Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-17
TAX REBATE j
WAS DENIED
DRY COUNTY
Golden Valley Co. Seeking
J, Justice From Townley
Gets Another Swat.

Beach. n. D., June IA. l..
Evans. special writer for the st. Paul
Dispatch, in one of his series of ar
especially as affected by the Socialist
program, gives the following account
of the efforts Of this, Golden Valley
county to, secure Justice at the hands
of George T.. Wallace, Townley's tax
commissioners at Bismarck:
The Article.
/ Beach. n. D.. June 17.-How the
farmers Of Golden Valley county,
North Dakota, in spite of successive
misfortunes. attempted to shoulder
an unjust burden of increased taxa
ton n failed; how they appealed
to the responsible state administra-
ton for relief from this burden--im-
posed upon then, that there might be
no halt in the Townley experiments-
and how summarily their plea was
dismissed. is revealed in the records
of the county auditor here.
Boost. boost, boost" was tho adj
they undertook to fix the assessed
valuation Of Golden Valley farm lands
on a 100 per cent basis last year.
George E. Wallace, state tax COM
missioner, was asked by Golden VAL
ley county officials to interpret the
~ ADMINISTRATION = meaning or a lVU. per
! cent valuation on farm lands and he
replied:
Fix the valuation at 100 per cent
OF the highest possible value Of the
land"
Crops Arc Failure.
And that's what happened. Tho
assessed valuation Of real property
was boosted from $2,440,197 to So
61S.114. That of personal property
was increased from sS8s,251 to 81
: 220.057. The worst was yet to come.
!, but they didn't know it then. Suisse
quently it developed.
i Meeting as a board. of equalization.
the county commissioners approved
the new valuation. Their constitu-'
, increased burden. one misfortune
had followed another. but at that time
there were prospects Of perhaps a
half crop. They decided to "lct it
!, ride"
:, But their scant 6ron continued to
soil caked and, cracked under cloud
less skies There was NJ possibility
: of crop, no chance for winter feed or
) seed: even the roots Of the short
cropped grass baked in the sun, and
: live stock grew thin.
8 1t was apparent they would be un-
: able to winter their cattle: For three
preceding years they had suffered
drouth, only the previous year the
county had been compelled 10 issue
$40, 600 in bonds to finance seeding.
: property values had deprecated from
: i2O to 40 per cent and A greater por-
8 ton of the real and personal property
: .of Golden Valley county was heavily
!, smortgaged.
n Give Facts to Board.
- .July' rs" 1919, the board Of county
. commissioners again assembled and
: adopted tho following resolution,
which was forwarded to tho state
board of equalization:
Whereas. the assessed valuation Of
the real and personal property within
the county of Golden Valley and state
of North Dakota fort h year 1918
was as follows:
Real .S2.440.1?7
Personal 666.251
And, whereas. tho assessed valua-
ton of the real and personal prop
erty of said county for the year 1919
is as follows:
Real ......... $6,61S.114
Personal e.....A.A .......... l.22O.O5I
land whereas, the said county dur
jng the year 1919 has suffered from a
Yprotracted drouth which has abso-
lutely, destroyed all crops OF every
kind and description, including hay
and feed crops. by reason of which
the farmers will not even raise seed
for the coming year and will be UNI
able to winter their live stock; n
Whereas. said county has suffered
from drouth and loss of crops during
the three preceding years, and,
Whereas, on account of drouth
and crop failure the county was COM
PEELED to issue its bonds in the year
1918 for the sum of 100000 to pro-
vide seed grain for farmers who had
not sufficient seed by reason of drouth
to plant their crops n
Cannot Plant Crops.
"Whereas. by reason of aforesaid
conditions all property In said county
has deprecated in valu from 20 to 40
per cent. and the farmers will not
have seed and feed and will be unable
to plant their crops for the farming
season Of 1920. and
whereas. the greater portion. OF
the real and personal property Of said
county has been mortgaged on ac-
count Of the crop failures existing
during the last several years and the
farmers will be unable to- meet the
interest charges on such mortgages.
and ,
Whereas. about 10 per cent of the
residents Of this, county have, within
the last thirty days. been compelled to
seek employment elsewhere, and
o. =