| OCR Text |
Show IM SMIL II One Candidate of the Gooding-Brady Gooding-Brady 'Machine Is Placed in Very Bad Position. MAY FACE CHARGE OF FALSIFYING THE RECORDS Ccise of Robert Lansdon Is Referred Re-ferred to County Attorney Attor-ney for Action. ..Cii. Special to The Tribune. WE1SER, Ida., Oct. 13. The following follow-ing appears on the records of tho Dro-cocdings Dro-cocdings of tho Board of Commissioners of Washington county, who adjourned yesterday afternoon after a week's session: ses-sion: "It appearing to tho board that at tho January, 1005, meeting of the board, Robert Lansdon presented his claim to this board for credits in his account as oTai Collector for tho year 190-1; that said claim contained an item ot $10.50 for which credit was asked and allowed by this board, January 17. 1005, and now at this time the original receipt being presented to tho board, and it appearing therefrom that this tax was paid in lull and that no credit should have been allowed, these facts and records in connection with the matter mat-ter are referred to the County Attorney." Attor-ney." Robert Lansdon, whoso name appears in connection with tho abovo, is tho candidate on the Republican ticket for Secretary of State. Ho ia the man of whom Gov. Gooding said at the Poca-tello Poca-tello convention when ho named tho slate there, "I want Lansdon on the ticket with me as he is a man with whom 1 can work," and he was nominated nomi-nated accordingly. Strange Story Is This. Tho facts in the caso aro as follows: In the fall of 1004, Lansdon being County Assessor and Tax Collector, . M. Brown, a prominent sheepman of this county, came in to pay his tax. The assessment on his sheep for tho year was $103.50, which he paid, receiving re-ceiving a receipt from Lansdon for the amount in full settlement for his tax for the year. At tho January, 1905, meeting of the Board of Commissioners, about three months after Brown had paid his tax. Lansdon personally appeared ap-peared boforo the board and stated that Brown was entitled to a rebate of $40.50, that during three months of the year his sheep had ranged in Idaho county, an adjoining county. Tho tax law of Idaho regarding the taxation of sheep, cattle or horses provides that tho owner pays taxes according to the timo his stock ranges in a certain county. For instance, if they raugo in Washing ton county nine months and Idaho county coun-ty three months, throe-fourths of tho tax is paid to Washington and one-fourth one-fourth to Idaho, and the owner is given a rebato for the time he is out 3f the county by showing a receipt from the Assessor of that county. Tho Commissioners acting on the presumption pre-sumption that. Lansdon had such a receipt re-ceipt granted tho rebate. In the fall of 1005, Brown again came into tho assessor's ollico to pay his taxes for the previous year. lie was informed by the Deputy Assessor who was present pres-ent that he was entitled to a rebato for tho time his sheep were in Idaho county tho previous year. Brown was very "much surprised and stated that ho was not entitled to any rebate as his sheep has never been out of Washington Wash-ington county. Asked if he had ever received any rebate money from Lansdon Lans-don he said' ho hod not. Tho suspicious of the Assessor being aroused he immediately im-mediately begun an investigation. IIo wrote the Auditor of Idaho' county if Brown had paid taxes for the year 1904 in that county; the replj was" that his sheep were never in tho county. Tho Assessor then hunted up tho tax "receipt book and found that the duplicate had been tampered with, that the fig-tires fig-tires mado by the carbon when the duplicate dup-licate and original were first made had been evasfd and the figires $123.50 had been writieu iuslead. Tho work was very bunglingly done. Original Receipt Found. Immediately on making this discovery discov-ery tho Assessor set about securing tho original receipt given Brown by Lansdon. Lans-don. After considerable correspondence this was done and is now iu the possession posses-sion of tho County Auditor. It shows that Brown paid "as tax tho sum of $163.50. and that he had never received a cent of rebato nor was the amount rebated over turned back to the county by Lansdon. ' Q "The County Attorney was immediately immediate-ly notified of the matter and instructed to bring Lansdon, who is making campaign cam-paign speeches in the northern pnrt of tho Stale, before the board for investigation. in-vestigation. IIo was notified by telegram tele-gram Wednesday afternoon, but up to rhis time has not put in an appearance. What action will be taken upon his arrival is not yet known, although lawyers and well informed persons say nothing short of a charge of felony and falsifying tho records can bo thought 01. The effect of having a man on the Stato ticket who may he charged with a felony can havo but tho one result, defenting the entire ticket. Even nov Republicans v.'ho have stood by tho Gooding .machine through all its' troubles trou-bles are forsaking it ns they say it is too much for thoni to swallow. Tne present Assessor who discovered the discrepancy is a Republican, tho Board of Commissioners are all Republicans, Re-publicans, the Prosecuting Attorney is a Republican, therefore tho Democrats cannot bo charged with starting it up as a political scheme. The outcomo is being watched with interest nil over tho State. |
