The Placer herald., 1874-02-07
SHALL WE, OR SHALL WE NOT =?

Last Monday morning f. l.. Craig, at
toney for the Railroad Company, appeared
before the Board of Supervisors Of Placer
County. and, as we learn, Informed the
Board that notwithstanding the recent de.
cision Of the tax suit in the U. 8. Circui,
Court in favor Of the company, they were
willing to compromise the matter and pay
their taxes both for this year and last.
There was no intimation, we believe, as to
what amount the Railroad Company would
be willing to pay on, but it is reasonable to
suppose that they will want the Board to
come to their terms, which will doubtless be
a reduction of at least one-half the assessed
value of their property. A compromise
mans the concession of both parties until
an equilibrium is established on which both
can agree. And hence the question will be,
are our Supervisors justified in concedng
one single point ? or, in other words, shall
they, or shall they not compromise with the
Railroad Company on the question Of the
assessed value of their property? There
are many who would say, and even do say,
Eyes, pay us your taxes on half what we
have assessed you at and we will be
sats6ed-anything to stop this expensive liti
cation" 1t is true, should they pay their
taxes on even the lowest proposed rate, the
amount would be considerable, and it would
afford tangible benefit; still, we should
hate very much to see our Supervisors make
any concession whatever with the railroad
power for the sake of receiving into the
County Treasury few dollars which JUS
tice bids them spum. If the fact is estab-
lished, which il must have been before the
last Board, that the railroad property in this
county is worth the amount at which it was
equalzcd by that Board, our Supervisors
would be doing wrong if they accepted tax
es on the road at cent less. We have
fought many hard political fights in this
county to secure an administration that
would mete out justice to all-rch and poor
alike, and we hold that the Supervisors are
no more justified in compromising with the
Railroad Company because it is powerful
and wealthy, than they would be in accept
ing taxes from the poorest property holder
in the county on half the value of his es
tate. The only thing for this Board to do
in the premises is this: To arrive as nearly
as possible at a just and equitable valuation
of the railroad property in this county, and
then demand taxes on that valuation, and
have them, or die in the pit. The company
may think the people of Placer are fright
ened at Sawyer's decision, and will accept
most anything to get clear, but if that is
their game we fear they have rcckoned
amiss. The people here are well aware
that the only evil effects Of this strained de-
cison from a court which has no constitu
tional jurisdiction over the case, will be to
delay justice, and they are not frightened in
the least. 1t has been shown by statistics
that not only railroad companies but corpor-
atons generally manage to ring in their
property on Assessors at from three fourths
to nine-tenths less than its real value, thus
throwing the real burden of taxation on the
poor. This is what we have so long and
loudly condemned, and what the honest cit.
izens seek to have remedied as far as posi-
BILE. Let our Supervisors see to it that no
encouragement is given to this unjust prac-
tice in their endeavors to settle the difficulty
between the County and the Railroad Com
pany.