Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1883-10-12
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
AND NORTH DAKOTA.

county along their line in this territory,
but such seems to be the fact. Originally
they owned half the land in Stutsman
county, and now own large amount Of
it. This land has been assessed from year
TO year, and while the individual owner
of land has regularly paid his tax for the
support of the territorial government, and
for county and school purposes, public
Improvements and such like, the Railroad
company has not paid cent. During
this time they lave been selling their
lands with this tax incumbrancc upon it.
Those who have bought railroad lands
will have to rely upon the honesty of tho
railroad company to clear 1t up or pay 1t
out of their own pockets and bring SUIT
against the railroad company 10 recover
il. Those who have no money to lose are
judiciously shv OF engaging in law with a
railroad company, especially as plaintiff,
as it costs moro to prosecute claim
against railroad corporation than 1t Is
worth when obtained, and this no one
knows better than railroad company.
When the railroad company refuses to
pay the tax on assessment it is prcsuming
great leal to depend upon their volun-
tariIy assuming such an obligation out of
moral obligation or friendship to the
buyers of their lands. They CLAIM
that the tax is not valid and that con-
test of its validity is now pending, but
no such case is pending before any court,
so far as we have been able to learn.
They deny the legality of the tax on the
ground that the patent has not issued
from the government, but at the same
time are selling the lands The condition
of the title would seem to be that when
the tax collector comes round the land
Belongs to the government and when a
buyer comes along it belongs to them. If
the title is vested in the railroad compa-
ny, the lands certainly have been subject
to taxation the same as that owned by IN
dividuals who have purchased of the rail-
road company, for they could not confer
better title than that which they them
selves possessed. If the title to the lands
now held by tic railroad company IS still
IN the government the title to that viii ch
they have sold must be IN the government
also. In their contracts of sale on par
tial payments they are careful to bind the
purchaser to pay all taxes that may be as.
sesscd against the land, but at the same
time they refuse to pay any such taxes
themselves. 1t is true the law has been
satisfied by sale of the land, but those
who have bought aud are buying the land
of the railroad company with this in
cumbrancc upon it will have ts pay it if
the railroad company does not.
This was the state Of affairs when the
last legislature kindly exempted the real
estate Of railroad corporations from
future taxation, but that outrageous law
could not affect the tax already assessed
aud accumulated. At the same time
these public servants Of the dear people
were relieving the railroad company from
taxation of their lands they censiderate]y "
enacted that as soon as the lands passed
into the hands Of an individual purchaser
they should become taxable. While the
Northern Pacific railroad company were
constructing their line the people paid
the exorbitant freight tariff without
much complaint, giving 1t as a sort of do
nation to help the enterprise along, but
now it has become a giant corporation
aud the people must combine to protcc,
themselves against its constituencies ex-
tortien and Unsuitable greed. From an
expensive pet it has come to be formi.
dable bloodsucker.
| But It is urged by interested parties,
those who have more interest in the
Northern Pacific railroad than they have
IN North Dakota, that these things,
pslpable wrongs as they are, should nst
be mentioned as they will discourage
immigration and injure the country
The fallacy Of such an argument i.
shown in the immigration last spring
the great bulk OF which went to point.
within reach of the Chicago, Milwaukee
& St. Paut and the Chicags s. North
western railroads, for the reason they
could get much better rate over thos,
roads than over the Northern Pacific. L
is no use to argue agsinst dollars ant
cents, and until North Dakota obtain'
railroad competition with the N. p. th'
odds will be against US. The papers Q
North Dakota and her citizens movet
heaven and earth last winter and sprin,
to overcome the weight of the Northern
Pacific railroad by counterbalancing
with the superiority Of the country, bu
we succeeded barely beyond the poin
} where failure ends and success begins
simply because it was arguing agains
dollars and cents. We must have rail.
road competition that will bring freight
down to reasonable figures. The North
ern Pacific railroad is the pride Of Nertt
Dakota as an enterprise aud as scrvan
but we do not admire it as master aud I
,yrant. The people are willing it sheult
have liberal compensation for carryin,
our freight, but they will not longe
! silently submit to being robbed of tn
fruits of their toll.
. The Alert IS advised that Rev. w. L
Demorcst, former pastor of the NJ. Z
6 church at this place, was appointed pas
, tor of tho church at Redwood Falls
1 M,nn., by the recent conference. Rev
E Griffith. who succeeds him here, wa