The Dolores star., 1918-08-30
Friday. Angus. 80. 1918.
A FEW WORDS 70 rHE VOTER:

A man who is q candidate for public
Office ought to give some reasons for
his candidacy. I am a candidate for
the Office of county assessor because
quite number of substantial citizens
Of this county said they were satisfied
with me as assessor and wanted me to
continue iE the Office.
While desire votes am not travel
ing the highways and byways of the
county beating the brush to scare up
voters. I have neither the time nor
the inclination. and l don't see how
any one else in these times Of labor
shortage and when every man is sup
posed to be doing his bit to support the
government can take the time for such
work either. If he can, he certainly is
not very, important cog in the driv-
ing wheel of the county's industrial
machine. Neither am I ''gumshoeing
nor pussy footing" about the county
handing out bunk, cigars. chewing gum
and candy. ! am not seeking election
by cheap gifts. I believe in using
printers ink, and what l say, l say
plainly in black and white 30 there will
be no misunderstanding.
1t is no accident that can assess
this county. have been trained for
the work I am now doing. Eleven
years of my time has been taken up
largely with assessment and taxation
matters. Thirty years ago was pre-
cinct assessor in Nebraska; afterwards
was county clerk and recorder and as
such officer for four years met with
the thirteen assessors Of the county at
the time of fixing their basis of assess
ment, and kept record of their doings
l made out and delivered to each as
SCISSOR book describing all farm lands
and village lots to be assessed by him
with the names of the owners. For
the same length of time was clerk of
the county board of equalization. cor
rected the assessors books to conform
to the equalization. made the abstract
of assessments Of the county for the
state board of equalization and made
the tax list the same as am doing
now. Afterwards was member and
chairman of the county board, and with
the board equalized the assessments of
the county. was,.a member of the
Nebraska legislature when the present
revenue law of that state was enacted,
and put in winter studying revenue
matters, and I have assessed this
county for four years. have looked
on all sides of the matter of assessment
and taxation, as tax payer, tax as
SCISSOR, tax equalizer and tax lawmaker.
But after all this if have not done my
duty to you, have no right to ask you
for your further support for the Office
am now holding. If public officer
is not doing his duty the sooner the
voters put the skids under him the
better
L have been told that the voters
object to me because am not "good
fellow. According to the usual mean
ing of the word l am not. Life is no
joke with me and l take my work
seriously, and am certainly not good
little fellow. Assessing this county is
not good little fellows job. The as
SCISSOR must necessarily oppose the wills
and wishes of a number of people who
want very low assessment of their
property. l have been told that the
cattlemen don't like me, but l am
pleased to say that the majority. of the
stockmen of the county are willing
that their property should be fairly
assessed, but some cattle men have
made returns of less than half of their
cattle in their schedules, and such
schedules naturally have been raised
either by the county board or by my
self. Before commenced the work of
county assessing l gave bond to the
county in the sum of $6,OOO.OO, and
took an oath that would perform the
duties of the office according to law
and to the best of my ability, and am
going to do it. 1t wouldn't be right
for me to assess the three or four cat
tie on your farm and let off the owner
of 800 head of cattle with an assess
ment of 450.
l admit that make mistakes. The
man who doesn't make mistakes isn't
doing anything, he's a dead one. It's
impossible for me to set value on
over five million dollars worth of prop
erty, comprised in many items and
scattered through $500 schedules and
get 1t right every time. No item on
my abstract of assessment has ever
been changed by the tax commission
or the state board of equalization.
When the chairman of the tax COM
mission was here in the spring, after
examining the work of myself and
deputy. he said that he need not waste