Williams news., 1906-10-20

oot AeCS0l OS, Ae WoS ViiiOuSH my Ci forts, and my efforts alone, that the assessment was raised on said land from 2Oc to $2. 50 per acre, and made for this county nearly $1OO,OO0, and 1 refer anyone who doubts the above statement to J. c. Phelan of Williams and George Rabbit of Flagstaff, who were then members of the Board, and who are both democrats and truthful men. 1 was offered enough money to leave Flagstaff and live comfortable the balance of my life if 1 would only lay down and say nothing. While it was not my official duty to take any part in seeing that said lands were faxed at their value, l con- sidered that 1 owed the people of Coconino county something for the confidence they had placed in me and I did not accept, and the lands were assessed at $2.5O per acre and are today assessed and held and are on the assessment rolls at $5.OC per acre, put and held there by the much persecuted supervisors, Cam eron and Poison.
 When the Santa Fe Pacific Rail road Company, which was exempt from taxation by an act of con- gress, introduced a bill in congress asking authority to sell its railroad i to the Aichison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Co.,, I noticed an ac- count of said bill in Los Angeles paper, and called the board to- gether, and got their permission to take the matter up with our repre- sentative in congress, the Hon. M I A. Smith, and when 1 wired him, he replied that he did not know of the bill, and asked me to forward full information, which 1 did to the best of my ability, and through me, being awake to the interests of the people who employed me, and through the efforts of MT. Smith, after being woke up, we are now receiving each year from said rail- road that was exempt, $1S,665.5O, and 1 refer you to the same board of supervisors for the truth of this statement. When I first entered the employ of the people of Coco nino county, you did not have record of county business of any kind that would not make ! heathen blush with shame (and the records are still here for public inspection).
 It was 'Old Fatty" that started a new set for you, and has seen that they have been kept in an in- telligent way ever since. In this 1 also refer you to the same board of supervisors and to the public ex- aminer of Arizona, who stated to me that no county in Arizona has the records of the recorder and board of supervisors in as good shape as Coconino county.
 My prosecutors do not say that l om incompetent and 1 am proud of that, but they do say that no one can look at the records of my office. The people who have had business in my office can best answer that. It has never been too late at night or too early in the morning for me to get out of bed and go to my office to accommodate friends, enemies or strangers. Since I have been in office I have drawn up more papers for both rich and poor than all the lawyers in Coconino county, and l never yet have charged a man a penny for such work or for my no- tary acknowledgment or seal, and l thank God that there are hundreds in Coconino county who know it, and the work in my office is up to date and kept that way.
 One of my prosecutors, in his speech last Saturday night in the court room, said that the county treasurer, T. Devine, told him "that poor women shed tears when they paid the taxes assessed against them" I asked MT. Devine about his sta tannant tndau and ha said it