The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1921-09-22
COUNTY ASSESSMENT
RAISED BY STATE
WOULD INCREASE COUNTY AS
SESSMENT OVER A MILLION
Judge Peete Called Mass Meeting
For Wednesday AfternOon-O Ac-
count of Heavy Rain Citizen Were
Unable to Attend and Meeting
Continued Until Friday Afternoon
at 2 O'clock Expect Large Crowd.

A mass meeting was held in the
courthouse Wednesday afternoon,
pursuant to a call issued by County
Judge John Y. Peete, for the pur-
pose of protesting the increase made
BY the State Board of Equalization
IN the assessed valuation of property
in Upton county. A large crowd Of
taxpayers was present at the meet
ing, and resolutions were passed
protesting the 10 per cent. raise made
by the State Board Of Equalization.
Judge Peete called the meeting to
order and spoke at length on the
matter.
On account Of the rain Wednes-
day morning and the threatening
weather throughout the day, which
prevented the attendance Of the
country people to a large extent, it
was decided to hold another mass
meeting Friday afternoon at 2
o'clock in the courthouse to give all
the taxpayers opposed to the in
crease an opportunity to make a
further protest.
In calling the above mentioned
meetings Judge Peete circulated an
open letter to the taxpayers of Tip
ton county, from which we make the
following extract:
AS you know well, all of the land
values in the county were assessed
for the year 1920 at wartime prices,
and the legislature of 1921 passed
law last January requiring a new
assessment Of all property so that
the taxpayers Of the State of Ten
nessee could have the benefit Of a
reduction of the exceedingly high
values Of 1920, in keeping with the
great reduction in the values of cot
ton, cattle, mules, horses, hogs and
every other product which grows out
Of the land and upon top Of the
land.
under the operation Of said 1921
law, the property of the adjoining
counties Of Fayette, Haywood and
Lauderdaie were assessed at greatly
reduced values, but the lands Of /
Upton county were assessed at even
higher values than in 1920, and after
a long and painstaking meeting of I
the County Equalization Board at
the courthouse in Covington, said
Board being composed Of good bust
ness men Of the soundest Judgment
and Of the highest integrity, reduced
the county assessors values upon the
real estate of Upton county to SILL
39O,515, which was $3,520,541 below
the assessors values. A report Of |
your said Equalization Boards fig |
ures were sent to the State Equaliza-
ton Board at Nashville seven weeks
ago for their deliberations, and | re-
ceived a notice from them this morn
ing that they had raised the figures
of our County Board 10 per cent,
which will put our real estate val
ues more tl(an million dollars
higher"
Any persons desiring to make af-
fidavit to the fact that their property
is assessed at more than its actual
market value are urged to do so in
order that these sworn statements
can be presented to the State Equal
ization Board in Nashville in support
of the claim for a reduction in the
increase of valuations made by that
organization. Attorneys w. L.
Owen and w. v. Bringle have vol
unteered to take acknowledgements
OF this character without charge to
persons making them.