Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1908-05-28
Mr.. COssOn's Reply

intention to retain my residence in Au-
dubOn, and that | still kept my inter-
est in the law firm at Audubon. | have
been renting a house in Des MOines,
own no property there, have no inter
ests there, have never voted there but,
on the other hand, have all my inter
ests in Audubon, have always claimed |
this as my home, have consistently re-
tanned my residence here, and am still |
engaged in the law business here If |
this issnOt my residence then | have |
no residence and am worse off than |
the man without a country.
In regard to the assessment of m Y |
personal property, | have only done !
as the law provides.
SECTION 1913 of the Code reads as |
follows: personal property not con- !
sisting of moneys aud credits, which !
has been kept in another assessment !
district during the greater part of the |
year preceding the first of January, |
shall be taxed where so kept"
My household goods had been kept |
| in Des MOines the greater part of last |
| year, and the assessor there, against |
my protest, however, assessed my /
| household goods. He was only doing |
| his duty and was following the law. /
| did not sign the assessment roll but /.
claimed to him that my residence was /
! in Audubon. Later, l came to Audu- /
| bon and had a talk with George Ellis. /
Assessor, regarding the matter. The I
| following is an affidavit ! have in my
| possession signed by MIR. Ellis, and /
| which MIR. Ellis has voluntarily Civ |
en-. since the date OF the one obtained /
! by Mr.. Elliott and MIR. Griggs where !
| in Mr.. Ellis was made to say things !
which he did not mean:
STATE OF IOWA,
AUDUBON COUNTY, % 4
|, G.. w. Ellis, on oath depose and |
say that am and have been for over
five years last past the Assessor of !
Audubon, Iowa, that during the month
of March, 1908, saw George Cosson
in frOne of Buthweg and Hansen's
IclOthing store and heard him say that
he was still a resident of Audubon
county. then hadmy assessors books
with me and said to COsson Step
in the store and | will assess you" AS
we went in COssOn said that he had
already been assessed in Des MOines;
that the assessor had called at his
house when he was away and that his
wife had signed the assessment roll. |
said to CossOn if this is so that would
! d.
pear before the Board Of Review and
get it taken off. COssOn said that the
assessor chad been there before and
taken list of all his property; that
he did not sign the assessment roll but
told the assessor he was a resident of
Audubon county, and2wOuld take the
matter up with the iprOper authorities;
that Git was his intention to list his
property for taxation in Audubon
county.
With reference to the poll tax Co.'S
son told me he would see about it and
let me know. | made no assessment of
the said Cosson. have made an affi-
davit before that did not assess the
said COssOn, and it may be that said
affidavit does not include all that was
said between the said Cosson and
myself. G. w. ELLIS
Subscribed and sworn to before me
and in my presence this Seventh day
May, 1908. JOE H. Ross,
Notary Public.
want to call attention to the fact
that Mr.. Ellis does not say that | re-
fused to be assessed, as Mr.. Elliott
causes him to saw; button the contrary
| was insisting on being assessed here.
| would further state that my poll tax
for the year l90Swas paid in Audubon,
and that | have paid taxes upon every
dollar possess subject to taxation.
Now, if the contention of Mr.. Eli
OFT is correct, then nearly all of the
state officers, and Senator Allison, do /
not reside in the counties where they
claim their residence. Senator ALI |
son has lived in Washington for |
nearly forty years; MIR. Carroll has |
lived in Des Moines since he held state |
office, owns his home, and his house |
hold goods are assessed there, yet
his residence is in Davis county, as
you will see upon the official ballot |
The same is true of Attorney-General i
Byers and Lieutenant-Gove GarStl
and have never heard OF any one |
unless it be my distinguished oppo- |
neut, who claims that they have not |
followed the law are not residents of |
their respective counties. If his posi- /
ton is correct then no state officer |
could ever serve more than one term |
without losing his residence. To refer |
| to local instances: The Sheriff, MIR. /
! Northup, has retained his residence
in Cameron township although living
with his family in Audubon, and Mr.. I
| Henry Herbert, who holds a position
| in Washington, has only to hang up
his hat. in the Park Hotel before cleo
tion and no one questions his residence
here, for he has none other. The
whole thing is an effort on the part of
my opponent to gain votes by mere
pretense, and he knows there is not
reputable lawyer in the state who
would make such claim, and chal-
lenge him to bring legal proceedings
to test the truth of his proposition.
He knows better than to do this, but
goes about the country hoping to de-
ceive people who only hear one side
of the story. have never had dol