Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-20
SENATOR CLARK'S
UNITED vEOE NINE
he Appears Before House Com
mittee on Territories and
Makes Statement.
ABOUT TAX ON HIS PROPERTY.
Denies that It Escapes Assessment
Fact Being lie Pays Taxes on
Si,200,OO0 Valuation.

Washington. Jan. Ex-senator w. A.
Clark OF Montana appeared before the
house committee on territories today
and made statement concerning the
tax assessment on the United Verde
copper mine at Jerome, Aris., which
had been mentioned frequently In the
joint statehood hearing as one Of the
great mining properties alleged 10 be
escaping taxation under the present
territorial organization.
Representative Hamilton, chairman
of the committee. said there was no de-
sire on the part Of the committee TO
question United States senator. but
Representative Moon Of Tennessee in
terjected,
Il would just as soon question a
United States senator an anybody else
q he knew anything | want to know"
Mr.. Moon then explained that the
charge had been made or unjust ana
corrupt taxation OF the United Verde
property, and asked Senator Clark to
make u statement
Senator Clark explained that he was
the chief owner OF the mine IN ques-
ton. and said he had always paid the
full tax levied, except one time. when
the tax was contested because II was
thought to be unjust He said he was
not fully prepared TO make a detailed
statement. but thought his company
was paying taxes on about zoe coo as
sessed against the improvements and
personal property It owned. This rep
resented an assessment, he said, larger
than some properties pay in Montana
or any other state he pays taxes in.
Senator Clark refuted newspaper
statements that the mine was worth
more than 500, 000 600. lie said they
were mere guesses AS to the amount Of
ore yet unlocked, and absolutely un-
reliable.
II defy any one TO estimate accu-
rately the value of the mine" said
Senator Clark "The eye cannot reach
beyond the ground. and ore which
seems to be in inexhaustible quanti-
ties may play out at any time"
Chairman Hamilton read newspaper
clippings In which senator Clark was
quoted as saying he had rejected an Of
fer OF $25,O00,000 for the United Verde
mine. Senator Clark denied the quo
tation, and said he had never offered
10 sell the property and had never had
any offer for It,
William II. Andrews, delegate to
Congress from New Mexico, appeared
before the house committee on terri
tories today at Its hearing on joint
statehood. He said although there IL
some opposition in New Mexico to joint
statehood. he believed the proposition
would carry BY n good vote II submitted
10 the people. New Mexico would pre-
fer single statehood. but would rathe
have Joint statehood Than remain GU
OF the Union.
A. j. Doran of Prescott Ariz. arguel
against joint statehood.
In an impassioned speech Eugene
O'NelI declared that the committee wa
acting as Judge, jury and prosecuting
attorney IN advocating the Joint state
hood BILL and characterized as a crim'
the way the hearing was conducted.
Democratic members of the commit
tee agreed with Mr. ONell and encour
aged him in continuing a speech which
threw the committee into an uproar,
Other Arizonans who spoke were r
6. Goodrich, Phoenix. n. s. Georg,
French. Nogales. and Il, S, Campbell
Prescott.
Chairman Hamilton today lntmatet
that the joint statehood bill might b.
reported by the committee on Monday