Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-15
The RAILROAD TAX MATTER.

AS Is we'll knCWQ, IlS
in this State have been litigating the matter
of the taxes claimsd for the counties from
them. The Supreme Court held in its recent
decision, which has been published, that local
Boards of Equalization do not possess the
power to equalize taxes upon railroads when
line lies within two OR more counties, as the
power to equalize is an exercise OF the power
to assess that the power in all such cases
resides, under the Constitution, IN the State
Board of Equaliz atom, and that no
reviaw Of its judgment IN assess
ing or equaliziug can be nae.
The Central Pacific Railroad Company
secured restraining orders commanding the
Sheriff of Sacramento county, and other
counties to desist from exposing the properly
for sale for taxes. The company, IN common
with other companies, claims tnat the tax
lew for 1880 was illegal, because the rate
af assessment was based, among other things,
upon the tax levied under the Drainage Act,
which has been declared to be unconstitu-
tioral. AS to that part of the tax there Is no
question, therefore, as to It's being illegal.
Heretofore the roads have been assessed at
IS. GOO and $40, 600, and in some cases at Sl4,
GOO mile, by the various counties OF the State.
The higher rates have been uniformly re-
sisted as unjust, and out Of all keeping with
the true value per mile, and In all In stances
they have been shown to be excessive, ano
the local Boards have in most cases reduced
them to lower figure. The State Board of
EQUALIZATION, however, at one tull swoop
assessed the roads at S25,OO0 per mile.
Judge Wayuaire, OF San Francisco, having
dismissed and quashed the restraining order,
the question was, would there be bidder
for the lines when exposed for sale? In
this county the Sheriff was to sell st
10 A. NJ. on Monday. But that othcsr
was uncertain as to whether Judge Way
mire's order included the branch roads lying
partly in this county; and to satisfy
himself on that score, OF his own motion he
continued the sale until yesterday at III a. NJ.
He found, meanwhile, that the orders related
only to the Central Pacific Railroad and the
California Pacific Railroad, the former hav-
ing forty.two rliles and the latter half mile
| of line in Sacramento county. The payment
demanded was Sl3S in the latter case and
ST.. 500 so in the former. At $3.50 A. NJ.
Yesterday Coroner Vermilya appeared and
served an order upon Sheriff Hebron issued
out of the Superior Court of Alameda county,
commanding the Sheriff to desist from the
| exposure for sale, because of undetermined
matters relative thereto pending in that Court.
The Sheriff obeyed the order, and desisted.
Yesterday a syndicate was formed in this
city to raise money for the purchase of the
roads at the expected tax sale, for the sake OF
the penalty of 30 per cent. for redemption,
and the matter was manipulated chiefly from
the Attorney Generals Office, as to the organ
! ization of the capital necessary to make the
purchase, and was participated in by prom
inent legal firm of this city.
| The railroad company resists the tax chiefly
upon the ground that, since it is taxed for the
support of the county governments, it should,
equally with any other taxpayer, have the
right to apply to the local Boards of Equal
ization for remedy against excessive assess.
ment. For two years the railroad has paid,
without objection or complaint, all taxes
based upon local assessments on stations,
depots and workshops. 1t paid in this
county, without question, taxes as follows:
1880 To the county. ................sl0 $40, los 76
To the City,. ............... 1881 OF
Total in 1880. ....................s2 SIS, $40 %
1sSl-To the county .S3S 70
To the city. ...................... 1886 90
Or, in the two years, S55, 075 46 upon prop
erty assessed by local Assessors. The COM
pany proposes to pay 60 per ce.lt. of the
}
rnent of prejudiced minds that such pay.
ment is equitable, because it is we'll known
| that the assessment made by the State Board
of Equalization was fanatical, unreasonable
snd un Just. Pending litigation the company
recently sent to San Diego county S25 600 &c
assist that county, agreeing that, even If the
whole of the tax should hereafter be declared
| invalid, no suit to recover the S25 0G0 would
be instituted The company distinctly dis.
claims any intention to resist the payment OF
| its Just share of taxation, but claims the
| C 5mnlon right of every taxpayer to resist the
robbery OF excessive assessments.
WANTED A GOOD RooN.-Yesterday af.
! ternoon stranger, satchel in hand, called al
| the clearinghouse on the corner Of Fifth and
L streets and requested the proprietress to
show him good room. He stated that be
intended stopping in the city for a consider
able length of time, and desired the best room
| she could furnish him. He was shown to 9
room, and he seemed to be pleased with ev.
| erything, except that he thought the BED
| clothing insufficient for the cold weather, and
stated that he would like another pair Of
blankets The proprietress preceded down
stairs and brought the dc sired article. He still
was not satisfied, and sent the lady to gel
mora covering for the bed. As she was re-
| turning she met him coming down stairs
He ap0logized for having put her TO so much
trouble, and stated that he did not think the
room would suit him, and departed. Later
in the day the lady discovered that pair Of
new blankets had gone with the stranger
! Special officer Nash was put on his track,
aud soon afterwards arrested him at the polls
in the Second Ward. After being arrested
he admitted the theft, stated that he had
taken them away in his satchel, and had sole
them to a party in the Albion House, on X
street, for 81 so. He gives his name az
Willis, and claims to be cigar maker. ThC
stolen property has been recovered.
ST. PATRICKs DAY ENTERrA1SNENT.-A
grand social entertainment will be given by
the Ancient Order of Hibernians at the Pa
vilion on Friday evening, March 18th. Al
address will be delivered by Hon. John II
Gilmore, of San Francisco. The hall will bi
beautifully decorated aud the floor csnvaseC
for the occasion. The proceeds will be giver
to liquidate the indebtedness of st. Ros,
Church. The chair will be taken at O'Clock
furnished by the First Artillery band.
DEPARTMENT DOC INJuRED.-Grant, tn,
dog belonging to the hook and ladder com
pany, had his right foot run over by tn
Hayes truck yesterday morning as they wer'
rum ing to the fire. He lost all Of the toe
eff from one foot. He was conveyed to tn
engine house after the boys had "doused tn
gli1n," and his injuries were as carefully at
tended to as if he had been one of the boy
of the department.
FARMERS PIcNIc.-The annual picric Q
the farmers of Sacramento county, which
held at Beac:'s Grove, one and one.hal
miles below Freeport, each spring, will tax
place on May lst, and the proceeds will thi
season be applied as benefit for the publ
school at Freeport, which is in need Of tn
funds.
IEcruRE.-Rev Robert Mackenzie, of Sa
Francisco, lectured at the Sixthstreet NJ.
Church last night before the Sacrament
Educational Institute. His subject was
Traits of Scottish Character" The lectur
was well received, and was alternately pa
thetic and witty.
ARREsTs.-Tbe slate at the police static
was pretty well filed with the names {
DRINKS last night One Of them fell into
showcase in the Boston drug store, cut him
self pretty severely and did considerable
damage to the property.