The Lakeland evening telegram., 1913-12-23

| have arisen because OF the practlce
We find that, because there is no es'
tablished basis of valuation on when
to assess, each assessor, reallzlns
that to place a high valuation on the
property of his county, while other
! counties are under low valuation
will cause his county to pay more
than it's share of the State tax. so,
each assessor vies with all other as
SCISSORS to get his county on the low
est basis of assessment to prevent his
| people from paying an unequal
amount of the State tax. This, as you
must know, brought about chaos IN
values and left no sort Of equallza-
ton of values among the counties.
The tax commission realized this con-
dition needed correction. They real
lied, also, that a raise to full cash
value from the present valuation
would be a great one. They realized
that it would entail some strong op-
position in some quarters. They
knew that the greatest opposition
would come from those who have
prior to this time enjoyed the lowest
valuation, and escaped their just
proportion of the taxes to the State.
They knew that the law required
property to be assessed at true cash
value, but that because low and un.
equal valuation was of long stand
ing, they called the assessors togeth-
er in convention at Tallahassee on
Nov. 20, 21, for the purpose of get
ting them to arrive at some basis of
values on which all would assess to
bring about equalization, with the
idea of gradually working to true
cash value as the law requires. The
chairman of the tax commission, who
was the chairman of the assessors
convention, informed the convention
that if the assessors would agree on
some basis of assessment-ffty per
cent, or any per cent,-that was i'm
material-but some per cent, so that
there would be a working toward
equalization, the tax commission
would not undertake to require a
true cash value assessment for 1914.
This, they failed to do, taking no ac.
tion looking toward equalization
The commission had no right to or.
der any basis of value other than the
true cash value-it would have been
an order in the face of the law and
they would have had no power to
enforce it. The assessors had de.
,lined to- act themselves. The as.
sessment was in chaos. The tax |
commission found themselves con-
ronted with a duty-unpleasant
hough it might prove-yet a plain
luty. They proceeded to perform it.
'hey issued an order to all assessors
o comply with the law and assess
at it's true cash value for
he year 1914.
The tax commission are public
ervants and do not object to criti-
ism of their acts when they fail to
o their duty. But they were doing
heir duty in this as the law and
heir oath of Office require. What
,ss could you expect Of them? What
sss did the public have right to
xpect of them What would you
ave them do? What would you
ave done in the matter?
In the same column with your edi-
yrial (ette) on the commissions or.
er you commend Governor Trammell
)r dismissing two officials for fail
lg to do their duty. You use this
ointed statement, which we heartily
ndorse:
Zone of the most demoralizing fac
ors in the social structure is an Of
ce holder who falls down on his
3D." You say in your tax commits
on paragraph that the enforcement
'ouId bring mighty kick from ev-
ry taxpayer in the State. On the
ontrary, we have talked with many
axpayers in the State and the ma
,rity with whom we have talked en-.
orse the order. A majority of the
SCISSORS have declared their inten-
on of carrying out the order. We
ave received letters from taxpayers
the step. You say in the
ext column to your tax commission
aragraph, eve are heartily glad to
ave so good a paper as the Pensa-
ola Journal strongly endorse re-
ent paragraph in the Telegram.
We are as heartily glad that the
anne paper in an editorial of Dec. 16
the tax commissions order.
Va nro nlca nlnd that +l,a ILL., |