Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-03-06
MASS MEETING TO
! PROTEST TAX RAISE
Called To Be Held Here Saturday Fol-
lowing Failure To Get A Reason
able Reduction.

assessment ordered upon Madison by
the State Tax Commission, a mass
meeting to protest against the injus-
tee which is being perpetrated upon
the taxpayers of this county, has been
called to be held in Richmond Satur-
day afternoon. The call for the meet
ing is signed by County Judge w. K
Price and County Attorney o. P
Jackson, who went to Frankfort or
the committee named by the Fiscal
Court. The State Tax Board refus.
to give substantial reduction to
increased assessment previously =
dered by it, merely reducing the raise
of S4,375,000 on lands to S4,2OO,O0
and on lots from S50o,00 to s4OO, 700.
Messrs. T. S. Burnam and N. B.
Deatherage were valuable additions to
the original committee named.
Judge Price exhibited to the board
during his argument the u. S. Gov
eminent Soil Map which shows that
something like 40 per cent of the land
in the county is very inferior land,
not susceptible to successful farming
and large percent of which is alb
solutely valueless.
Mr.. Burnam stated in the course of
his talk that he, as citizen and a
member of the delegation, would only
only ask that Madison county be as
sessed for taxation at its just proper
ton with other counties in the state,
according to its fair cash value, but
apparently the members of the State
Tax Commission were not sufficiently
impressed by the representations of
the delegation to grant a material re-
duction.
Chairman j. A Scott, of the Com
mission, stated that they had arrived
at their conclusion as to the proposed
valuation of lands in the county from
three sources of information: first,
the actual transfers of property from
September 1, 1917, to July 1st, 1918,
furnished by the County Clerk; sec
ond, the testimony in the case of the
Illinois Central Railway VS.. the State
of Kentucky, in which is was shown
that the average assessment of real
property in Kentucky was about go
per cent; third, that the report of
their agent in this county, after a
complete investigation, covering ev-
cry section Of the county, and all
types of land, was that Madison land
was not now assessed at over so pei
cent of its true value. For these rea-
sons, he stated, that the board
placed an increase sufficient to make
it IS per cent of its true value which
is the basis established by the board
for all the counties of the state.
The call for the mass meeting Sat
urday to protest against the action OF
the State Tax Commission and decide
upon further steps that may be taken
as issued by County Judge Price ant
County Attorney Jackson, reads .:
follows:
Notice to the Taxpayers of
Madison County.
Every taxpayer in Madison county
is earnestly requested to attend pub
lie meeting at court house Saturday
ternoon at 1:30 P. NJ. to protes
- <assinst the unjust, action of the Ta'
Commission in an endeavor to rais'
taxes on the real property of the cou
ty beyond the bounds of all reason
equity and justice. A delegation o.
prominent citizens went to Frandor
Z Wednesday and made a gallant figh
before the tax commission, to conside
the claim for Madison county ,relativ'
to the taxable property of the county
There seems to be an erroneous I'M
preston prevailing among the mem
bers of the tax commission; that Is
they seem to think or infer that be
cause few farms in the heart of tn
country the best land have brough
good prices, all the land in the coun
ty should be assessed at price in &C
cordance with the farms so sodium
der this contention this viii bring a
average of all land in the county u
to about S65 per acre, assessed value
or an increase of s4,600,000 in tn
county. This is wholly unjust to taS
payers of the county, and it is
duty of every citizen to raise his volc
and protest against this injustlc'
Madison county is a large county an
has thousand acres of land which
very poor, besides hundreds OF acre
of wash land. 1t viii be unjust to'as
sess this land as tho it were fernl
soil, and in high state Of cultivation
The State Tax Commission seem
to be laboring under 3 Rmisapprenez
sion and unless the citizens begin q
active and aggressive campaign
gainst this injustice they win be Tor
ed to pay the penalty of this indiffel
enra an ;r~-ooeo ~ ~ 2OD. 600 IN tAs