The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1918-02-28
MINING MAN HAS GRIEVANCE.
operator in Dixie Section Complains
Of County Assessment

Vi OOunty Assessment.
In your issue of January 10 you
nave an editorial under the caption of
Encourage Mining Industry" all of
which sounds nicely. reads smoothly
ana contains good suggestions from my
viewpoint
But, Mr.. Editor, if the mining inter
eSts OF Idaho county could get fair"
OF square deal is all they ask. Let
me cite You my experience for the past
rev months on my taxes When 1 ar
rived Ill the country l as soon as pos
Si,le hotlfied the county treasurer that
! had purchased the Penn-Dixie mill
anu gave him and all others the ex-
uc' cent l paid for it, The mill is
assessed for just double the figure
lald for it, He referred me to some
one. wrote that some one | then
Vooh the matter up with the county
commissioners and my communication
10 them was returned endorsed mo
actlon.' OF course not. 1t is simply
" a.. u--,---d eastern mining company"
WY should they pay any attention to
~ me property is in the hands OF
the sheriff and | am notifying him he
can proceed to sell with law suit
attached. If the county fathers and
any attention to the griefs of the man
VINO Is FOOLISH enough to try to de-
Nelop the natural resources of the
country, | am just good enough Amer
lcan to believe in the Justice and
equities of the laws and courts. and
snail appeal to them for Justice. The
assessor rode into Dixie, put his horse
up at the barn, went to the hotel
4
TO assess" the property of the district
on the information or misinformation
ne could gather from those around
him. not stopping to inquire whether
he was getting his information from
friend or foe. AS | wrote the county
fathers. his assessment of nv prop
erty is an absolute absurdity. He
assessed it as complete stamp mill"
The boiler is worthless, to say the
least Yet it is complete" for assess
ment' purposes. No law in christom-
dom would stand for such assess
ment."
These mountains are rich in natu-
raj resources, yet let anyone undertake
to develop them and they are at once
put down as crazy, idiotic or something
else. | am forced to plead guilty
to the above charges, for | am here be-
| lieving there is mine on this property
in the face that a New York expert
who is associate editor of the Engineer
and Mining Journal has not only
turned Dixie, but Elk City, Oragrande,
| Ten Mile and all the country between
Sites and here down as only roots of
veins Not only that, but when sent
his report to the Idaho State Geologist
(nOw deceased) he rather agreed
with him. If this is not enough to
convince that | am in the above class
l will add that | am working here
without any salary or compensation
| whatsoever
II The commissioners remind me OF
the Mother Goose cat that visited the
Kings palace and only saw the mouse
under the chair. With all the grand
eur of that palace-it only saw thu
mouse. SO with the commissioners
they can only see the mouse in thil
case-$32.S0. If l should open a min,
here, and there is some prospect
) what would it mean to Sites, Clear
water, Elk City and even your city
This grandeur Is Oblivious to them.
Human nature is the same the worl,
over Does such treatment at tn
hands of the county fathers induc
good will from those who have none.
to spend? The postal rate is the sam
from Spokane as from Grangeville
Where would you spend your none
under such circumstances, Mr.. Editor
And again, money is the easiest thin
in the world to scare, and to be pei
fectly candid l cannot say today wha
effect this suit will have on the none
back east that l am counting on.
l have spent over 100000 in you
county and every cent of it as bee
eastern money and yet when l address
Il grievance to the county fathers
giving them facts and figures, it
not worthy of a consideration.
Encourage Mining" A great jok
of yours, Mr.. Editor.
Yours for fair play,
A. II. MCKNIGHT