The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-09-06
A Stab i'm the Back.

The Eagle man had his stabber out
last week and he plunged it deep into
| the back of the board of review and
| the assessor 1t was in the form of an
article on the assessment of tobacco
ard in some respects was as mislead-
ing as an imaginative mind could make
it. All the facts, all the truths, COM
plete and honest version of the whole
transaction could have been obtained
| from any member of the Edgerton
board of review, or from the minutes
of their proceedings, had he wished to
be fair and square in his statement.
But no, that was not his intention. A
fair statement would in no way have
satisfied a peeved feeling. He goes
out of the city, out of the county, and
procures the private opinion Of a pref
| udiced party, puts it in type, slaps it
together and prints it. 1t served his
purpose! A knock at the city's well
fare. stab at the board of review,
and broadside slam at every tobacco
dealer in Edgerton.
In making the assessment, Mr..
Clarke endeavored to be fair and equit-
able, but when it came to assessing
tobacco, ne received instructions from
| the Rock county assessor of incomes to
| the effect that tobacco should be as
sessed at $50 and $75 per box. Taking
| this order as mandatory, he entered
! these figures on the assessment roll.
| When the roll was complete and turned
over to the board Of review, the state
| tax commission in a letter to income
assessors gave out the information that
| the values to be placed on all property,
| including tobacco, was wholly within
| the Judgment of the assessor. Mr..
| Clarke notified the board that in his
Judgment S35 and $50 would be a fair
assessment. Considering that he had
been coerced in making entries of 500
and S75, the board adjourned and in
structed him to make entries of $35 and
S55, as he would have done had it not
been for the order of the income as
SCISSOR. The board reconvened, veri-
fled the assessments as corrected by
the assessor, and adjourned.
To go back little and show F. A.
Taylor's views on the valuation OF leaf
tobacco for assessment purposes, ii
should be stated that when the assess
ors for Rock county were called to,
gether in annual meeting in April last,
a motion was made by Mr.. Taylor,
supervisor of assessments, that the
value be fixed at $40 and $25 per case,
which was unanimously carried. The
assessors were satisfied with the valua-
ton and supposed the matter settled
That was before Mr.. Taylor had seer
Mr.. Cowles of Dane county and com.
bination entered into to boost leaf to-
bacco by strong arm methods OF bull,
doing the local assessors. The loca
assessor has raised these figures from
$40 and S25 to $55 and S35, which ii
comparison to other property in thi;
city is fair valuation.
\ Now, as to Mr.. Cowles who seems tx
be good advertiser and rushes int
print with ex-party statements on ev
cry occasion. If given free hand ht
would assess the tobacco in Edgertor
at 81, SAG, $40 Applying the tax rate
of 1917 to this amount, it reaches ;
sum equal to one-half the total tax pait
in the city of Edgerton last year
Surely our people do not expect tobac
co owned largely by non-residents t.
bear all the burdens Of taxation of thi
city. Is it not time the state tax com
mission take notice that Mr.. Cowles i
assuming prerogatives that are no
, granted by law and call off their dogs
~