Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-03
BEN WARD IS
ON TRAIL OF
THE TAXPAYER
Issues instructions
and Advice
Terror to DlssembIers Writes Humor-
Gus Letter to His Friends the
corporations-Urges Them
to Avoid Punotures

Ben Wards gobbleuns I'll get you
II you don't watch out. Take your
Jewels and property and hide them or
throw them away. Put your pianos
under the bed and let your automobiles
hide in waste baskets, for the assessor
and his men are about to emerge from
their den of assessation In the court
house and sweep down upon the popu-
lace, placing just awful values on pal
try objects.
Up in the front room of the second
floor of the county court house Asses
sor Ben Ward is dancing a war dance
on the figurative neck of corporations
and is figuratively singing the first
stanzas of a pean of victory.
Ward is tickling himself into the en-
Joyment Of the process about to begin.
When he was mentioned as candidate
for the assessorship for another term
last season the corporations put their
labor stained f1gurative hands down
into their flgurative pockets and drew
out great iron dollars, which were not
flgurative, and tried to do things to
Ward.
Looked Good to the Mons
They thought Of the way Ward had
outwitted them by his knowledge of the
ownings of corporations, even when
complaints had been made to the board
of equalization and with every think
of that experience they drew out more
shekels to bet that Ward would not
win. They laughed to themselves as
they dreamed Of the day when they
could look over the wall into the gar
den of politics and see Ward picking
citrus fruit of the lemon variety and
thinking of the days when he once was
great.
When the Republican party said
"Nuh" to Ward when he was nosing
around to find out whether or not
some one was going to elect him he
thought of an old song of Fifteen
men on a dead mans chest" and he
went over to the non-partisan party
and asked them how he looked from
anywhere down in the front of the
house.
They told him he looked as good as he
could expect to under the circumstances
and they put him on the ticket and he
was elected.
1t Will Only Be the Assessor
Monday 1t will be the corporations
turn to pick lemons in the garden of
love, and Ward will be present with the
tally sheet to see that they don't over
look any.
Yesterday Ward announced that the
slaughter of the innocents would begin
Monday and that his men would take
the field then. If a "sneaky, Shiny
looking man comes to your home dur
chance that he is a deputy assessor
for such he is bound to be- All deputy
assessors according to the definition
of the lady of the house." are sneaky
looking men.
If you have a $4,000 home tell the
deputy that it cost you only $500; that
lumber was cheap when the house was
built. Tell him anything 1t may take
and If it doesn't you haven't lost any
thing by it.
But those are not the instructions is
sued from the assessors office. Here
are a few of Ben Wards words of ad-
vice to those about to suffer mazumati-
cal amputation:
Ben Gives Good Advice
"As most people are aware tomor-
rom is the first Monday in March, the
day provided by law for the assessment
season to open. At IL o'clock Ben E.
Ward, county assessor, will turn loose
upon the community ninety field men
to make the assessment for 1907-S.
Treat them like men and you will re-
ceive similar treatment in return.
Statements will be asked for. Please
reply to this request at once and save
time for the Office. We need it. The
work has grown to such proportions
that much money can be saved by
prompt attention to this duty on the
part of the taxpayer.
"The law says you must file q state
ment of all your asSessable property.
Do this and avoid an arbitrary assess
I4ent on the part of the deputy or the
assessor himself. We will make it If
we have to, and you can feel safe that
1T will be made high enough when we
do make it.
I'VE cannot use the records for this
assessment, and if you want your prop
erty assessed to you on the rolls you
must make return to the assessor 1t
will save you time and expense. Turn
in all your property-not just a part
of 1t.
Careful About Your AutoI
make a just return of all personal
property. If you have jewelry horses,
etc, say SO. If you have money in
the bank, say so. If a term deposit
in savings bank it is not taxable; any
other account is. Don't claim an offset
as against solvent debts due you in
debtedness on your part, when said in
debtedness is secured-for instance, in
case of your having mortgage or like
debt, you cannot under the law, de-
duct secured debts from solvent cred
it's, money, ETC., due you. Remember
this. Don't put your matinee horses at
plug prices.
If you have an automobile, say so,
and at the same time don't claim it is
an '03 model when ii is of later date; (;
also turn II in at a fair value, l. e., at
80 per cent of it's first price less 20 per
cent for each year, viz: 1907 cost less
30 per cent, 1906, so per cent less 20
per cent; 1905, 30 per cent less 20 per