The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-10-29
THE TRUTH ABOUT TAXA
TON IN CHAvES COUNTY

subsequently adopted by the County
Commissioners, and that it is emf
nently fair is attested by the fact that
there has been less than half a doz- |
appeals to the Board from these /
valuations, although every taxpayer
has the right of appeal.
The Register-Tribune charges that
the little fellows, the homesteaders, |
pay the freight, and that the big fell
lows, presumably thereby meaning
the big cattle and land companies,
are evading their just proportion of
taxes. Now let US look at this.
The homesteaders pay no taxes
on government land, but
they do pay for their improvements,
and they themselves turn in these
improvements to the County Commits
sioners and swear to their correct
less. One Harry J.. Stewart, assessed
at 100000 is cited as one OF these ex-
amples of the poor man paying out
of proportion. Mr.. Stewart has a res
idence on his claim, is a married man
with a family and resides in this
same house. He also has a we'll and
windmill on the claim, and the entire
amount which he is assessed and to
the correctness of which he swear
is one hundred dollars. We believe
any fair-minded man will not claim
that Mr.. Stewart is unjustly assessed.
George w. Corr is another case ex-
actly similar, assessed at the great
sum of $50. And the other items cited
by the local Republican organ are
just as ridiculous.
The R. T. man holds up w. P. Lit
tlefield as n of the tax-evaders OF
the county. It charges that MI. Lit
tlefeld lives in Precinct No. II and
pays no taxes in this precinct. This
charge is simply a lie from beginning
to end. Mr.. Littlefie1d has not one red
cents worth of property of any des-
cription in Precinct No. IL. He lives
in Roswell with his family in his
Brothers house at 200 South Lea and
takes the Daily Record at that place.
The greater part Of Mr.. Littlefield's
property, to which the Register-Trib-
une man probably alludes, is in
Roosevelt county, just over the line,
and he is assessed for that property
in that county.
The Sheepman, the poor Republi-
can sheepman, is another abused indi-
vidual. Our Republican laws compel
thic NOR ohJSQa Individual RI aotll-
| ally count his sheep and then swear
to the return before the county as
SCISSOR, and then the assessor cruelty
proceeds to mark down $1.75 per head
opposite the number of sheep which
the much abused individual swears
he owns in the county. The r. T. man
must know that the Assessor is I'M
der oath to place the valuation he
does on the sheep urine in by the
owner. He is compelled to do so by
Republican Law.
The valuation placed on cattle,
horses, sheep, hogs, ETC., is set by the
Territorial Board of Equalization, a
Republican Board, as shown in the
extract above given, and the SCISSOR
or County Commissioners must adj
here to this schedule. 1t is obligatory
upon them to do so. The stockman
appears before the Assessor and
swears that he owns so many head
of stock, the value set by the Repub-
lican Board of Equalization is placed
opposite the number turned in and
upon this valuation he is assessed.
The law says that the various kinds
of lands must be assessed at not less
than the rates given in the schedule
in the beginning of this article. The
County Commissioners may raise this
valuation, but they must not lower
it. Now then.
There is not a single county or a
single district in the Territory of New
Mexico, according to the reports of
the Territory, in which this schedule
has been raised. In this county the
lands in the southern part of the
county are assessed slightly lower
than those in the vicinity of Roswell,
and this is just, as they are worth
less. The County Commissioners have
set as the dividing line a point his
side of h Park This side of