The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-10-03

| equaled in the political history OF any
other party in this or any other state.
\ public office is a public trust and
the public servant must give a strict
! account OF his stewardship. The man
who has served in public life who
cannot place his hand upon some.
thing accomplished for the benefit OF
the people has served In vain AS
one OF the executive officers of the
state. I wish TO tell you how your
business has been transacted at the
capitol by your Democratic executive
servants.
State Board Of Equalization.
The State Board OF Equalization is
composed of the Governor, Auditor
Treasurer Secretary OF State and At.
torney.General, four Democrats and
one Republican In the discharge OF
its duties 1t has written record OF
which 1t can justly feel proud. In
equalizing the assessments among the
various counties in the state as to
personal property and real estate and
in assessing the properties of the pub.
lie service corporations. il has endeav.
ored to and has done as near as DOS.
sibe equal justice to all.
The real estate In the country is
valued and equallzed on a parity with
that Of the city. If the property in
county Is lower in the country than in
the city In the same county. the State
Board OF Equalization. under the law.
is powerless to remedy that condition.
as it has no authority to equalize the
values Of different pieces of real
estate located in the same county, but
only to equalize the valuation in one
county, as a unit, with that OF the
other counties in the state. the city of
St Louis being taken ms a county.
The local condition in the county or
city can only be reached and rene.
died by the local assessor and the
local board.
The State Board of Equalization,
under the law, assesses the public
service corporations in the state, and
during the last four years we have
increased the assessment on such
property s220l5,Gi3 over the assess.
mcnt as fixed by the Republicans in
the last year they controlled the
board, to-wit, 1908. notwithstanding
they assessed for the first time during
the years they controlled the board
S39 miles OF new road. whereas we
have had but 229 miles of new road.
The assessment of the properties In
this state on June /, 1911, for the
taxes Of 1912. was as follows: Real
estate. s1.1S2 .90O,552; personal prop.
erty, $36S,s72.522; railroad. telegraph.
telephone, etc. s1s549S,514 making
the grand total of all properties 81
73G,371,5SS.
The total receipts into the state
treasury TO the credit OF the various
funds during the year 1911, and with
which to meet the demands on the
various funds and the expenses and
liabilities of the state government,
were $7,59S ,067.50. or this amount
nearly s5.00G,000 went to the state
revenue fund The revenues are am.
pie and sufficient to meet all the de.
mands OF the state and raise its
penal and educational
institutions to the very highest
standard and furnish the best EVIL.
dence why the taxes of the people Of
this state should not be doubled and
trebled merely to satisfy an appetite
for spectacular and eXtravagant ad-
In 1909 the Governor offered n sub.
stitute resolution, the purport OF
which was to treble the taxes on all |
real estate, etc, by assuming that the |
was assessed at one-third its |
value, and by requiring the property |
10 be equalized at its full cash value. |
The duties Of the State Board in |
properties are fixed by the |
and that provision is
This substitute resolution was de. |
Teated by the votes of Gordon. Roach |
and myself, thus preventing the taxes |
rom being trebed In other words.
4 the state tax on a certain piece OF |
zeal estate was $50, had the resolu
ion been adopted It would have been
$3.50, net yearly increase of 500 |
rhe adoption Of the resolution would
not have brought to the books for as.
;essment or taxation a single added |
lollar or reached a single tax.dodger.
i will not do to say the rate was to |
De changed as the board has nothing
o do with and cannot change the tax
ate. The state rate Is fixed by stat.
lte and can be changed only by an
lct of the Legislature. 1t needs no |
argument to convince anyone that the
rebling of the assessed value would
reble the tax. No amount of sophis.
ry can escape this conclusion.
Secretary OF State.
Honorable Cornelius Roach, the
present Secretary of State, Is ever
ictive in discharging the business OF
lis office and in the matter OF making
money for the people has become
real mint. He has set new stand.
rd and scale OF excellence unequaled
n the history Of the department. We
must commend his energy and eff.
.iaury