Graham guardian., 1906-06-08
COMING UP
From The Oasis:

Over in Graham county the
great mining companies have be-
gun to absorb into their conscious
ness a bit of the fear of God, and
this year have returned voluntari-
ly assessments upon their vast
properties that are not so ridicu-
lously low as those they have here
totore rendered, There is yet
great room for Improvement, but
that now accomplished will be a
great help in easing the burden of
taxation upon small property hold
ers; and it may prove an advanced
point from which the people may
move forward to another raise in
the valuation of those great and
notorious tax shirkers. 1t is stated
that the Arizona Copper Com
pany has voluntarily rendered an
assessment of two million dollars
upon properties heretofore assessed
at few hundred thousand, and
that the Detroit and Shannon Cop
per Companies have also made
liberal advances upon former re-
turns for taxation. That is be-
ginning, With that the people
will have to te contented for q
time. But the great copper min
ing properties in Graham county
ought to be assessed for at least
seven millions of dollars. What
the Copper Queen and other great
copper mining corporations in
Cochise county have done about
their assessments has not been
made public yet, butupon the very
defence of the Copper Queen com.
pany, when it fought in the courts
a raise in assessments made by the
county board, it is estopped from
doing anything but raising It's
assessments to at least three mil
lions of dollars. 1t instauced the
low assessments of the Graham
county mines, and maintained that
to sustain the county board would
be unequal taxation, and therefore
unconstitutional. The lower court
sustained the corporation, but was
reversed on appeal. But that very
decision set back the cause of tax
reform about three years. At the
time the decision was rendered
The Oasis criticised it severely, and
the judge and his friends were
greatly incensed at the temerty of
the newspaper in doing so. "But
that IS another story" to quote a
popular saying. The point is that
now the Arizona Copper Company
returns an assessn. ent of two mil.
lion dollars, the Copper Queen
Company cannot decry an assess
ment of three million dollars as
unequal and unconstitutional,
The voluntary advance made in
assessments by the great mining
corporations is due to the vigorous
campaign made by Governor Kib.
hey and the territorial board Of
equalization, last year. OF that
there is no doubt. All credit is
due the chief executive for his
stand in that particular. But The
Oasis then opposed, and yet op-
poses. the inOrdinate advances
made by the territorial board upon
non producing patented mines,
The assessments decreed by that
board upon some Of those prop
critics were actual oonfscation.
The Oasis said so at the time, and
1T continues yet in that belief,
With the effort now in hand, with
full sanction of the administration,
to bring to just assessment the
valuable producing unpatented
mines, The Oasis is IN accord most
heartily. Santa Cruz county
seems to the first battle ground in
that movement, and the assess
ment put by Sheriff Charles l..
Fowler lex officio assessor and col
leotor oftaxes, upon personal prop.
ertyy upon the great Worlds Fair
mine, is the point at which the
issue will be tried The Worlds
Fair is an unpatented mine, and
because the United States has not
parted with the fee simple to the
property its owners have always
evaded taxation. Yet their posses
sion is one which they can convey,