Republican News Item.
VOL. XII. NO 19.
T $24,000 — $44,000 o
> Which Do You Prefer ~ ?
S Hie average man earns about si, ioo a year. He/'
Ny works 40 years and earns a total of $44, 00 in a
112 time. The average dav laborer gets $2,000 a day or /
1 S6OO lor a year of }oo days. He earns $24,000 in a>
/ life time. The difference between $44,003 and 524- X
\ 000 is $20,000. This is the minimum value of ay
112 practical education in dollars and cents The in-Y
\ creased self respect cannot be measured in money. J
? Why not stop plugging away at a small salary when \
V the International Correspondence Schools, 9f Scran- /
112 ton Pa can give you an education that will make \
I high salaried man of you ? No matter what line of V
) work you care to follow, this great educational In- S
\ stitution can prepare you in your spare time and atx
r a small cost to secure a good-paying position. Ourr
\ local Representative will show you how you can
{ triple your earning capacity. Look him up today, Q
> HI is C. IF. BK/EIsTINT A IN - , /
C. I. S. Representative. TOWANDA, PA. C
HARDWARE>
No Place Like this Place
For Reliable
STOVES and RANGES,
COAL OB WOOD
HEATERS;
1
ONE OF WINTER'S GREAT DELIGHTS.
House Furnishiug Goods, Tools of Every
Description, Guns and Ammunition
Bargains that bring the buyer back.
Come and test the truth of our talk.
A lot of second hand stoves and ranges for sale cheap.
We can sell you in stoves anything from a fine Jewel Base
Burner to a low priced but satisfactory cook stove.
Hot Air, Steam and Hot Water Heating and
General Repairing, Roofing and Spouting.
S «el a.
The Sliopbell Dry Good Co.,
313 Pine Street,
! WILLIAMSPORT, PA.
Leidies' (L>lyife LavnWaist
The stock is at ib best just now, and any ideas you
have may be readily satisfied here, as we have all the
newest st) les that have been shown this season, and
above all a larg assortment to choose from. are
neatly made and are reasonable in price.
Ladies' and Children's Embroidery for Corset
Tan Hose Covers
Ladies' pl.lin and lace Tan I lose. ex- , , ,
, , We are showing some verv handsome
tra good i|ualities lor e
12! cto 50c a Pail- a "' l new ''•'"is" B ot ' lß < -' orst '< (; " vpl '
CI 1 en's Tan Hose in a'T sizes lor Embroidery; the prices range from
15 and 2">c 25c to 75c a Yard
L,ants' Dresses and Wearables tor Babies.
We have iust opened some Infants' Infants'aiid Children's Hand Crochet
1.1 . I tresses with lots of laste and baby- ed Saei|iie.s, in plain or white or pink ami
like licniiiy in tliem. Sime plain, others Idne trimmings, 25c to 1.50.
with I. es and tucks. I'rices start at 25c .. , . . ■,. , .... .. ~
iialiv sand Children s \\ lute Mull
and n;i to $2.75 ',... .
. ... ... at 25 c to ioc.
Sluirt I'resses tor older halites. All
, . I, . u • Infants Cashmere Hands, 25c and .MM
dainty ami well made from line Cambric
or Nainsook, at 25c and up. Infants" Wool and Cotton Hose in
Initials' ami Children's long or short while, pink, blue, tan and last Mack
Skirts on waists at st)e. to SI.OO extra >|ii alilies, lor 15c and 25c.
Ladies' White Dresses.
Ladies' White Law n and Swiss ltresses in the newest styles. Neatly ma A
and trimmed with emdroidery or lares. Il doesn't pay to make tliem when you
an Lmy nice dresses here for >'.'l.oo to 17.50.
Subscribe for the Newsltem
LAPORTE, SULLIVAN COUNTY PA. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 1907.
In lust week's issue (if I he Gazette
I find a reference t«> me as follows:
"As before staled we unable to say
and unable to learn and can only inter
what influence broughl about the results,
.ludge Ingham is the acting counsel for
the commissioners and we are (old that
K. 1\ Ingham figured in (lie settlement
tor Baron Council. II this be true the
situation was this. Huron Council upon
one side assisted bv Kllery, and Sullivan
county upon the other side assisted by
Judge Ingham. We learn thai commit*
siotier Mcltounald <1 id not favor the set
tlement."
As this affects public interests I deem
it proper to notice it.
As County Solicitor it became my
duty to render to the County Com
missioners such legal assistance as
they required of me, and in refer
ence to the legal aspects of the recent
triennial assessment, I have been
occasionally eousulted. I can say
with truth that from the beginning
to the end of thi- difficult task, I
have observed in the Commissioners
nothing but a steady effort tit do
their duty to the County and to the
taxpayers.
When they examined the assess
' meuts as returned by the assessors
they observed that the valuations
all over the county were substantial
ly the same as they had been estab
lished by their predecessors in office.
The last board ot commissioners had
raised the valuation on real estate,
as returned by the assessors, to the
extent often per cent, and that rais
ed valuation was retained, but the
commissioners observed that valua
tions on timber lands,and coal lands
and tanneries were not fixed at
their proportionate value.
As it required much investigation,
and the testimony of those who had
knowledge of all of these properties,
to enable the commissioners to form
a just estimate of their value, they
deemed it proper to employ Frank
W. Meylert Esq., to give special at
tention to this part of the business.
Mr.. Meylert's knowledge of the
Sullivan coal fields especially fitted
him for this employment.
Sitting as a board of Revision the
commissioners heard the testimony
of witnesses on all of the interests
involved, and on this testimony
raised the valuation on such of the
said lands as seemed to them to lie
assessed bto low. This action of the
commissioners was, as the law re
i|uires, e.rpitrfc; the property owners
were not heard. Immediately after
the assessments had been raised,
days were appointed for appeals in
every township, and at the county
seat. *
The owners of the timber land anil
tanneries were heard at Laporte.
Witnesses were.sworn and examined
on both sides, and the lands were
considered tract by tract, and classi
fied jis follows: Ist hemlock .timber
land; 2nd hardwood timber land;
,!rd barren land. After a full inves
tigatiou the valuation was amicably
adjusted as follows: the valuation on
the hemlock timber land was raised
from 18 to 40 dollars per acre, the
hardwood timber land from 'J. to •">
dollars per acre, and the barren land
left as heretofore at one dollas per
acre. The acreage was also exam
ined and added.to when required,
ami some tracts heretofore omitted
added to the list. The valuation of
the tanneries was raised from S9BOOO
to $172,000.
From such information as the
Commissioners could gather, while
sititng as a board of revission, they
raised thw valuation of the Cherry
and Colley coal lands from $lB to
$350 per acre.
On the day fixed for the apjieal
Mr. Council, Mr. Jackson and others
interested in the coal lands, appeared
with K. J. Mullen, S. T. McC'orinick
and A. Walsh as their attorneys.
The situation was discussed at -ome
length, but the attorneys represent
ing the coal interests did not offer
any evidence nor make any propo
sition for settlement. They stated
tersely that they would goto a high
er Court. They afterwards entered
an appeal to the Court ol Common
Pleas.
The Court of Common l'leas con
\ened at Laporte on the :t, of Sep
tember to hear the appeal, Judges
Terry, Kshinka and Hichlin being
upon the bench.
Attorneys E. J. Mullen and S. T.
I McCormick appeared for the appel
lants, and Thos. J. Ingham, F. W.
Meylert and Rodney A. Mercur ap
peared for the County. A large
number of witnesses on both sides
were in attendance.
Before the case was opened in
Court an effort was made to get au
amicable adjustment in the Com
missioners office. Mr. Connell pre
sented Ids side of the case very
i strongly, and was answered in an
j able argument by Mr. Meyiert.
I The best offer that could be got from
I Mr. Connell was for a valuation of
| fifty or sixty dollars per acre,
which the Commissioners refused;
but offered to reduce it to $175 per
acre; which thfc coal mVn refused.
The case therefore had togo to trial*
The Appellants first offered in evi
dence the Commissioners Journal,
and all of the assessment books of
the county for the year 1907, and
then culled Nathan l'ersun to the
witness stand. Mr. l'ersun testified
that he had examined a large num
ber of farms and buildings in Cherry
and Col Icy townships and in Dushore
borough, and then proceeded to state
the valuation which lie put upou a
great number of properties; and the
valuation he put upon them was
compared with the valuation put
upon them by the towuship assess
ors. He was on the stand until the
adjournment Tuesday evening and
was called upou the stand again
on Wednesday. HP was followed
by U. L. McHenry of Dushore, who
testified that he went with Mr. Per-
HUII to examine the various proper
ties upon which Mr, l'ersun had es
timated the cost values; that they
had agreed upon a valuation in every
case, and he expressed the opinion
that all the valuations mentioned
by Mr. Persun were correct,
Mr. S. Hurst was next called, and
testified that he went with Persuu
and Mcllenry and examined real es
tate in Mildred, Bern ice and Lopez,
•md corroborated the valuations
made by them, so far as related to
those villages. Several other wit
nesses were called who occupied the
time of the Court until Thursday
110011.
The testimony thus far adduced
indicated that the assessed valuation
of the real estate in the townships of
Colley aud Cherry, excluding the
coal lands, did not exceed from one
third to one-fifth its real cash value.
In the afternoon sees-ion of the
Court Thursday Judge Terry sug
gested that it might be advisable for
the parties to settle. He said it was
now evident that it would take a
long time to try the case and be very
expensive, anil he thought if the
parties would get together in an am
icable spirit they might make a fair
settlement and save a great deal of
cost, lie said the Constitution pro
vided that taxation should be equal,
and that if the case was left to the
Court, the Court would have to con
form to the evidence in the equali
zation of the taxation. Acting on
this suggestion the Attorneys repre
senting all parties interested request
ed the Court to grant a reeess to give
them an opportunity for consulta
tion.
The Commissioners and the coal
men were so far apart that it was
difficult for them to get together.
Propositions aud counter proposi
tion were made and rejected foi
about two hours. Finally the coai
men made an offer as their ultima
tum, to consent to the valuation of
#lOl per acre. The Commissioners
were reluctant to accept this offer j
but by the advice of their Attorneys
finally conseuted to do so.
In reaching this conclusion due
consideration was given to five
points iu the case, Ist. It could not
be controverted that the assessments
on real estate in the County
were much below the cash value.
2nd. That as we could not produce
evidence of any sale* of coal lands
in the county it was difficult for us
to establish its marketable value by
the usual mode of proof, and in so
far as what is called "expert testi
mony" was coucerned the coal men
had more "experts" than we had;
3rd. If the Court of Common Pleas
of Sullivan county should sustain
us in our [tositiong, an appeal would
: probably be taken to the
; Supreme Court, which would cause
i long delay and great expense; 4th.
If we failed to sustain our assess
ments in the Supreme Court, a large
amount of costs would probably fall
upon the county; sth. The trial was
likely to last two or three weeks;
the expense to the county for wit
nesses, lawyers, officers of the Court
etc. amounted to several hundred
dollars per day. Thase costs were
likely to exceed the amount which
the County could get from increased
taxation on any increased valuation
which we might get on coal lands
above the slOl per acre offered to us.
In reference to the settlement some
may say, "You had a jirst cause why did
you not fight it out ?" To this it may be
answered, "Who knows the result of a
lawsuit?" And further, that so long as
the litigation was lingering, and the costs
accumulating, the taxes would remain in
the pockets of the coal men, while the
commissioners were borrowing money to
pay current expenses.
Summing up what the commissioners
have accomplished we have the fact that
the commissioners have largely increased
the valuation of the taxable property of
the county without imposing any increas
ed burdens on the farmers and laborers of
the county. The increased taxation will
be, where it justly belongs, on timber
lands, coal lands and tanneries.
And this raised valuation, i.kt it i»k
kkhemhicrbd, is established by AGREE
MENT with the property owners and all
parties interested.
Most ot our people will be surprised to
learn that this increased valuation ex
ceeds HALF A MILLION <tK DOL
LARS.
The editors of the Gazette say in their
newspaper that "For many years it has
been well known that the coal lands of
Sullivan county, lying in Colley and
Cherry townships, were being assessed at
a very small fraction of their valuation,
it ml as a result thai the owners of these
properties were bearing a grossly inade.
• |imte share of the public burden."
At the time ot the triennial assess
ment. three years ago the two editors of
the (iazette controlled two' influential
newspapers. They found no fault with
the commissioners who assessed these
same coal lands at eighteen, dollars per
acre, and at Che same time raised the
valuation on all of the arm lauds ami
village real estate of the county ten per
cent aliove the valuation made by the
assessors.
It appears therefore that these editors
should be the last men to condemn the
coin in issioners who have raised the valu
ation on these same co.tl lands more than
live hundred and fifty percent, without
raising the valuation on the farm '.amis
and village real eetale in the county, one
cent.
Thomas J. Inoh am.
Harrisburg, Sept. 14.—The audi
tor general's department has refused
to pay more than five cents >i mile
mileage in primary election bills,
and has returned to county commis
sioners all bills exceeding that rate.
The charges for mileage by judges
of election in making returns pre
sent as much variation as charges
for ballot boxes, printing, clerical
work and other details, and suggest
the neccessity of a state law fixing
such expenses. In almost every in
stance the bills for the winter pri
maries and many „for the summer
t primaries have been returned.
Austin, in Potter county is wag
ing war against an evil that has
recently come to light in that place.
According to the returns of an Aus
tin constable, made in open court at
oudersport, Frank J. Welsh, a lo
cal druggest, and his agent W. J.
Alexander were guilty of selling
powdered cocaine to the people ,so
promiscuously that from 50 to 100
of Austin's young people are victims
of this deadly drug habit. Both
men were arrested on the charge of
selling the drug in this way.
Justices of the peace and magis
trates throughout Luzerne county
will have something on which to
reflect through the action of the
grand jury last week which put the
costs in many trivial cases upon the
committing magistrates. It has
been the eustom throughout that
county among the magistrates to re
turn cases in which costs were not
paid no matter how trivial the of
fense might be. The migistrates
had been repeatedly warned by the
court but the evil continued to grow.
Last week when the grand jury came
across a lot ol these cases, to show
its disgust placed the cost of the pro
ceedings upon the magistrates.
75C PLR YEAP
BERNICE ITEMS.
Mr, and Mrs. T. F, McLaughlin,
Mr. and Mrs. H. P. McLaughlin were
Laporte visitors Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Miner were
Nordmont visitors Sunday.
Thomas Walters was visiting La
porte friends Friday.
C. E. Jackson was a Sayre visitor
Tuesday.
Miss Maude Turnbull of Rcynolds
ville, was visiting Mildred friends
last week.
John O. Conner and Thomas Ram
sey were at Colley playing hall Sat
urday.
Atty. A.J. Bradley of Laporte, was
calling on friends at this place Wed
nesday.
Sheriff Buck of Laporte was a visi
tor here Thursday.
The game of ball between the Ber
n ice Stars and Dusliore on Saturday
was called of!" on account of some of
our players getting cold feet.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert McGee of
Sayre, were called to Mildred Sunday
on account of the sudden death of
her father Timothy Uvan who died
at Mildred Saturday.
Another landmark has passed away
in the death of Mr. Timothy Ryan.
For the repose of his soul, Father En
right celebrated requiem high mass
at St. Francis church. Few men
were better known than was Mr.Ryan
in this section. Socially he had few
equals, for hospatality lie had no peer.
The community has lost a good citi
zen and a most charitable neighbor.
The surviving family are his wile,
two daughters. Mrs. Robt. McGee,
of Savre, and Clara, at home; one
brother, William, of Mildred. Inter
ment was made in St.Frances cetue
terv.
Mutiny Valley, Sept. H, 1907.
Mrs. Sarah A. Webb, wife of Col.
K. K. Webb of this place passed
away September 4th, after a year's
suffering with rheumatism and dia
l»etes. The funeral services were
hehl at the house and [also at Mt.
Zion Lutherali ehurch 4 in Penn town
ship, The sermon was preached by
Itev. S. IJ. Bidlack. A largo num
ber of people from this place attend
ed these services. Mrs. Webb was
a good woman of splendid character
and with a kind disposition. She
was the daughter of Daniel F. Smith
of Penn township. She was mar
ried to Col. Webb in the year 1882.
Their union was blessed with a
daughter who at the age of thiee
years died. This was a severe blow
to Mrs. Webb, but recovering from
the sorrow, she became a sympa
thetic and loving neighbor highly
esteemed by all. She leaves beside
her husband one daughter and one
sister, Mrs. Mary Ann Houseknecht
who lived with the family. Mrs.
Dell Edkin of Hughesville, a niece,
and Thomas, l'hillip and Jake
Houseknecht, nephews, attended the
funeral. The Munoy Valley choir
sang three consoling hymns at the
funeral interment was made at
Mt. Zion cemetery.
A very pleasant social affair oceur
,»d at the home of Mrs. H. L. Far
doe, Forksville, Tuesday evening,
.September 3, the occasion being a
reeeption given by the ladies of the
Forksville Woinans' Christian Tem
perance Union to the School Board
and the teachers and pupils of the
Forksville High School. A short
iterHry program consisting of read
ing, essays, recitations and music
given by members present was much
enjoyed. At the close of the pro
gram Miss Sara A. Jluckle, Co.
Pres., presented a picture of Mrs.
Mary H. Hunt to the High School
which was graciously received by
Principle N. B. Lundy. Elegant
refreshments were served and a good
time enjoyed by all.
D. E. Hunihan of Pittsburg has
been appointed an inspector for the
state insurance department. Mr.
Hunihan takes the place of Repre
sentative Andrew 11. Hitchcock of
Tioga county, whose appointment
was declared illegal by Attorney
General Todd on the ground that
a member of the legislature ctinnot
be appointed to a State office during
the term tor which he is elected.