Gunnison news-champion., 1916-11-03
commissioners JUSTIFIED
AND HARTMAN OvERRUlED

The readers will, perhaps, remember
that in the issue of the News Champion
of October 20, the matter of raising the
valuations placed upon the Colorado
Fuel & Iron Company was taken up and
discussed and therein we defended the
actions of the County Commissioners
pertaining thereto. At that time, we
were not advised that there was q let.
ter from Colorado Tax Commission per-
tanning to the matter, and were not SO
advised until one day last week, when
Mr.. Brown, a representative of the
Tax Commission. was here in Gunnison,
notwithstanding the fact that during
ell this time this letter was in the
County Clerks office, and the contents
thereof was not disclosed to the pub
lie. In order that the public may be
fully advised as to what transpired. we
now reproduce that letter:
October 6, 1916.
Mr.. Roy s. Lobdell,
Clerk of Gunnison County,
Gunhison, Colo.
Dear Sir:
I'VE are in receipt, from you,
of certified copies of resolutions passed
by your board on September 10Th. the
one relating to the assessment Of coal
lands principally owned by the Colorado
Fuel 4 Iron Company and the other re-
lating to the desire Of your Board to
have this commission confirm its action.
We certified to the State Board Of
Equalization the valuation of your
County set forth in your assessors
amended abstract, which included the
raises described in the first resolution.
II the State Board confirms this report,
the raises will be legal and valid in
every respect In our judgement and
will not require any other action on our
part.
Yours very truly,
The Colorado Tax Commission
EBM-L By E. B. Morgan"
You will observe that the Tax Com
mission says "If the State Board con-
firms this report. the raises will be
legal and valid in every respect in our
judgment and will not require any
other action on our part" Up to the
present time. 80 we are advised by the
County Clerks office, nothing has trans
pired between that Office and the Tax
Commission or Board of Equalization;
so the only conclusion to draw is that
the action of the Board Of County Com
missioners in their resolution of Sep
tember 10. Notwithstanding their reso-
luton of October 3. has been fully ap-
proved and sanctioned by the Tax Com
mission and the Board Of Equalization.
This conclusion 10 further justified by
the fact that the County Assessor has
certified the valuations Of the county
~ amended by the County Commits
sioners. sitting ~ Board of Equaliza-
alton, to the various school districts In
town and in the county, and it is now
too late for either the Tax Commission
or the Board of Equalization to nullify
the actions Of the County Commission.
ers. showing conclusively that the
County Commissioners have been sus-
tained in every particular, by reason OF
the safe, COO raise which they placed on
the property of the C. F. & Company.
II Mr.. Hartman was right in his first
assessment, the County Commissioner
must have been wrong in the last; but
II the County Commissioners were
right in their raise, Mr. Hartman must
have been wrong.
With this presentation of facts, the
readers Of the News Champion have
the entire situation before them. and
you are now in position to judge where
responsibility or credit is due.
The ladies of st. Peters Catholic
church are highly elated over the splen-
did success Of their bazaar and csfeteris