Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-01-29

a. taxation, They couid not h.
taxed until the rsiiraI rnn,peu,
performed those CONDITIONS which
peiier,s title. the issue ~ pa'euis
The, must h. listed aud ten r.n,s
PCT acre pa,i before this could be
done The purchaser ~ protected
10y the sam. decisions ~ ~. Nm
prem. tuur, 80 apply 10 The cnm.
psny II ~ q proposition winch
cannot he con,Eovsr,.d, thai M, un.
acre ~ the lands thu. derived. \.
subject ~ taNs,,un, Al lssysr.
agree IN this TIE present biti w..
designed Ia derive some ,.v,b,.
frum this Immense holihbR. u rt,
poses a. tsx the lnie'.-, 90 ri.,m
held u, the company ~ thas. I,nl.
and ,u hold the company habls "a,
taxes on that interest Are ,ou
going to sSemp, likewise III. great
J farmers who have puagh, land sub
Isct ~ such prlV,lsge.Y Shall tho
settlers ~bu has. NO. on the even
sections these poor msn who hal
NO money 10 buy f,om the rail.
/ toad--iho-s Who constitute Lo,
one half the population ~ thu.s
counties bear all the burden. ~ tar.
alton lie was stating but simple
! facts II was exsmpiing the tich.
aud more firmly fIveting the chains
81 the poor.
Ito conceded that while tho rail.
road might bs taxed under ia,
Gross Earnings law. there was no
principle ~ justice which would
justify the refusal Of The LegiSlalur.
"a taN the equitable title Of the con.
pany IN ,ls landed estate. Nine.
ienths 81 the lawyers believe thst
this can be done. two Of the Judges
on fuge, sound, have by their de-
! c,sions, intimated that an act could
! 10 framed for tins purpose. II hi.
Legislature does not tar thl. IN.
torest. the people will send repre-.
sentatl,cs who will nee ,ha, II 10
/ done a. the future.
Judge jacobs said tho point under
| discussion was this: We say 10 tina
people 81 the Territory, 10y piopsr
legislation 10 subject Tho lands ~
4 the company IL taxation. Justice
demands this. u we can show that II
cab be done. The people OF the
Territory demand that n We hold
that power. We shalt exercise u.
Once before, the extensive domain
Of tho railroad was about 10 b.
placed IN tho condition for taxation,
but II was defeated. Here again, a,
then. como tho eloquent reports in
favor Of the Northern Pacific Rail.
road Company. Ia check tho people
IN asserting their sway. IL d, IN.
volyos a power We do not possess,
why this iimldity. why this fear ON
this part oi tho company II il 10
unconstitutional why sock to restrain
legislation No. Their action il
based on the fear that we may he
able 10 mako them pay a Just pro.
portion 81 taxes. Tho gentleman
from Piece, in his report. says We
cannot tax an equity. lilo was glad
that gentleman was not n lawyer, for
he did not want such an absurd idea
To originate from the profession.
Related story from Don Quixots
Of Sancho Ranzas illness, while Gov.
ernor Of Barataria. whom tho physi.
cans forbade his eating anything,
aud he was fam To give up his gov.
ernment rather than starve as high
functionary This was the cond,.
ton 81 the people on the railroad
situation.
This seems TO he an age Of consti.
tut,onal lawyers. They now assume
that everything connected with tho
land grant is exempt. and cannot 10
taxed. He demo unccd this a. .
glazing absurdity.
Tho point is: First. We admit
you cannot tax the lands OF tho
Northern Pacific Railroad, a. land.
Tho courts have decided We cannot,
but have time and again decided
that tho equitable ,itlo can be taxed
II provision il made by to do no by
proper legislation. Justice Miller.
OF the Supreme Court, IN passing ON
case from Colorado involving pre-.
cisely the same principle. declared
while passing against the act OF tax.
ing tho land SAID. =" II the tax had
been levied on the equitable clam
to these land. the case might have
been different" Now We propose
10 tax just that interest. Would il
result IN any dctriment to tho poo.
pie Are tho people demonstrating
to this a,tY They arc silent Whyg
Because they believe that the in.
structions they gave 10 the convsn.
tons are sufficient. II 10 tho North
ern Pacific that 10 making the en-
dcavor to subvert the popular will,
Oblivion will bury the young men
who are willing to obey the dictates
Of corporate power and by their
vote sanction this wrong.
Mr.. Young said that one OF the
principle points made by the oppo-
sition was tho same involved In the
equitable title in mortgages. One
OF those gentiomon introduced bill
FOR tho express purpose Of exempt.
ing such tito from taxation, and tho
same parties had by memorial, de-
clsIed the company had NO right
title nor equity in tho land grant
after 1879.
Mr. Day Was opposed to tho bill.
He was railroad man. Ho believed
IN railroads. We need the Cascade
branch; everybody wants il. The
exemptions held by the company
were granted by Congress as u pub.
lic necessity, and he wanted TO DO
everything in his power for what hs
beloved TO DO the public good.
MIR. McReavy said that the Demo
cratic party had declared by platform
that tho Northern Pacific Railroad
had forfeited all their rights. lie
stood on that plank, II the lands