Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-04-01
COMMUNICATION

T.. SAluI udy SNSAA N...
tr;hnted about the city several nun
dred dodgers which purported 10 s,ve
a true statement of facts concerhlns
various acts OF members OF the Guy
commission. The facts themselves
we're not especially daaging 70 ahyone
~ the dodger was SO cunnlngly Woru'
ed that serious differences coulo NC
drawn from it.
It was directed especially. against
Mr.. A. w. Lucas who has been a mem
Der of the Board of City Commission
ers for the past our years and VINO 10
now a candidate for the preslaehc!
of the board. It states that Mr.. Lucas
swore in a statement made 10 Inc
Dunn and Bradstreet agencies ina ms
stock of merchandise on January ISL
1918. amounted to $%117.0O0.OO. rms
statement is untrue. Mr.. Lucas III
his statement to these agencies said
that his stock of goods on hand ms
accounts on his books, due from MS
customers, store fixtures, farm lahas
and city real estate, ETC., u
s117,oOO.0O Anyone at all famlilal
with retail bushes during the past
three years can well imagine the
amount of accounts outstanding WIN
such a firm as the A. w. Lucas Com
pany with the tremendous business II
does. Besides this the stock was fg'
ured in at practically its retail value
and not at its wholesale value. VINO.
ever wrote the paper in question Will
have to deduct a great many thOus'
ands Of dollars from the amount ne
named before he can arrive at the &C
tual value of the stock on hand, IN
fact, he will have to deduct at least
one-half from the figures he gives.
The assessment of the A. W. Lucas
Company will compare favorably with
that of any merchandise stock in tie
city.
As a member of the City Board of
EQUALIZATION, Mr.. Lucas always insist
ed that his stock be put in at a higher
value than that Of other merchants
ANY member of the board a vouch
for this statement. "
AS a matter Of fact there IS not a
personal property assessment in the
city which is put in as high as 1t
should be. Real estate. comparative
ly speaking, bear at least fifty per cent
more than it should of the burden OF
taxation. Look at youself. Mr.. Voter,
did you ever list your silverware, your
watch, your own or your wife's jewel
ry? Did you ever tell the assessor
the real truth about the value of your
property?
Mr.. Voter: Do you remember about
three years ago that Henry j. Geier'
man, city commissioner, died? Do
you remember that flags were display
ed at half mast in all parts of the
city through the great respect which
citizens bore for Mr.. Geierman?. Do
you remember that Mr.. Geierman was
regarded by practically everyone to be
the best city commissioners Bismarck
ever had? If Mr.. Geierman was such
a splendid man, (and he was a splend.
id mani, who should not Mr.. Batty,
who occupies the. same position with
the International Harvester Company,
be as good a man for the same posi-.
ton. Is. a man to be damned just
because he works for a corporation ?
Does that make a criminal of him :!
Mr.. Batty, by attending to his own af.
fairs, is not so we'll known as some OF
our citizens, but those who do know
him admire him and respect him.
AS, to. the auditorium, it is a matter
Of, record that MI. Lucas did a v the
taxpayers of Bisarck some $50, 900. 90
1t is not a question as to whether or
not he might have saved the city
$4G0, 600. 90, but he did save the city
100000. 90. Nor was it Mr.. Lucas
fault that the building of the auditor
ium has been delayed Mr.. Lucas is
only one of the five members and the
delay will have to be put on other
shoulders.
AS to the purchase of the site fol-
the auditorium it is not true that J. p
Jackson and +. E. Young had this
property listed with them for $4,000. 90
It cost the Wachter pray and Trans
fer Co. $55O0.0O in the first place an(
just before the city bought it Mr.
Wachter informs. us that he was OF
fered $7,500.OO for the property.
The table given by the writer of the
screed delivered Saturday night states
that tits a terrible thing that our as
sessed valuation has not been increas
ed the past few years because there
have. been SO many additional build
,ings erected here and because there
are so many more people living here
now than formerly. If he knew tn
first thing he was talking about he
would realize that this low assessed
valuation had saved the city man,
thousands of dollars every year simpl,
through the fact that if we keep oul
valuations down we save on tn,
amount Of tax we have to pay the
county and state, amounting to some
100000 or more on every hundred
thousand dollars of assessed value
If the assessed valuation of the cit,
is low, thank your lucky star that yo,
have people on the board of ~equaIiza
ton who know this and who try t.
save the taxpayers money rather thar
to run the valuation away up.
Mr., Koffel states that he is goin;
to reduce your water and electri,
light rates. He cannot reduce you,
water rates for the franchise given thu
water company states explicitly VIVA,
rates they will be allowed to charge
Goodness know they are high enough
but neither Mr.. Koffel o any othe1
man can reduce them if the waite,