Weekly journal-miner., 1915-03-03
REBEL COUNTY OF
 NORTH IN BAD ODOR
(From Saturdays Daily)


 Yavapai, known in state official circles as the "rebel'' county of the north, is likely to soon clash with the | tax commission. At present the of hcials of the latter named body are awaiting an opinion from the attor- ney general, before deciding on any course of action, but if this opinion sustains their contention, the fur will then begin to fly.
 For be it known that the board of supervisors of this county absolutely ignored the orders of the commission to include in the last tax levy the sum of three cents on every $l00 to pro- vide sinking fund to pay the bonds of the old P. & A. C. railroad, amount ing to over $3OO,O0O
 | It.wOuld not be such an aggravated case of recalcitrancy if the supervisors had not also in the year 1913, refused to levy the three cent tax in conform ity with the edict of the state board, | but the same affront twice i'll success sion and twice in the same place was more than the Phoenix officials could stand. It was therefore natural for them to believe that they had griev- ance and fully developed one atthat, but being wise in their day and gen cration, they concluded before mak- ing any move. to gel" little legal light shed on the question, and there fore repaired singly and collectively to Attorney General Wiley Jones, praying that he tell them just where or where not they stand.
 Yavapai stood pat" in 1913 and thus set an awful example to other boards of supervisors whose counties are in a similar fix on the railroad question. These counties levied this tax in 1913, but when they heard of this county's action it was a case of never again" with them. Taking heart and plucking up courage, some | of them when the time came for fix ing the tax rate in August of 1914, refused to include in 1t any provision ! for the raising of money for the pay ment of the bonds. And so Yavapai found that it had company in its re- bellion, and the tax commission incl dentally also found that it had trouble in large hunks and chunks on it's hands.
 When Arizona was admitted to the union certain lands were set aside by the terms of the enabling act for the express purpose of liquidating the bonded debt incurred for the building of the P. & A. C. But under the terms of the enabling act it was pro vided that all revenue derived from the sale and lease of these lands should be applied to liquidate the in debtedne5s. Here it is where the su- pervisors and tax commission dis agree, the local body claiming that as the revenue is already being di- verted for the purpose stated, that no further action is necessary, and that the bonds will run until such time as the lands are sold and the proceeds applied to wipe out the debt. On the other hand the tax body is firmly imbued with the belief that the coun- ties affected should raise by taxation and set aside fund for the payment of the principal on the bonds.
 What the supervisors will do, in the event that the opinion of the attorney general is contrary to their construc- ton of the law, is not known, but 1t is likely that as long as they have thus far refused to heed the edict of the tax commission, they will stand a suit rather than bow the pregnant knee.
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