, 1907-01-17
WHO WILL THE MOSES BE?

The Wyoming Tribune is of the opin
ion that the man who is able to draft 9
bill that will cause an equal assess
ment to be made will meet with the
universal commentator of the general
public. The Tribune is right, but who
Is the Moses that can give us such a
law?
Under the present assessment law
inequalities are the rule and fair deal
ing the exception. No two counties
assess property the same. save those
classes of property valued and assess.
ed by the state board of equalization
Lands are decidedly unequal. In Big
Horn county farm lands are valued
away above farm lands in Laramie
county. The average of h lands in
Laramie county Is only a little in ex
cess Of 81 per acre. or course this !:
that Laramie county has more titleC
grazing lands h Big Horn county
but the fact remains that the highest
valuation in Laramie county does not
90 above SIS per acre. Some of the Lar.
annie county anus, too, are held by
their owners as high as $75 per acre.
All the lands in the vicinity of Wheat
land, nov considered the best farming
community in Laramie county, are as.
sessed at not to exceed So per acre,
and the raw prairie land with water
rights is being sold for more than $50
Per acre.
There are other inequalities more
striking and more unjust than the diff,
ference between the counties in the
valuation of the lands. For instance,
Albany county has three times the val
lie in musical instruments Laramie
county has, and yet there is none who
would say our people are more musical
ly inclined than the talented people
of our capital city. Again, Fremont
county returns in moneys and credits
the sum of s223,339, and Laramie coun.
~, the richest county in the state and
a county having or deposit in its banks
approximately $4,000, 900, makes a re-
turn of moneys and credits to the
amount Of S25, 1896. 1t is hard to ex.
plain just how these things occur. No
one believes that the people of Lara.
mic county as a class are less honor. |
able in making returns for assessment
purposes than the people of Fremont,
and yet great discrepancies like those
cited exist.
A bill has been introduced providing |
an assessor for each school district.
A multiplication of officers will not af.
feet a remedy. We have too many as,
SCISSORS now. A better plan would be
to have one assessor for each county |
and have him on duty all the time
There is no reason why there should be
a separate assessment for cities. AS
SCISSORS should be paid a stated salary |
per month and should be required to
keep a set of books that would at all
times be a comprehensive record OF
the property of the county. Another
thing, there should be only one collec
ton Of taxes. There is M reason IN.
der the III for having both a county
and city tax collector. When a taxpay
er pay his taxes for the year. Que re-
ought to be sufficient for county,
city n school district purposes. There
are too many Offices, too much red tape
and the expense of levying and collect
ing the revenues is altogether too
high. AS compared with the expense
of collecting the same amount of mon
ey through a business house, the pub.
lie makes a showing that is astounding
An officer holding an important pc.
sition like that of assoss1r should b,
elected by the people, to whom re is
accountable for the proper performance
of his duties.
Possibly some member of the pres
ent legislature. hard as the Job is, may
evolve a law that would be infinitely
better than the one We now have.