Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1881-10-04
RAILROAD ASSESSMENTS
THE COMMISsIONERSASAB BOARD
OF EQUALIZATION.

Voted Down.
The Board OF County Commissioners
met yesterday afternoon in the District
Courtroom as a Board OF Equalization to
consider the petitions Of the Central Pa
cific and Eureka d Palisade Railroad Com
panies asking for a reduction Of the assess
ment on their properties. The Board had
met on Saturday to consider the PROPOSE
ton, but Assessor Wallace, who opposed q
reduction, not being prepared to furnish
facts, figures and data, it adjourned until
yesterday to give him an opportunity to
adduce the necessary items. Mr.. Wallace
was present, and occupied a position direct
ly in front of the Commissioners, the table
before him being covered with petitions
and documents. The Courtroom was well
filled with the solid men and taxpayers of
the town, who evinced a lively interest in
the proceedings. The Central Pacific Rail-
road was not legally represented, but the
b.. P.'s interests were looked after by A.
E. Cheney, Esq.
At the request Of Assessor Wallace, the
President ordered Deputy Clerk Wander
lieth to read the sworn statement OF the
authorities of the Central Pacific Railroad
with regard to the assets OF that concern,
and certified to by State Controller, ]. T.
Hallock.
After the reading of the document. As
SCISSOR Wallace arose, and at the request Of
Mr.. Campbell was placed under oath. Mr..
Wallace said that the statements read we're
at variance with those the company had
made to him; that in the main the state
ments of the Central Pacific to him were
unreliable and untrue, and cited an array
OF figures to sustain his position. Mr..
Wallace claimed that a reduction from the
assessment he had made, Of SO, 900 per mile
on the Central Paciic's road and S., 500
per mile on the E. a. p, would be a gross
injustice to the other taxpayers in the coun-
ty, seven hundred of whom had signed a
petition protesting in strong terms against
lowering the assessment. The petition
was presented to the Clerk; also one from
sixty taxpayers on Ruby Hill, which, Mr..
Wallace said, would have received the sig
nature Of almost every man in the town
had not time compelled its withdrawal.
Commissioner Campbell frequently in
t~errupted Mr.. Wallace with questions,
which the Assessor answered readily and
to the point.
John Horn, ex-County Commissioner,
thought Mr.. Wallace was wrong in believ-
ing that the Commissioners intended to
reduce the assessment OF the railroad
The county could not afford
to lose the revenue. The treasury was
empty, and the current expenses demand
ed the same il not a heavier tax han here
tofore on account OF the useless extrava-
gance and waste Of the present admins
tration.
Commissioner Smith desired to know if
the Central Pacific had paid its taxes dur
ing.the past two years.
Mr.. Wallace said it had. Although it
was under q protest, the company was glad
to settle with the county at 3d. 900 valua-
ton per mile.
F. W. Clute inquired Of Mr.. Campbell
il the Board did not take into considers
ton the income Of the Central Pacific
Railroad. In the taxation of his property
1t had been an important factor. Mr..
Clute commended that 1t was neither fair
nor just, but arbitrary in the extreme, to
taxation from the great and pow
erful corporations, and transfer the bur-
den on the small property owner.
Mr.. Campbell remarked that ont of Asa
miles Of railroad of the G. P. in the State
292 were assessed at 81 5000 per mile.
Mr.. Wallace explained the reason Of this,
and held that Eureka County was in no
way situated like the other counties. We
had less roadbed and contributed more
than double the revenue to the railroad
company than the other counties.
Alexander Wilson, on behalf Of a num-
Der Of taxpayers, addressed the Board
a reduction of the assessment.
Geo. w. Merrill, Esq, addressed the
Board on behalf OF himself and other tax
payers. He opposed q reduction Of the
the assessment, and said that when the
Assessor fixed the rate at So, 900 per mile
two years ago the company protested and
q suit was commenced, but before 1t came
to a trial o compromise was effected on the
basis OF $4,000, the county to pay the in
cidental expenses incurred up to that time.
The following year the company also paid
taxes on $ 1000 per mile. and it was Mr..
Merrill'a best recollection, being District
Attorney at the time Of the compromise,
that a tacit agreement was entered into
with the railroad company that the ASSESS
Of $4,000 per mile should remain
undisturbed in the future.
Mr.. Campbell remarked that he had not
heard Of such IN agreement before, and
doubted whether the company had ever
bound themselves to such a provision.
d. E. Baily. Esq. appeared on behalf
OF mans taxpayers. He entered an earnest
and vigorous protest against any reduc-
ton in the assessment as made by Mr..
Wallace of either company. He did not
see the justice of lowering the values, and
claimed that the companies based their
on unreasonable grounds; that the
Central Pacific was constantly increasing
in value; that the business Of the road
had been growing rapidly, and instead of
it down the assessment should be
Mr.. Campbell here interrupted Mr.. Baily,
and alluded to the manner the trunk lines
running out OF New York conducted their
business. Mr.. Baily, resuming, said he
did not care what the trunk lines in New
York did. The Board did not dare to re-
duce the assessment in the face OF an over
whelming public opinion. 1t would be
outrage that the taxpayers OF the county
would not stand. violent applause.
Mr.. Campbell scalled upon the Under
Sheriff to enforce order or clear the room
of spectators. Quiet was for the m be-
ing restored, though every now and then
there was an outburst Of applause against
q reduction,
John s. Capron, one Of the largest prop
erty owners in Eureka, strongly opposed a
reduction, and asserted that some Of the
most influential taxpayers in Eureka had
banded together and would refuse to pay
taxes II the assessment on the railroads
was reduced. M. M. johnson, Col. Tay-
lor, 3. W. Clute and others ~corroborated
this statement and announced that they
would take . similar stand.
Lambert Molinelli, Auditor Of the
county. being present, was requested BY a
taxpayer to state the Indebtedness Of the
county, and he gave the figures, which
will be found In the quarterly report pub
lished on the second page.
Mr.. Campbell ordered the CLERK to read
the petition of the Eureka & Palisade Rail
road Company, asking for a reduction m
the assessment on their property.
A. E. Cheney, Esq. made o short argu'
ment on behalf Of the road in favor OF Z
raj OF the assessment.