Semi-weekly herald., 1908-11-02
guess work?

guess work?
Is 1t not a matter of fact that where
improvements have been put in TIM,
the Improvements have taken ~ /
place of antiquated methods and thar
you are now trying to assess ho,b
that which was and that which is9
Again we ask you, dare you take
the buildings, the machinery and every
holding of the company and place
valuation on them, item by item and
show these figures to the taxpayer and
voter?
You once guessed half value on ono
OF the buildings at the smelter and
you have never guessed again until
your article in the paper where Won
guessed that it cost a million for the
smelter and a million for improve.
ments and you knew that you quoted
these figures simply to mislead tbs
voter, did you not?
Don't you know that If million
mad been spent in improvements as
stated by you, that Durango would
| have smelter at least four times az
large as any other smelter in the state
o! entire country?
Is it not a fact that the smelt6r at
| Salida is only assessed at S234,55O
and it has been built only four years:
that 1t has five new improved furnaces
which handle twice as much ore as the
old furnaces do at the Durango smell
| ter?
| Is 1t not fact that during the last
Hopkins term of office that there
was a Democratic board of county
commissioners to raise his valuations
If they were wrong?
If Hopkins comedies that he was
wrong in assessing the property IN
La Plata county too high his last
term of office, is he not more honor.
able than you while you stick to your
high valuation and send $4,000 a
year too much to Denver?
Is it not a matter of fact that Pue-
BILE county's percentage of values is
lower than those of La Plata county?
Is it not true that you have not de
Quoted the value of suburban prop
erty in quoting the Pueblo valuation
and this, and this alone raises theIf
acreage valuation above that of La
Plata county?
Is it not true that Jefferson, AfGus
and Arapahoe counties join onto Den.
yer county and city and that their su.
burban property brings these valua.
tions above La Plata county, and that
alone makes the difference?
Is 1t not true that Fremont and
Boulder county lands are used prin
cipally for orchard and fruit raising
and that their land will sell for fcom
$1,000 to $4,000 per acre?
Is 1t not true that every county
that you mentioned has a lower per.
centage valuation than has La Plata
county?
Is it not true that Pueblo and FL
Paso county have large herds of blood
ed cattle kept for dairy purposes only
, and that this brings up the value OF
cattle in these counties?
Is not this same thing true in regard
to Douglas and Jefferson counties and
that the milk and cream and butter
is sent into Denver and hence Stheir
high valuations?
Is it not true that in every county
that you have mentioned except Mon
tezuma county, that cattle are Yverth
, from 50 to SO more head on'account
of their proximity to the market and
, the lower freight rates?
Did you know all of these nine years
that you would have this lawsuit with
the smelter in 1907 and that is The
reason you failed to pay these taxes
when due?
The 1898 taxes have been due for
eight years, did you fail to pay Them
for the same reason?
a Is it not true that you have always
, turned in your own property at the
very lowest figure, that you have then
attempted to dodge the taxes?
a1-N