Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-10-13
4 (hHl.gp Ot 1'U.,p.
..nur :.;iii. Isa:irr.L' t.H.- Turn -
the Crank.


Transcript. which has so often pra'ed
vi rs devotion to the interests Of the
peu;,!c aud il. hatred of " political
:lli les aud Sra,pin@ corpora
1oile' ,,h"nil a>t now bee ,,ne ,n-
re,'!al 1 ivy, lie Lot only ui the
ga ms -! t.,r mr. I.Ollins-eS bat the
principle winch won't. subordinate
n pool man : c,rniny IL tie cap
iiH!i>i> gains Is language lbs:
week, however, stripped of aInbisnl
tv, admits of 10 Other belief tLan that
it has gone over, body and soul, to
the :,t:tv which has hitherto treat
el it only with Indifference and
contempt. Lit Us quote few >en-
fences from the ,ea ling article OF
that ISSUE:
w" are np. .p>cd to making thr railroad
question Il Political hohh. i,,r thu. l,,ir-
~ 81 oi rl.rtiii- or defeating. ;.uiii"hutv
Tor office. And We arr I.ot r,,in,--i to amy
r;iidrittt ."ctl!>r he owns stock in
Railroad amy more than il he owned il in a
Steamboat or 4 StWIulll.
The question arises. when We dis
sect these remarkable sentences,
Who Las made the railroad question
a hobby but the railroad company
itself? What owner of stock in any
" steamboat or sawmill," has ever
sought to enyade its Just proper
ton of taxes? What owner of any
other species of property has lobbied
the Legislature for special privileges,
or besiesed the Commissioners for
reduction of assessment, and finally
beat the county out OF payment of a
levy Just. The issue has been forced
upon the people by the railroad COM
pany, and the only means of meeting
it is by defeating those who by owner
ship of stock or their official acts have
shown themselves to be pledged to
that interest. Let us quote again:
1--WE believe there can be no more avoid.
ing Of taxes. if properly assessed, in one
case than the other"
That taxes have been avoided"
by "onr little railroad company,
(tbe transcripts pet name for the
narrow gauge, the heavy bill of costs
in the District Court, paid by the
people in the vain attempt to make
it disgorge, conclasiveIy shows. as
we'll as the fact that the property was
not properly assessed" afording
a loophole, Intentionally or other
wise, whereby the company could
escape all liability, if it chose to do
SO. But our contemporary seems to
all at once to have been convinced OF
this fact for in the next sentence it
crosses its track as follows:
cit is, however. well known fact that
poor men pay more taxes in proportion
than rich men and corporations"
And this is just one of the abuses
of power which has called the Peo-
pies party into existence. 1t is just
the hobby" which the people will
persist in riding until they reach the
level plain of equality. The question
involved is simply one Of exact JUS
tice to each citizen. 1t is whether
taxes shall be paid in equal proper.
tons by rich aud poor; whether
laws shall be enacted by those Some
bodys elected to office which discrim-
mate against the laborer in favo, of
capital and corporations. 1t is
whether discretionary power vested
in the County Commissioners shall
be used to reduce the equal amount
OF taxes levied against the railroad
property to such a figule as to make
the farmer, the merchant, the me-
chanic, and all other classes of our
citizens, pay an increased ratio and
undue proportion of the costs of local
government. Andcertain facts have
been presented SO broadly as to JUS
tify q rigid inquiry US to whether the
Auditor of county has the right, in
defiance Of law, to appear as the spe-
cial attorney of the railroad. or any
other corporation, before the Com
missioners, and urge a reduction of
its taxes.
The Transcript virtually admits that
all this injustice has been done,
when it justiies such proceedings in
the following language:
"The little railroad company here when
under the management OF some of our
own citizens, avoided paying full taxes
0uu SCV VAC pIcCol0ut AOK WuCIS W IOllOW.
Now we would like for the Trans.
CRYPT to give single sound reason
why this ill-advised precedent
should be followed. The county
paid for the construction of the rail-
road to begin with. it paid and still
pays, and will continue to pay. &C..
600 year interest on the bonds
which built it; but when the coun-
ty levied the same proportion of tax
upon its property as it did upon
that of each and every citizen out
side the railroad corporation, that
body Submitted the plea of poverty
and ssked reduction. Has poverty
ever exempted the property of the
citizen who has invested his all in
q mill, or steamboat, or workshop, q
farm, or store, all of which aid in
the development Of the country 7?