The state herald., 1916-04-07
Capitol Correspondence.

j Denver. Colorado, Apr. 4, 1916.
Several decisions Of much more than
ordinary Importance were handed down
by the Supreme Court yesterday. One
LOT them upheld the right of the state
board of equalization to place the final
value for the taxation purposes on all
the property Of the state. According
to this decision county assessors must
eobey the orders of the state board Of
Equalization and raise or decrease the
svaluation of property according to the
demands of that board.
/ The cuse was brought before the
court by the refusal of Mr.. Pitcher. the
Assessor Of D,nver county, to add fifty
| i've million dollars to the valuation of
hat county. The assessor claimed
shat the order was arbitrary and unjust
and made without any examination in
10 actual conditions. He said it was
Unfair IN that the additional burden
would fall entirely on the small tax
payer, as under the order the valuation
on corporation property and stocks and
bonds were allowed to stand as origin |
ally appraised, and he intimated that
the raise was an attempt of the com
mission. two. out OF throe members of |
which are from the country. to soak"
Denver.
The District court, before whom the
case was fi-st brought, decided in ia.
vor of Mr.. Pitcher The Supreme Court
IN reversing them did not pass upon the !
lqnestion as To whether tho Tax Com
mission had acted wisely or not, but
simply that thsy had acted within their
powers and that no one could review
their decision excepting the State Board
] Of Equslza;ion, whose servants the
commission were. The Board of Equal
iyAtion had approved Of their action
! 4..a.sus,g. and ss Ne. Ssoehev end
Mr.. Mulnix are on this board. and both
Of them are residents Of Denver, IL Ger
tainly 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 the state
government by SIG, 1856. bringing the
total paid by that city for this purpose
To the immense sam Of 1918 566 On |
which is almost exartly one third Of the |
assessment against the entire state.
Or. II you eliminate the taxes assess, d |
on the steam railroads from which Den
yer gets very little benefit. it means
that Denver will pay 40 per cent OF the
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 legislature 10 the sole Judge Of
whether law Is for the immediate
preservation Of the peace. health and
safety Of the people OF the state. and
Nh'h " w ho'us niu h'hnCHcs W UIl II
what is known as the Safety Clutch"
a referendum will not holl. A n re-.
suit Of this decision the new civil serv-
Ice board appointed by the Governor
soma months ago. has Its legality es
tabished. and the Governor may now
go ahead and make such changes in the
heads Of the various departments OF
the state ss he desires. This decision
will at once SETTLE the controversy that
has prevailed for some time over the
wnrdrnship Of the rsformatory. and the
Offices Of bank commissioner. boiler ir-
spsetor and division engineers. Il also
permits the Governor to remove Mr..
lyman OF the penitentisry. II he so Do
sircs