The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-08-22
banks upon the board of super

banks upon the board of super
visors.
August l. comes Mr.. Lowe in
the Aberdeen Examiner, one
weeks after the above orders had
been published in the Weekly,
and in the last issue of the FIX
aminer before the primary, giy-
ing the Weekly no chance to re-
ply to him before the election in
which he was candidate, and
says in reference to these orders:
1.-The Board of Supervisors did,
in December, 1917, pass an order
reducing the assessment of the
First National Bank So. 900, and
of the Aberdeen National Bank
$4,000. Yes. this is a matter of
record, and l, as a member of
our Board believed at the time,
and so believe now. that both
from a moral and a legal stand
point, the Board was justified in
SO dong. and l now offer no
apology for my action in the mat
ter"
The claim which Mr.. Lowe
has exploited that the assessments
of farm lands in this county are
unjust and were compelled solely
by the State Tax Commission, his
acknowledgment of the authen-
ticity of the above three orders.
his claim of authority and justifi-
cation for reducing the assess
mentS of these banks. together
with the statement that he has no
apology to offer for so doing,
places him and his board of su-
pervisOrs in very inconsistent
predicament before the taxpayers
of the county.
How is MIR. Lowe going to har-
monte the contradictions of his
attitude, or justify his self con-
feSSed reduction of the assess
ments of these banks? How is
he going to make the farmer be-
lieve that the high assessment of
his lands was compelled by the
State Tax Commission and that
the board had no power to re-
duce them, and contradict him.
self in the next breath by ac-
knOwledging, one week after
the orders had been published,
that the Board did reduce the as
sessments of the banks, that he
believed he was justified. and that
he has no apology to offer for his
action in the matter?
He says further that he re-
duced the banks assessments
from a moral and legal stand
point" Will Mr.. Lowe tell the
farmer why from his moral and
legal standpoint" he did not ex-
ercise his ''self justified" preroga-
tive in lowering the assessments
of the farm lands as we'll as Of
the banks? Or does Mr.. Lowe
claim this Justified" 0rerogative
authorized him to discriminate in
favor of the banks as against the
owners of farm lands?
Consistency thou art q jewel,
but Mr.. loves preachments and
the Official acts of his board as
they apply to the assessments 0f
banks, under the sunlight of pub
licity can not be made to sparkle.
In conclusion we call attention
to q table of figures published ia
| the Aberdeen Examiner. August
is, purpofting to be q comparl.
son of taxes paid by banks. cor.
poratiOns, owners of city prop
erty and farm lands for the years
1916, 1917. 1918. These are just
figures, that's all. and may be
correct or incorrect. Their cor
rectness or incorrectnesS, how.
eyer, does not enter into the dis.
|cussion as to who Is to blame fol
| the inequalities that undoub bted1y
exist among individual taxpayefl
lin this county. The Weekly hal
| shown by testimony copied from
State and County records thot The
hoard Of SUPERVISOR alone adjust
laso1essmenl1 between property
lownef1 II the county. whelhel
they be banks, corpotatio0o,
Icitieo ~ individuola No too1i.
lmonY noe record WhiCh 4 hel
= ~ g. q q s 81. u 49, 81 sssi1 n s. s.