The Glenwood post., 1916-04-08
CAPITAL CORRESPONDENCE

Denver, April 4.-Several decisions
of more than ordinary Importance were
handed down by the supreme court
yesterday. One of them upheld the
right of the State Board of Equaliza-
tion to place the final value for the
taxation purposes on all the property
of the state. According to this decis-
ion county assessors must obey the
orders of the State Board of Equaliza-
tion and raise or decrease the valuation
of property according to the demands
of that board.
The case was brought before the
court by the refusal of Mr.. Pitcher,
the assessor of Denver county, to add
fifty-five million dollars to the valua-
tion of that county. The assessor
claimed that the order was arbitrary
and unjust and made without any ex-
animation into actual conditions. He
said it was unfair in that the addition
al burden would fall entirely on the
small taxpayer, as under the order
that valuation on corporation property
and stocks and bonds were allowed TO
stand as originally appraised, and he
intimated that the raise was an at
tempt of the commission, two out Of
three members Of which are from the
country, to "soako Denver.
The district court, before whom the
case was first brought, decided in ia
vor of Mr.. Pitcher. The supreme court
in reversing them did not pass upon
the question as to whether the tax
commission had acted wisely or not,
but simply that they had acted Within
their powers and that no one could re-
view their. decision excepting the State
Board of Equalization, whose servants
the commission were. The Board OF
Equalization had approved of their ac-
tion unanimously, and as Mr.. Stocker
and Mr.. Mulnix are on the board, and
both of them are residents of Denver,
it certainly does not seem that they
would have approved of measure that
was unfair to the city in which they
lived.
The effect of this decision is to in
crease the amount the city and county
of Denver will pay to support tho
state government by $116,356.0O, which
is almost exactly one-third of the as
sessment against the entire state. Or,
if you eliminate the taxes assessed on
the steam railroads from which Den
yer gets very little benefit, it meahs
that Denver will pay 40 per cent Of ths
state taxes.
Another decision Of general interest
was the one upholding Secretary Of
State Ramer in his refusal to accept
petitions referring to the voters the
change in the civil service laws, made
BY the last legislature. The court holds
that the alsgislature il the sole judge
Of whether law 10 for the immediate
preservation Of the peace. health and
safety Of the people Of the state, and
wheii it 70 holds and attaches to q bill
what il known - the "safety clutch y
=. referendum will not hold. As re-
sult of this decision the new civil scr.
vice board appointed BY the sovsrnes
some months ago has. its legality es'
tablished, and the governor may now
70 ahead and make such changes In the
heads Of the various departments Of
the state o. he desires. This decision
will at once settle the controversy that
has prevailed for some time over the
wardenship Of the reformatory, and
the offices Of bank commissioner, boile.
inspector and division engineers. II
also permits the governor to remove
Mr.. lyman Of the penitentiary, II b
so desires.