Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-10-21
MAYOR SHOULD TELL ALL
LETTER GIVES PART OF TRUTH,
BUT NOT ALL OF 1T.
Observer VIII Supply Missing Figures
by Printing City Recorders
Certified Statement.

Glancing over the pages Of the Inde
Ipendence Enterprise, our attention Ii
attracted by a column of argumen
for a continuation of dry rule IL
Polk County. This is the column IL
which it is asserted that "men ar'
coming from wet cities to work in tn,
Dallas mills in order to get the pro
lection from liquor afforded them il
dry towns" AS this mis-statement o.
fact has been effectually squelched BY
Manager Gerlinger, of the Dallas
mills, we will not refer to it further
Reading on down the column, We
come to signed statement by DR.. j
p. Wallace, Mayor of Albany, telling
of desirable conditions in his town
This statement bears no date, bu
somehow it has a familiar sound. L
reads very much like the statement
that was used by the dry" forces ir
the campaign two years ago until il
was worn slick" However, we are
mot certain about it, SO we will reprint
it and see if any of our readers rec
ognize it: 1t reads as follows:
"The building activity has beer
much greater since our city went dry
The closing of the saloons has not re-
tarded in the least the growth or de-
velopment of our city. We have paved
with bithullthic pavement fourteen
blocks of our streets, and have under
contract nine more. We have also laid
about eight or ten miles of cement
walk since we went dry. The tax rate
before the closing of the saloon was
eight mills. We were then receiving
$4,000 for saloon license, but the mu-
nicipality was then running behind
and our public debt was increasing.
Since the saloons are closed, we have
raised our assessment values, and
have put our tax rate at six, seven and
eight mills respectively each year, but
we have also paid all running expenses
and applied $4,000 to the reduction of
our public debt, and this year we will
spend at least $4,000 in public i'm
proVements
(Signed) DR.. ]. p. Wallace,
Mayor of Albany"
At first glance, this would seem a
statement. But when one
all facts connected with
taxation in Albany, there is nothing
about it. Desiring to as
certain the true conditions for him
readers in return, the editor of the
Observer wrote to Albany the first of
the week for information. Last night
he received a sworn statement from
the Recorder of that city, setting forth
the figures as shown by the city rec
ords. This statement shows that DR..
Wallace did not give all Of the facts in
his rather peculiar letter. 1t shows
that he did not say anything about an
S-mill levy raising $9O62 in 1905 and
the same levy raising $23,S63 in 1909.
But let us give the Recorders sworn
statement:
Recorders Certified Statement.
albany, Or, Oct. 10, 1910.
''This is to certify to all whom 1t may
concern, that the assessed valuation of
all property in the City of Albany,
Oregon, as per the assessment roll for
the year 1906 is $1,131,530; tax 8
mills.
1.-The assessment roll for the year
1906 is $2,568,620; tax mills
1.-The assessment roll for the year
1907 is $2,602,110 tax Z mills.
''The assessment roll for the year
1908 is $2,722,94O; tax mills.
''The assessment roll for the year
1909 is $2,9S2 900; tax s mills.
an witness whereof have hereunto
set my hand and the seal of the City
Of Albany, affixed this 18th day of
October, A. d. 1910.
(Seal) f. M. REDFIELD,
Recorder of the City of Albany"
There you have 1t complete. An s.
mill levy in 1905, Ga wet year, raised
b9O62, while an S-mill levy in 1909
'aised the enormous sum of $23,S63.
IN other words, Albany is taxing near
v 1000 year more out of the pock-
It's of its people than 1t did in 1905,
md II is doing it with the same S-mill
evy. How does it do 1t, you ask? Just
ike Dallas and other towns do it
~ raising the valuation of property
HilhAAib AiAS hoos ooiiiNhN. II VI III
tance: Suppose the assessor comes
Ilong and assesses your house and lot
It $500. An S-mill levy on that valua-
ion would cause you to pay a tax of
"A. But. suppose that he comes along
nd tells you he is going to assess the
anne house and lot at its real cash
alue, and puts the valuation down at
1000. What would an S-mill levy
ause you to pay then? 1t would cause
ou to pay SIC. Just four times as
much tax as under the old method of
without changing the
lumber OF mills in the levy.
That is exactly what has been done
n Albany. Property in that city was
ssessed at S1.131,53O in 1906. Last
ear II was assessed at $2,9S2, 900
early three times the old valuation.
/ is probably true. as DR.. Wallace in
icates. that Albany has made a good |
rowth In the last four years. But Il 4
not true that II has grown to be
nree times as large as Il wasfOur years 1
go. and every sane man knows IT, /
ne great increase IN Naluatlon OF a
roperty is accounted for by the new
lethod OF assessing property at its
ash value-a method adopted by
INN. Polk. Benton and every other
ounty In the state.
The Mayor OF Albany was careful TO
uote figures in showing that the tax
Wy In mills Is no higher under dry
ale than Il was under wet. but he was
ist as careful to suppress the figures
rowing how much money that levy
raising under the new method OF
Let's fight fair. Let's get the facts.
nd then. when we vote. we can vote
ltelligently. our readers viii note
lat the Observer is not forcing its