Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-02
no FACTS ON ASSESSMENTS
Governor Mickey Continues 70 DOdEs Direct
Answer 70 Question.
MILLER SAYS He KNOWS, But WON'T TELL
So Far ss Getting ~ Facts IN Eegard
TO Valuation OF Omaha Mer-
chandiss stocks Hearing
Proves n Farce.
oFrom a star corresnondsnt.,

CFrom a stan Correspondent)
LINCOLN, Aug. i.-(speciai) with a
iargely-increased audience and a greater
amount Of interest manifested, the second
aetp OF the spectacular performance, begun
yesterday. being pulled of before the State
Board OF Equallzatior occurred today
County Attorney Moseley, County Assessor
Miller, J. +. Miller Of Miller & Paine and
J. c. Harpham, with Deputy County At
tor.ssy TyrreH as spokesman. represented
Lancaster county, while H. ID. Reed. county
assessor, w G. TIRE and NJ o. Kennard,
county commissioners Of Douglas county.
went on the stand for Douglas county.
Attorneys II. H. Baldrige. J. A. c. Ken
nedy and Frank Gaines did the talking for
Douglas county when Harry Reed didn't
have the floor,
No evidence was introduced to show that
Omaha merchants were under assessed. the
protestants devotlng their time to trying to
make the board believe Assessor Reed had
failed 20 follow instructions In making up
his assessment.
j.. E.. Miller. WHO has been foremost In
getting the protest nled testified that he
had information that Omaha merchants
were under assessed, but when he was asked
by Mr.. Gaines the source OF his informa-
ton Mr.. Miller refused to give IT, Gaines
stricken from the records
Probably the most dramatic feature OF
the performance was the statement by Gov
ernor Mickey that his assertion that a let
ter had been received in Lincoln that
County Assessor Reed had been fixed, was
based on what Mr. Miller had told him
And in the presence Of some Of the people
who heard the statements from the two men
yesterday, Governor Mickey said:
Il think Mr.. Miller verified my statement
before this board yesterday"
In his statement yesterday Mr.. Miller
emphatcally denied he had told Governor
Mickey the letter said Reed had been
fixed"
Mickey AddresSeA Board.
Governor Mickey addressed the board
Just after the curtain went up in substance
as follows:
when went into Mr.. Miller's store he
and began to discuss the assessment Of
merchandise Mr.. Miller tried to find the
letter he bad received from Omaha. but
could not lncatA II, so he told what II con-
ta'ncd. made my statement on what Mr.
Miller told me yesterday. I think Mr.. Mil
Ter is a truthful man and he, think. veri-
ned my statement when he was on the
stand"
'N'is iioNs BpNNiiOIs SinCH you nave Tead
the letter" interrupted Mr.. Baidrige. you
wouldn't say there is any inference in II
upon which you could base your charge,
would your"
II hased my statement on what Mr. Mil
Ter told me-" answered the governor
"Rut you have the letter now and don't
Won think you have done Mr.. Reed a griev-
Gus wrong? Won't you correct your state.
meH' now?' asked Gaines.
4 got my inference from a conversation
With sfr J. E. Miller" again answered the
governor.
We'll. ! don't care anything about any
statement the governor made about me. OF
"nHhipe that was printed about me this
nlorffhs.' ehined in Harry Reed. ut makes
no difference TO me-"
Well. all I want to do Is to contradict
thet statement in The Bee this morning.
said the governor, with some heat. e"
fave not associated with The Bee Ions
enough 90 learn its lodging ways as /
dodTes on almost everything but l want 4
say | didn't dodge and neither did gig
back. No, sir. ! stand by my statemen
and while The Bee correspondent is here
want to contradict that statement. didn'
dodge. no sir"
Again Mr.. Baldrige called the governor
attention to the letter written by Mr.. Baul
and again asked him to retract his state
ment that the letter had said Assessor Rec
had been fixed" Again and again how
ever, the governor refused to gig bac
on his charge, laying all the blame on
conversation with Mr.. j. z. Miller
Reed Tells of Assessment.
After the mimic battle was over and n
blood was shed, County Assessor Reed wa
Questioned by Attorney Tyrrell. Mr.. Rec
told in some instances his deputies ha
been refused insurance policies and invoice
by merchants but in these instances II
assessment had been made usually aboI
twice as high as that returned by the mel
chant. Where the invoices were show