Year: 1865




present to the taxpayers of Placer county?
The President Of this mammoth corporation
going before our Board of Equalization and
compelling an acquiesence in the demands
of the Railroad! 1t was very cheeky. No
taxpayer in the county could have done the
same thing-his dictation would not have
been listened to for moment. The action
Of the Board was as follows:


Board of Equalization.


Tuesday, Nov. l4h.


In the matter of the Complaint of c. A.
Tweed, ESQ. relative to the assessment of the
property of the Central Pacific Railroad Co.,
of California, after hearing the evidence in
the case. it is hereby. ordered, that the as
sessment stand as given in by the Railroad
Company to the Assessor in their statement
made the 9th Of March; the value of the
road being fixed at $4,000 per mile, and that
the assessment of property Of said Company
in the County acquired, since the statement
given on the eth day of March, and as re-
CARDS the assessment of the road above New
Castle be and is hereby ignored


Supervisors Scott and Richmond voted in
the affirmative, and Dodd n the negative.


Adjourned.


Were Messrs. Scott and Richmond elected
to serve the particular interests Of the Rail
road Company, or to stand by and protect
the interests of the people and tax payers of
Placer county? That's the question. By
their action they have bunged the business
more than ever; and have performed an act
which they had no RIGHT to do They say
the assessment on the road (for l5a mies)
must be $4,000 per mile. Yet no such assess
ment has ever beenp laced on the roll. If the
Collector takes pay for taxes on six thousand
when his books show an assessment for ten
thousand dollars per mile will he not be per.
sonay responsible? Have the Board made
any provision to protect him in case he is?


What induced Scott and Richmond to an,
nul the Supplemental Assessment of October
of the road from New Castle to Clipper Gap?
Was it not made within the time required
by law! Does not every man in Placer
county know that the Company bad been
using it for months, and making money out
of it! 1t is singular proceeding. And
ough. not Scott and Richmond be made to
pay the tax which, by their action, they
have declared the County shall not have?


Although the Assessor blundered in
March, in not giving the Railroad Company
notice that he would raise the assessment TO
$4,000 per mile, las special law required
Of which he was then uninformed,) vet, it is
no reason for majority of the the Board to
60 on and pile blunder on bIunder. Tax
; Payers would like to known by what course
of reasoning they arrived at the conclusion
that the Railroad ought only to be taxed
this year $4,000 per mile, when it has about
: 40 miles of road in the county doing splen
did business, while last year the first Is and
half miles of the road was assessed at Sl2,,
500 per mile. DO not Scott and Richmond
know that the Railroad Company can sell
their road for $40, 900 per mile, in gold, any
day that they will take ia


A little over two years ago members ot
the Railroad Company were travelling this
: county begging the "dear people" to vote ii
$3.50, 900 of Placer County Bonds, to aid in
the "great National Enterprise" adducing as
one of their strongest arguments that, wher
tho road vas con, nlatod tho County ,yonl,
derive revenue from the Company's taxa
BILE property that would pay the entire ex-
penses Of the County Government. Money
was freely distributed and groceries charter
ed for the purpose Of convincing voters to
support the proposition. How thankful and
liberal the Railroad Company are in return!
The officers not only dictate to our Board of
Supervisors what the rate of taxation shall
be, but threaten to have law passed through
the legislature depriving the county of some
of its just revenues.


This is magnanimity for you, with venge>
ance. But Placer county will be represen.
ted in the legislature, and perhaps her mem
bers will have something to say as we'll as
the Railroad Company.


The BLAcKFooT MINEs.-Letters have re,
} Gently been received by persons in this coun-
; ty, from acquaintances in the Blackfoot
country, Montana Territory, stating that the
mines there exceed in richness any placer