Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-10
BROWN HINTS AT MORE SUITS
Attorney General Nay Bring Action
Against County Boards Of Equalization.
SEQUENCE or RAILROAD TAX Sinking
special stress a. Laid in Union Pacihc
Hearing on How OmciaIs voted
I'm Fixing Assessments
Land.

IN MS cross-eXaminstion of witnesses
summoned to testify in the Union Pacific
railroad tax suit Attorney General Brown
intmated by his questions Saturday morn
ing that following this suit proceedings
would be begun against members Of county
boards Of equalization who, after assessing
property, testify they know the assess
ment is not high enough
That the attorney general Is considering
such a move there is no doubt. for during
the last few days of the hearing he has
asked all members of county boards who
have testified IL they voted for the low
assessment OF real estate as members OF
boards Of equalization. This question is
followed by the inquiry II the witness knew
the law required him to assess real estate
at it's full cash value. In some instances
the Witnesses have sworn they did not vote
for the low assessment, while in others
they have admitted they violated their
oath Of ONCE and by testifying as they did
have impeaehed their own judgment and
work.
Saturday morning r.. A. Day, county
clerk of Deuel. county, who testified that
real estate had been assessed on basis
Of so per cent of its actual value, was
asked whether he voted for such an assess
remember whether he had
Good Railroad witness.
good witness for the railroad was
James ]. Mcintosh Of Sidney, Cheyenne
county, who swore land i'm his county had
not been assessed at one-half OF its actual
value. Mr.. Mcintosh said he had noted
seventy-nine transfers and made other in
vestigations and he was positive that land
ii
too low. This was followed by the declara-
ton that stocks of merchandise were as
sessed at not more than 20 to 80 per cent
OF their value, and in answer to questions
by the attorney general he gave the names
OF number of firms that had been under
assessed. Among those he mentioned was
a. Pease & Sons, who. he said, carried a
stock Of goods worth about $4,000, and the
assessment on this he thought was not
more than 1000
j. c. Hudson was another Cheyenne
county man who said the assessment OF
land in that county was not more than 4t
TO 30 per cent Of its real value. When
asked regarding his own assessment Mr.
Hudson said he had not paid his taxes yet
and did not know what he had been as
sessed. though he had looked up a large
number of other cases.
A. TO Deuel. County.
II. M. johnson of Deuel. county testified
that land in his county had been assessed
at about 50 per cent of it's value, and s.
w. Boyd Of Dodge county. a member OF
the board Of supervisors, said land had
been assessed in his county at 70 to 80 per
cent of its value and he admitted his own
land was assessed at not more than "a
per cent of it's actual value.
c. F. Horner, real estate dealer OF
Lexington, Dawson county, swore that hill
land In his county had been assessed al
about 90 per cent of its value; best valley
land at s. to 70 per cent, and poor valley
land at 70 to 80 per cent of its value.
The hearing will be resumed Tuesday
morning, at which time the railroad COM
pany will put on a number of other wit.
nesses TO testify as to the value Of property
other than railroads.