White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-09-03

pany appealed this matter, suing eacill
county in which the Northern Pacific
operated, including Benton County, l
have defended Benton County in this
suit and it has been recently decided
by the Supreme Court in our favor.
If we had lost this case in the Supreme
to repay to the railroad companies in
the county over $600o.00 actual cash,
but by winning the case have saved
to the taxpayers of the county at
least 100000 in actual cash.
During my term of office / have also
successfully defended the largest tax
case in this history of the county
brought by a nonresident taxpayer,
and Involving over $4,000 acres OF land,
in which the valuations of the property
were attacked, and it was sought to
have the property valued at practically
nothing. For the reason that this
property has been valued in the same
proportion to all other similar prop
erty in the county. I was able to sue
cessfully defend this case and save
to the county between 100000 and
100000 in taxes which have been paid
by this individual. The plaintiff did
not even appeal the case to the Su-
preme Court.
During my term of office I have
been instrumental in preparing and
pres :nting to the State Board of Equal
ization, the matter of the ratio for
Benton County on the railroad prop
critics in the county, and we have sue
ceeded each year in obtaining raise
in our ratio. The first year we got a
raise of one per cent, the second year,
two per cent and the third year, two
per cent, total of five per cent. In
dollars and cents this means $50,O0O.00
to the taxpayers OF Benton County.
| In other words, every one per cent
raised in our ratio means that railroad
companies and the difference in State
Taxes which we have to pay is saw
ing of 100000 to the taxpayers of
Benton County, therefore, a five per
cent raise has been a total Of $50, 100000.
I am now preparing our case to be
presented to the State Board OF
Equalization September 7, at which
time we are going to ask for the larg-
est raise ever granted, and we are
going to ask for raise to so per cent,
which is the maximum. If we are
successful in this, it will mean that we
will be the first county in the history
of the state to have our railroad ratio
placed at so per cent, and it will mean
net saving of $600o0.Co for this one
year in taxes to the taxpayers of the
county. Whether I will be successful
or not, cannot say now, but the fact
remains that have been successful on
each previous occasion and have re-
ceived a creditable raise in ratio each
year.
To illustrate my effort to be of SER
vice to the county, I will point out the
matter of the court house bonds. Il
has been customary where city bonds
itself, such as was done by the city OF
Prosser or where county bonds it
self, such as we did for our court
house, that the Prosecuting Attorney
recommend some firm of nationally
known attorneys to handle the neces-
sary legal matters involved in the
issue of the bonds, when this is done,
the bond houses will accept the opinion
of these attorneys without additional
expense and will bid on the binds.
Ordinarily they will not accept or bid
on the bonds without the opinion of
some nationally known ttond attor
neiys, however, in our court house
bonds, l recommended to the Board
of County Commissioners that they
refuse to expend the sum of $4,000
necessary for the employment of bond
attorneys, and that I would do the
work myself and would endeavor tc
make it air tight, so that the bonds
could be sold. 1 was successful ir