Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-03
DOUGLAS VALUATION STANDS
State Board Of Equalization Unanimously
Votes Down Plea Of Lancaster,
STATE LEVY IS FIXED At SEVEN MILLS
Total Assessed Valuation of the
various Counties shows Increase
of About Nine Million
Dollars
CFrom a STAFF Correspondent

LINCOLN. Aug. 2.-(special) )-The state
Board Of Equalization this morning tabled
the protest filed by Assessor Miller Ct
Lancaster county against the assessment
Of Omaha merchandise, voted down mo-
tion by Land Commissioner Eaton to re-
duce Lancaster county merchandise per
cont and fixed the total levy at Z mills, the
same as last year. The levy is divided as
follows: General fund. Az mills; school
levy, y mill; university. 1 mill; redemp-
tion fund. ! mill. The total state assess
ment will be practically Sl3,OA, 1862, an
increase over the assessment OF last year
of Ss.613. .46417 1t will be probably tomnr-
row before the secretary will be able to
figure up the changes and announce 'he
exact figures. No assessment was changed.
however, except in the matter OF horses
cattle and mules in a few counties. on
the Lancaster protest the board voted
unanimously to table the matter, while or
the motion 10 reduce Lancaster county
merchandise the vote stood: Mortenscn
and Eaton for the motion and Searle,
Galusha and Mickey against II.
A whole lot OF horse play was INDUCED
in before the final votes were taken. It
developing during the discussion that Ian
caster county was much more interested
in getting a reduction than in boosting
Omaha merchandise. The kick on Omaha
was merely the means to an end. Even
before the vote on the matter was taken
Assessor Miller. who died in the ditch for
his constituents, told the board II II could
not raise Omaha, then to lower Lancas-
ter even though he had protested against
any reduction before his County Board
of Equalization.
The fake reform newspapers who put
Assessor Miller up to kicking on Omaha
and who boosted the game as long as II
could be worked for political reasons, de-
serted him at the showdown and only
two Lincoln merchants helped him out.
These were ]. f. Miller, who refused to
ask for a reduction at the hands of his
home board when he knew he could get
It, and J. c. Harpham. The Journal News
combination failed to appear to substanti-
ate the assessment fakes they published
during the county compaign here leaving
the entire burden on the shoulders o!
County Assessor Miller. who took the mat.
! ter seriously.
Mickey Sees q Light.
In the discussion this morning Governor
Mickey said: Since the statement has
been made here that Omaha merchandise
is assessed at one-fourth of the merchan
disc of the entire state, have been study
I ing that proposition very seriously anC
| last night / had conviction Omaha mer
| chandise, compered with the rest OF tht
| state must be assessed at a pretty stiff
| figure Therefore I cannot see my wa,
clear to vote FOR an increase In the Omaht
Assessment" s.-.,, ,..-
! The board discussed with Assessor Mile
| at length the testimony of yesterday, anC
though the latter said he was certain
| Omaha merchandise was assessed too low
! he failed to produce any evidence to tina
! effect He even went so far as to sa,
| the Lancaster county board would tall,
| care of the Lincoln merchants next year
! In answer to questions It was admitte,
| by Miller that the Lincoln merchants ha,
| gone before the Lancaster board and hai
secured liberal reductions merely becaus
! they told the local board Omaha was un
| der-assessed. He did not think the Law
| had been violated by these fake artist
down here when such action was done
He admitted that practically 100000 wa
| Topped off of his assessment by the boar
| because of the stories of the fake re
formers regarding the Omaha assessment.
Assessment of Various Counties
The following table shows the assessmen
! of each county for 1895 and 1906 the in
crease being almost as estimated by Secre
tary Bennett upon the receipt of the frs
few counties, when he asserted the in
crease would be 100000