The Butler weekly times., 1910-11-03

His Speech at 0sceOla on Saturday,
Sept. 22nd, Condemned the Policy of
Governor Hadley to Thribble the
Assessment of Real Estate and Per-
sOnal Property and Thereby Thrib.
Bile the Amount of the Taxes of Ev-
cry Property Owner in the State.
The following extract is taken from
the speech of Elliott w. Major, Attor-
ney-General, at 0sceola, in discuss
ing the position of Governor Hadley
on the matter of increasing the taxes
of the people of the State. After dis
cussing national issues at length Gen.
eral Major said:
Governor Hadley, realizing that his
party has failed to keep faith with the
people on its promise to revise the
tariff downward and realizing that
the rank and file of his party have
been and are denouncing the Aldrich
tariff bill, uses every artifice and sub
terfuge to avoid any discussion of ma
tional questions. He asks the people
of the State to vote for Republican
representatives and senators in order
that they may come to Jefferson City
and help him carry out his policies.
Let me enumerate to you what his
policies are so you may determine
whether or not you are for or against
them.
|. When the State Board of Equal
ization was organized last year he as
sumed that the properties.of the State
were assessed at a third of their true
value. Acting on this assumption he
then voted to thribble the assessment
of the real estate and personal prop
erty in all the counties and cities of
the State. If your tax was S25, under
his policy it would then become SIS.
Your tax to-day would be three times
as great as il is had it not been for the
votes of the Democratic members OF
the Board. In consonance with his
assumption as to the assessment of
properties he offered the following
resolution:
THAT the true value in money of
each class of property as the same is
returned to this Board for Equaliza-
ton in each county be ascertained by
this Board; that this true value in
money of each class of property in
each county be set aside in a tabula-
ton to be prepared, and that where
the value of any of the classes OF
property in any of the counties as re-
turned to this Board, is less than its
true cash value, that such per centum
of its true value be added thereto by
this Board as will make its assessed
value as equalized by this Board,
equal to its true value in money, so
that all classes of property in all the
counties will be and is hereby equal
lied and assessed on a basis of its
true value in money"
He voted for the adoption of this
resolution, and it was defeated by the
votes of the Democrats upon the
Board. The Governor will not deny
this, because the record over his own
signature proves the fact and was
present and speak from personal
knowledge. When the State Board
equalizes and places the valuation up
on the various classes of property,
the local boards are powerless to re-
duce the same.
2. The Governor after failing in
the adoption of his resolution then
specifically voted to increase the as
sessment of the property OF St. Clair
county twenty per centand from ten to
twenty per cent in Henry, Johnson,
Dade, Vernon, Morgan and many 9th
er counties in the State. He was de-
feated in this policy also by the votes
the Democratic members of the
Board. This the Governor will not
deny, because the record so shows.
3. Next, in a speech before the
State Assessors Association at JEFF
ferson City last year he informed
them he would sign the bill increas-
ing their pay or emoluments, but
gave the assessors to understand if he .
did they must earn the increased pay
by increasing the assessment of the .
of the State. In Jasper
county the assessor in carrying out
the Governors policy doubled the
former assessment of the properties
of the county. The Democratic men,
bers of the State Board of Equaliza-
ton promptly cut the assessment in
two in order that so great a wrong
and injustice might not be done the /
,oopla of tnat county An eyamiua-