Bisbee daily review., 1916-03-11
ASSESSOR HUGHES IS UPHELD IN TAXING
 ARMY NEWS AUTOS
Atty. Gen. Jones Hands Down Opinion Declaring Uncle Sam's Officers Must Pay Or Private Property.

fylvate Property.
 Captsin Charles T. Nelson. '. S. A.
 now residing on the military reserya
 ton at Fort Huacbuca. is in the future
 going to be forced to confine his auto
 mobile travels within the confines of tPe- reservation. The captain is tho
 owner Of an automobile carrying a
 Sfate license numter 765S. E. A.
 Hughes. county assessor of Cochise county. attemnted 10 levy g tax on the
 machine and the military man became
 incensed and said that he would never
 in a million. years come across with the money.
 Hughes communicated with the tax cc~,- ission on the subject. The com
 mission turned the matter over 10 Al
 torney General Jones, who handed
 down an opinion 10 the effect that the i captain could run his machine on the reservation as much as he liked. but lthat the minute he poked it's nose over
 the line. there would be doings in the 1 seizure line.
 | Following is the opinion given the commission by Mir Jones:
 q have before me your letter of yes terday. accompanied by copy of let ter written by Captain Charles J. Nel- son Of Fori Huachuca to the tax asses scr of Cochise county.
 "T note that the captain states in his letter that he has escaued assess meut during seventeen years of mill tary service, which indicates how for tunate he has been. and how success fully he has evaded his plain obliga- tion Tha motor vehicle he has men, lions in his letter is not the property -r the United States government. but is tbe private property of Nr. Nelson. and the fact that Mr. Nol-o0 draws his | nay iron the United States govern ~art does not exempt him from the | nevr'ent Of state taxes on his person i a1 urope~tv. anv more than I who draw my pay from the state government an | eve~'pt from he payment Of taxes.
 "In order that he captain might | Lave the benefit of our splendid road | system Of Arizona. he obtained on his own application license number 7565 to onerate his machine on our state rig'ways; 90 if tho captain refuses to psy-the tax properly lev jed on his machine. it would be the duty Cf tho tax asGcsso- 70 seize the wherever he may find it up- 0n he state higbways of Ccchise conn -v
 Whether or not he would have au- .hority to seize it uoon the Fo~- Hua- chuca military reservation. it is no'l necessary for this office 10 state this time: also. I think that Guestio- may be entirely avoided. unless t-ol captain sees fit 10 confne his aa- rips within the limits of the rese- ion"
 T''a assessor. according 10 his '-t0- ias had considerable trouble with e. emptine to tax certain property be- onging to the officers at the post. Ac- .ording to the federal law. he cannot .orve a civil paper. on the reservation l 'ithout the permission Of the officer CeDtain Nelson proudly .alled the assessors attention 10 the : act that he had been ar officer Of the United States army for seventeen cars. and during that time had never ,een called upon 10 pay taxes.
 If the machine had been the proper V of the federal government, the cues [. ion would never have been raised, but nasmuch as the machine belongs to a rivate individual in the employ Of the -evernnent. the Cochise official was f the opinion that il should De taxed