The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-01-18
MESSAGE READ BY THE
GOVERNOR TN PERSON /
TO BOTH HOUSES
Careful Attention is Given the Execu-
tive as He Defends His Course in
Regard to Cash Valuation

ty at it's full cash value. This would
seem sufficient to impress upon the
officers affected their duty under the
law, but the legislature, seemingly i'm
pressed with the fear that unless some
still mere stringent provision was
added, some officer might forget his
duty and attempt to either favor the
taxpayers of his own county, or some
of his friends and intimates, therefore
added as part of section 1927 that
the assessor of each county, on or be-
fore the first day of July of each year.
and his deputies as WELL should take
and subscribe an oath in the county
assessment book itself, that the prop
erty of the county subject to taxation,
has been listed and assessed on the
assessment book, equally and uniform
ly, according to the best of my judge
ment, information and belief, at it's
full cash value.
Law Has Been Violated.
"To one not informed upon the here
tofore prevailing methods of assess
ing the property in the various coun-
ties of Idaho,it would seem incred-
ible that these plain provisions of our
i statutes have for many years past bee
| continuously and Systematically vio-
lated; that the county assessors have
uniformly and Intentionally violated
the law, and the other county officers
intrusted in part with the assessment
and collection of the revenues, have
been privy to and condoned such VIC
lations; and that every assessor and
every deputy assessor has each year
subscribed to false affidavits. Such,
however, has been the case, and our
people have become so accustomed to
these violations of law that many
have taken them as matter of course,
and looked upon our revenue laws
matters to be honored in their breach
and not in their observance.
almost as a matter of course, with
each county assessor violating h
sworn official duties in the matter C
assessments, and sustained therein
the other officers of his county. some
of the assessors, apparently desiring
| to relieve the people of their counties
from paying their just proportion
the state taxes, reduced the averae
assessment rate and so corresponding
ly lessened the total of the assessment
rolls of their counties. Such course
not only resulted in great inequalities
| in the amounts paid by the severa
counties for state purposes, but mai
urally caused other county assesso'
to make like reductions, and, as the
result. the entire assessment roll OF
the state in 1910 showed less than 80
per cert Of the actual value of the
taxable property. Worse than ALL
however, was the opportunity offered
under this unlawful, unwise and vici.
Gus system 10 discriminate in favor
of certain taxpayers in many Of the
counties and certain classes of prop
erty IN others, SO that there was NO
uniformity of assessment upLu prop
erty in any county in the statej and in
some counties property of the same
! classes was assessed at varying rates
and from to so per cent CT its real
value, and thus enable the chosen few
or the favored class I'd practically
evade taxation and forcing their tax
burden to be borne by others. This is
an evil Impossible to correct in its
entirety under the old system. but
which i. would he impossible to long
retain under an assessment at full
value
Governor Ensorees Law
"The eiils. vhile not entirely un
kncwn 10 our people, were Of a mag
nitude hardly suspected by any. a
but few Of our citizens have been in