The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-03-17
the sensation.
STATE TAXATION DE- EsAIl.
Road LANDS. -

STATE TAXATION DE- Hail.
~ ROAD LANDS.
The House of Representative al
Washington passed.. on the Sth, a
bill introduced by Mr.. Crounse, OF
Nebraska, to make land granted to
and owned by railroads, subject to
State taxation, the same as other
lands. 1t then went to the Senate.
We find in the Congressional
Record, that Hon. w. H.. Phillips,
of Kansas, had introduced and sec
ond the passage by the house, last
year, of a similar bill, and he was
accordingly given the opportunity
of making three minute speech in
favor of this bill, which he did as
follows:
Mr.. Phillips, of Kansas. The
gentlemen from Nebraska, who has
this bill in charge (Mr. Crouuse),
has so fully stated its support that
| | need not consume much of the
time of the House. A bill
almost identical with this, vary
ing just as stated by the gentleman.
passed this House in the last Con-
gress, bat failed to receive consider
alton in the Senate.
These separate railroad compan
les, these different branches of the
Pacific Railroad Company, to-day
hold fifty millions of acres of land
without paying taxes thereon, and
hold that land for speculative 'pur-
| poses for ten years they have held
| the greater part of this land. Set
tiers purchasing land from them or
! occupying the alternate sections of
the public lands give these railroads
the benefit OF their labor and money
is so far as they enhance the value
of the lands. held by the railroad
company. From the moment the
settler gets possession of his land he
commences to pay taxes; he en-
hances the value of the railroad
lands not only by his improve.
ments, but by paying taxes upon
the land which he holds for all pur-
poses, school, local, and general.
AT the same time, these lands held
by the railroad companies for ten
years for speculative purpose are
exempted from ali taxation The
railroad companies have, by shelter
ing themselves under a clause of
the law. succeeded in eVading taxa
ton. The purpose of this bill is
to compel these companies to pay
taxes upon the land held by them
just as other people pay taxes.
Under the act of 1852, granting
lands aud subsidies to these com
panies, one section provides that
each of these companies shall have
ten alternate sections of land on
each side of the line of road, and
that on the completion of each forty
miles of road commissioners shall
be appointed to examine, report up
on, and accept the road, III properly
constructed, and to certify to the
President that the road / has been
complied and accepted. The next
section of that act provides that up
on the acceptance of the road the
railroad company shall receive of
the bonds of the United States some
S16,660 per mile, and at the same
time of the acceptance of these
bonds they were to have conveyed
to them the lands to which they
were entitled under the act.
The bonds in all cases were
delivered: the company has
received the bonds aud used the
proceeds in constructing the road.
In the act of 1864 clause was in
serted that these companies should
be compelled to paw the cost of sur
veying aud certifying, small fee.
This they have failed to pay; they
have faifedto cfa1th the patents for
the land to which they were EMIT
led, and in that way they eyade the
payment of taxes. The purpose of
this bill is to place them, so far as
the governments concerned, where
they will be compelled to pay taxes
on the lands which they own. III
think it's purpose is one which will |
commend itself to this House, as it |
did to the House,a4P the first session |
of the last Congress. se
1t is true that these railroads have
nearly all ofthe lands
granted them. Now, if they had |
the right to convey the lands by |
mortgage, then they owned the |
lands. 1t they did not own the /
lands, they had no right to convey |
them by mortgage without subject
ing themselves TO prosecution for /
q penal offense. Should you or any
gentlemen upon this floor purchase
from one of these companies q Sec
ton or half section of land, they |
would obtain a patent for that see
ton or half section, file It in the Of
flee of the company, record it, and
then convey 1t to yon; and from
that moment yop would paw taxes
On the land, while these companiesi
continue to hold millions OF acres
paying any, taxes = 8 pro-
ceeding never contemplated by this
House IN its former action, and
Which you are now called on TO put
forever to an eud. So INV
will not consume much of. the
lime of the House upon this subject, 1
because / know the Committee on i
Public Lands have much valuable I
business before them upon which L
hey desire to report to the House |
rhe settlers who have to-day given Il
20 the public lands the beuefit of
heir labor and capital and Improve
nent, and are constructing farms
md paying school, county, and
State taxes, ask that this bill shall
De passed providing that these COM
1anies shall pay the same taxes as
ire assessed against the settlers,
md that aid to construct q road
hall not be made the excuse f0ri
which adds TO its. EN-.
,luments by evading just taxation. 1