Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-01-29
The legislature.
Tenth is,.'nIIi.,i session.
ltG-IAl, Jan. %.

time and prevent forfeiture of thu
\nthrrn Pacific land grant on
Cascade Division.
Nj Dav. G. Il. ll3, relating to
location conn'v seats.
Nj l1unS. ll5, all act to provide
torn board Of mmIssioners to III
,-~itsalc the subject OF railroad
ii,ilc
Nh Cro bv, lIG, to provide for
Tie COLLECTION II debts ia certain
cases
Nsr. IL. to amend Sec. 2,Gl5 OF
t.'ic
\ 81. lis, 10 authorize Commits
-pn.r- ui j. WIS TO issue bonLs to
pay "ut-t.niIhg Indebtedness.
VI FrrSdsou, llJ, to amend Sec.
: ~; uf {. dc.
Nh Brewer by requesi) 12O TO
provide ion distribution of session
iaN- and journals OF 1915 &.
Mr.. Rci,is III, to provide for
registration Of voters who are ell
titled To vote on location of county
seat.
Also. l22. to remove the Capital
from Ol, mpia to \ Drth Yakima.
Also, 1913. to authorize the school
direct ,rs Of District I of Yiki ma
county TO borrow money.
&. b. III. by Mr.. Carson to OK
empt certain invalids from paying
posi tax.
Mr.. McR ,avy, 1874, to insure the
C'it"l library. Appropristes 500,
ii. u. - pay certain employees
OF III" L""I~,trure, passed.
II B. 10. relating to keeping OF
ANIMALS fox breeding purposes.
passed.
c. i. 1913, relating to Probate
Judges. Allows that officer a per
diem OF s. actual service and mile
NE IN certain cases, passed.
&. Is. los, relating 10 foreign cor
poraiions, passed.
II. b. 81. to repeal the Gross
Earnings Act. came up in regular
order, and Mr.. Neal was the first to
speak. lie would not pass upon
tho merits or dement's of tie bill,
he said; AMI that inasmuch as he
was not fdlly prepared to say the
measure wa, for the best, he would
have 10 vote against it. The Gross
Earnings law, he thought, was in
direct conflict with the Organic Act,
which provides that taxation shall be
uniform. He would therefore take
pleasure in voting against it. The
people had demanded the repeal OF
law. There have boen no reasons
shown why this should not be done.
Both platforms demanded it. He
lilo was satisfied that nine-tenths OF
tho people would vote for the repeal
Ct tho act. The only influence that
has been brought to bear on thi.
subject has been ftom parties per.
sopally interested in the law. The
whole assessment of the Territory is
$50, 100000. The railroad with its
immense holdings paid tax OF only
$37 900 last year. 1t has been said
, that this was hostile legislation. II
is not. 1t is simply justice.
In Tacoma, the railroad property
amounts in value to $500, 900. This
should pay as much as so much pri
vato property. The latter descrip.
ton would pay say $1,000 while the
railroad property nothing.
Mr.. Reavis said he represented O
district which had much of the rail
road within its limits. His people
0 are vitality interested in this question
0 Ho had right to speak on the sub
4 ject. He proposed to discuss the
, matter in oil fairness.
Up to 1884, Washington Territory
= was divided politically as Democrats
0 aud Republicans. 1t is we'll to con
o slider tho views of the people at tha
!, time. He quoted from the plat
forms on the Gross Earnings Act
> and declared that the two great par
= ties ngroed in this declaration, ant
Y each member was elected on tina
j. issue. Was it IN ephemerial freal
Of the parties that caused this una
nimity? No. 1t was after mature
!, deliberation that the demand for re
). peal was made. Should he be tolt
n after making the declaration 80 fire
quently, that some new new lieh
. had dawned, and that he should DE-
precisely the opposite of what Iii
o constituents sent him to do?
}. There were hundreds of thousands
n of acres OF land within the Terrific
rial limits which had been acquired
= outside the grant, which was exemp,
, under the operations of this act
J. There was more than a million
!. dollars worth of property of this de
!, scription exempt at Sprague, Nortl
Yakima and other points. When b,
! heard the report Of the committe,
4 read, he recognized the ideas of the
}. attorney for the Northern Pacii,
Co., that he had heard so oft from
his own lips. The Gross Earning
= Act, We are told, is for the benefit o
/. tho people; the people did no
. know what they wanted; their rep
u resontatives are ignorant of the pub
+ lie wants; but the company can Civ,
full information on The subject.
, Could Sec. of tho law ever hav,
been suggested by the people? 1
provides that the lands shall become
@ taxable soon as they pass from the
; possession Of the company. Tht
Q tax gatberer may go the church al
, tar, into your private school build
ings, the halls of learning, and lev,
his tribute, but when he comes tc
D tho property Of the railroad, lie i.
1 rudely thrust back and told that it j.
b. sacred. On what principle of equit,
or public policy can this be done
: l will DO pleased for any gentleman
! on this floor to justify the exemption
e Of railroad property-for it is vir.
- tually this. He asserted that there
were not ten lawyers in the Terri
tory who will declare that taxes car
DO collected under the Inv II tbe