Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-01-22

this company has no equitable ghi
To these lnnis, he con lhued
Now II there is no trle how are We
to tax them? | say that exlctIng Il
percentage OF the gross eurnils.- oi
this Company (the Northern Pacific
Is preferable to any other mode OF
taxation. Because, first, the reve-
nue. Is greater; and, second, because
1t is less trouble and expensive in
collection. If we are to throw this
law aside, let us look aud see what
shall be left to us. Tue property OF
the road in the Territory is the night
OF way, stations, and road bed.
This right of way is 400 feet in
width, and to the extent III which il
occupies stations, turntables, stc
This is exempt from taxation by the
grant of Congress.
1t Is principle well established in
law that where the land is exempt
everything upon it is also exempt.
Of the rolling stock and other NOV
able property, it is not taxable, hav
ing no domicile i'll the State, being
run into and out of it in an inior
State traffic. If Idaho could
tax them so could Washington AMI
several other States and Territories.
They are taxable only in the State in
which the company has its home of.
flee, to wit: the State of Minnesota.
The few engines, trucks, cars, otc.,
used exclusively in this Territory are,
OF course, taxable here. Now, as to
the lands along the road between
Aalama and Tacoma, comprising =.
50O, 900 acres, which il i proposed
to tax under bill introduced here.
1t cannot be taxed because the land
department of the United States has
declared that this company never
had any grant there and so we aban.
don that. Prior to 1879, they had an
equitable right i'll the greater grant,
but from that time, when, By fail
ure to fulfill tho conditions of tho
grant, it has forfeited that right. |
have it from L. +. Oakes, Vice Pres.
ident Of that company-for wrote
him because l wanted to know--that
since 1879 to 1884 that company had
paid into our Treasury as its highcs,
figure in any one year Sl3, 200. In
1884 it paid S37 ISL. That is the
result of the Gross Earnings Law.
Now, shall We thrown away such a
source of revenue? Ii we do, tho
people will demand of us why did
you do it? They will say: You
had the evidence before you Of how
the previous law acted. You had
the evidence of how the later law
filled our Treasury. Why did you
change it?' Those would be hard
questions to answer. They would
be hard for me, at least. The reven-
ue from the Northern Pacific com
pany under this law is more than
three times that OF all other rail
roads in the Territory combined"
The speaker than read number of
statistics showing how a similar law
had acted to the benefit OF other
States and Territories where it had
been in Operation-particulariy Min
nesota. " If we go back to the old
SYSTEM" he continued, tho only
result will be to make flush times for
lawyers. The law has proven salts.
factory to every county in the Terri.
tory, save Whitman. There are no
petitions here for the repeal of tho
law-the only complainants are the
railroads. 1 am not done by any
means; I have much to say out /
will leave the question now"
Judge Lewis, notwithstanding the
lateness of the hour, would reply at
least to the first part OF the gentle
mans speech. The imputation was
made that tho Republican party had
been defeated because somo persons
in King county had been recreant to
principle. He objected to such
structures from the source they came.
He drew forth volume resem-
bling the Black Book in the great
order of U. f. +. u, in which were
recorded the deeds of all competitors
for political preferment and read
therefrom. He showed from it that
Judge Dennison was one OF the COM
mittee which made the Republican
platform. That platform demanded
the repeal of the gross earnings law,
and with pious roll OF his eyes
heavenward he thanked God that he
had not come to the Assembly TO bo-
tray his constituents. He had not
deserted the party and with banners
flying and bands playing paraded
the Territory to encompass its ruin.
But he believed in repentance. He
had been brought up by u good
Methodist mother. and he remem-
bered that one of her favoritc hymns
began with
"While the lamp holds ont To burn.
The vILEsT sinner may return"
It's cadences still rang in his ears
and filled his soul with charity for
his fellow man. 1t really seemed,
in the pleni'ule of his generosity.
that he could have embraced his re-
calcitrant brother across the ball,
and not the slightest intimation was
given by his face, that usually mo.
bile indicator of the heart, that way
down in its innermost recesscs there
was a still small voice continually
asking the question, whether there
was any more treason in boiling the
platform than in slaughterins the
candidate.
The speaker maintained that the
law of 1881, which was superseded,
so far as railroads were concerned,
by the Gross Earnings Act, was
good statute, and there would be no
difficulty in collecting an ample tax
under its provisions; but that he had
drafted bill, which was now on tho
table for future consideration, taxing
the equitable interest in the lands of
railroad companies, and this ho felt
certain would cover all objections,
.,,.o oll ,lafaofo opI cattla tba ,axal