that his
official valuation was very low; but
two of the board voted to restore
the ridiculously low valuation of
last year.
Why don't some of the citizens
in Graham county get together and
institute mandamus proceedings to
compel the board OF equalization
to accept or raise the valuation
placed upon the properties by the
assessorY The only way to bring
to justice such offenders is by in
dividual initiative. Is there no
public spirit in Graham county?
The Gazette says;
The Graham county GUARDIAN
has taken up the question of the
equalization Of tax assessments and
sails.into the territorial press of
Arizona and the boards Of SUPER
visors, that insist on lowering the
valuation ofthe big mining COM
panies, that is already rediculously
low, in a way that will surely have
its beneficial effects"
After copying the GUARDIANS
last editorial on taxation, the
Gazette comments as follows;
Sin the main The GUARDIAN 10
right in its contention for an
of the tax assessments
of the territory. There can be no
doubt but that great injustice has
been done the people of Arizona
as whole in the way the large
corporations have been al
lowed to escape paying their just
proportion of the expenses of gov
ernment and, in a measure, this is
true of all the big corporations of
the territory. But the Gazette is
forced, in the interest of truth and
justice, to combat the statement
that the railroads are on par