Semi-weekly herald., 1908-10-22
he paragraph where the board moved

the records for the reason that the
records we're incomplete. misleading
and not a true statement of the pro
ceedings.
The true facts are as follows: The
representatives of the smelter did ap-
pear before the board and Mr.. Teal
went from property to property, from
land and improvements to land and
improvements. and showed by actual
figures that the property of the Amer
lean Smelling and Refining company
at Durango was assessed greatly in
excess of, and not in proportion to,
property Of any character in La Plata
county.
The law provides that a property
assessment shall be compared with
like or similar property in the county
but as there is no like or similar prop
erty in La Plata county then the as.
sessments made In other counties
against similar smelters were shown
Neither the comparison of any prop
Di y III La lhtd Souhiy
property in other counties disclosed
the fact that Coston had been a fair
impartial assessor, but rather a poll
tician of the smallest type who had
assessed some property very low while
to those to whom he had no friendly
feeling he made his assessment high,
while certain business houses he had
not assessed at all. He appeals to
the prejudice and passion OF the voter
by making the claim that a corporation
should be assessed high and private
individual low, in violation OF his oath
OF office wherein he swears to treat
every one impartially In making his
assessment.
What do you think of an assessor
who SO far forgets his oath of office
and "overlooks" the placing of any
assessment against certain saloons,
thereby showing discrimination in that
line OF business. When his attention
was called to this discrimination he
suavely stated that no man is perfect
and he must have overlooked them,
and yet these places were located on
the principal street Of Durango and he
not only passed them daily but sew
eral times each day
Certainly he is not perfect and yet
he tells you he is more perfect than
all other assessors in Colorado for
his assessment on the smelter here Is
far In excess of the assessments IN
other counties of like property whether
owned or not by the American Smeit-
ing and Refining company.
Now let US go into his examination
of Mr.. Teal as shown from the minutes
OF the board OF county commissioners.
Coston states that he asked Mr. Teal
how many tons of ore were treated;
what the profit was per ton; the
amount of the capital stock. etc. Did
he ask him the value of the buildings;
cost to erect; how old they we're;
what II would cost to duplicate every
building at the smelter? Not at all.
Mr.. Voter. for he knew that If these
questions were asked and answered
this would show up the unfairness of
his position, and his attempted perse-
cution of the company.
Coston was asked as favor on the
occasion OF visit to the smelter to
give his estimate Of the value of one
building. After considering the mat
ter he gave his estimate at one-half of
what the smelter had listed the build
ing in their schedule returned to him
and he was SO informed and request
ed to estimate on all other buildings
but refused to do SO, preferring to
make an assessment in lump sum.
He asked how much the profit was
per ton. This was absolutely none of
his business as he knows. He knew
that there was no warrant of law
allowing him to ask this question. We
have not heard OF any business house
being asked questions along this line.
Have you? But the American Smelt-
ing and Refining company was SO Sc
lected and this, Mr.. Voter was only
done to make political capital, for as
a matter of fact Coston did not wish
to make fair assessment.
Mr.. Teal did inform Coston as to
the tonnage smelted and the values
but Mr.. Coston made no discrimination
between ore and charge, as tonnage
smelted includes ore, fuel and flux
1t was shown where Mr.. Coston was
wrong in his estimates both as to
tonnage and values but like his valua.
tion figures on improvements he pre-
ferred to take lump figures and re-
fused to take means to check them.
No mention was made In the min.
utes as to proof submitted in regard
to the correctness of the figures given
by Mr.. Teal therefor, on account of
the minutes being so one-sided and
having evidently been written for fu.
ture partisan use and not giving tho
facts or a true report of the proceed
ings, such minutes were ordered to be
expugned from the records.
In the matter of cash In bank II was
explained that while the books of the