The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1908-05-02
All Counties Must Assess Credits

preme court as to the consttutionality of the act
will be followed
Both Commissioners J. E. Frost and T. D. Rock
we'll admit that the course suggested is the wisest
one under the conditions that have arisen. Both
profess to have forseen the present complications
and to have advised the legislature against the
passage of the act. The bill was strongly favored
by j. H. Easterday, the third member of the tax
commission, however, and its passage was urged
by the bankers and some of the larger newspapers.
When the bill was up in the house, Judge M. M.
Goldman spoke for an hour and half pointing
out what he believed were unconstitutional features
and predicting disturbed conditions in the matter
of tax revenues for the state Cities counties and
school districts if the bill became law.
Following is the attorney generals instruction
to the state tax commission, sent April 18:
II deem it my duty to suggest to you and ad-
wise that your honorable board at once advise and
direct every county assessor in this state to list for
the purpose of assessment and taxation for the
year 1908, all moneys and credits situate in their
respective counties It is quite probable that the
several questions involved in the litigation referred
to above will be passed upon by our supreme court
before the time when it will be necessary to make
the several levies of taxes for the year 1908 In
case such questions shall be passed upon adversely
to the contentious of the plaintiffs in the several
actions now pending and referred to above, and in
case our supreme court should hold the provisions
of said chapter 48 of the session laws of 1907,
empting moneys and credits from taxation, to be
constitutional then the moneys and credits in
cuded in the assessors list may be omitted in foot
ing up the assessors rolls and not included in the
final levies. On the other hand, in case our su-
preme court should hold the provisions of said
opI ;%o
taxation, to be unconstitutional then the assess
ment and taxation officials of this state will have
taken the necessary steps to insure the proper
maintaining of our state, county, municipal and
school district governments during the year 1909"
This is the identical position taken by County
Attorney Rockford one year ago, and he so in
structed the county assessor in the presence of
witness. On March 16, this year, he found that the
assessor was not following this instruction, and
again instructed the assessor to make the full
assessment The attorney general wrote the
assessor and advised him to follow the ruling of
the county attorney. The assessor refused to do
so, and the case was taken into court where it
decided he must make this assessment. The courts
ruling was taken with considerable ill grace, and
several papers of the county claimed that the ac'
ton of the prosecuting attorney was simply polt-
ical move. But the fact that the county assessor
caused the county to pay $3.50 for his attorneys
fees, and by his wilfu delay for two weeks caused
the county to pay for that much extra work, looks
as though the political problem rested against him.
Some exception has been taken because the
county attorney did not to it from the first that
these credits were being assessed. But now come
the republican attorney general and the republican
state tax commission, four weeks after our county
attorney and instruct all assessors to make the full
assessment Who is shown up in the best light?
And who is it that deserves praise for seeing that
the law is enforced?
The whole matter resolves itself into the question
of whether or not Stevens county can afford to re-
tain an assessor who will neither follow the nstruc
ton of the county attorney nor the attorney gen.
eral but on the contrary will fatten the purse of
his political attorneys at the expense of the tax
payers, and this on proposition directly against
the interests of the people.
The county attorney who works for the interest
of the taxpayer must expect to be forever damned
by an official whom he is compelled to show up,
but when such matters as this are dragged into
politics. the official whose labors have been for the
public is likely to stand in better light than the
one who allows private interests to influence his
work.
AS it now stands, Stevens county is two weeks
ahead of other counties in the work of making the
full assessment, which means that this county is
saved the expense of two weeks work of all it's
assessors
Notice is hereby given that delegate conven-
ton of the democratic party of the state of Wash
ington is called to meet at Spokane, Washington,
on the 18th day of May, 1908, at II a. m, for the
purpose of electing ten delegates to represent this
state at the national convention to be held in the