Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-08-06
THE TENNESSEE RAILROAD
COMMISSION. ,5-
IntelIigent and Conservative
Views or Colonel John
III. Savage
Rockville Tribune. I'd.

4 ~-fA~~N AAAhAApt ass
After very free talk with the
Commissioners, we were impressed
With their conseFvAtiveneJs in regard
to their difficult and delicate duties
their desire to do even handed Justice
between the roads and the people, but
at the same time with their earnest
determination to investigate carefully
the complaints that have been made
against the roads in other sections Of
the State and to bring about the re
forms that justice and fair dealing re.
CURED. Up to this time, however. no
complaints have been made (saye
perhaps one), but what the Commits
sloners thought could be adjusted
without the tormality, delay and ex.
pense ofan official ruling, as the roads
had thus tar met the Commission in a
frank and friendly spirit and did not
Indicate a disposition to resist their
authority.
The Commissioners have divided
their work we learn SO that the legal
proceedings devolve upon Colonel
Savage, while the adjustment Of tariffs
and commercial interests are left more
largely to General Gordon and Major
Turley. Colonel Savage thinks that
1t should not be legal possibility on
general principles that one city or 10
callty should be favored in tariffs
against others within the State. He
believes that if the producing classes
are given a natural and impartial deal
that they will be prosperous, and that
Il the producers are in a thrifty con.
dition that all other classes must be
also. lie thinks that constitutional
disease can only be reached by a rem.
edy applied at the roots Of the evil and
II the country's pulse is not we'll bal.
anced that the way to proceed is to
heal the producer and make him pros,
porous and all others may be SO hi
they will. He thinks that the proper
method of taxing the railroad is to get
their gross receipts and assess that
The value of road can not we'll be
determined otherwise. If a road has
large gross receipts it is the index to
its prosperity. If it have small
gross receipts its tax is
accordingly small. Its gross re
ceipts can not be made variable by
the railroad company as the valuation
of the stocks, bonds and real property
might; or as the net receipts might.
when we consider that net receipts
depend upon an arbitrary liberality in
giving salaries to railroad officials who
may be stockholders and parties inter.
ested in the property to be taxed. |
Gross receipts come nearer being Q |
standard of valuation than any other |
actor or indicator of the railroad |
worth.
Colonel Savage thinks that the |
law regarding the distribu. |
ion Of the tax among the several
counties of the State to be a good one |
The Michigan assessment law prohib-
Is any tax being levied upon any rail. |
Dad by any county, whether the road
passes through any portion Of that
county or not. The State assesses the
Dad and makes pro rata distribution
Imong the respective counties. This
Gems to he just, inssmuch as a county
which has oRly q small bit of railroad
nay contribute as much toward paying
It railroad bonds and toward paying
abroad tariffs as those counties which
contain long lines of road.
Colonel Savage says he was sur
'rised to learn that Massachusetts, has
lad q railroad commission for fifteen
ears, and that Michigan has had one
or ten years.