Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1886-01-21
The Title to Nor,l,errn Pacific Lands.

At the Fargo convention last week f.
p. Wells, of Stutsman county, chairman
of the committee on the supreme court
decision in the Traill county tax case,
made the following report which was
adopted by the convent ion:
The committee to whom was referred
the matter of the decision of the so called
"TrailI county tax case' BY the supreme
court of the United States, respectfully
report:
Your committee have examined said
case in all Its bearings, and find that said
decision does not in any manner whatever
affect the title of lands heretofore sold or
hereafter to be sold by the Northern Pa
cific railroad company IN Dakota. And
all reports TO the effect that said titles
were made insecure or clouded by such
decision, hitherto made and spread
throughout the east arose either from a
deliberate perversion of the facts, or a
misapprehension of the real bearing; that
upon the contrary, all titles made or
which hereafter may be made by that
company of its land grant lands rest upon
as secure foundation as any in the coun-
try.
Your committee do find, however, that
to render lands hereafter sold by said
company liable to taxation, the fees for
surveying the same must be first paid to
the government. Your committee have
the most positive assurances that the fees
| on lands heretofore sold are now being
paid as fast as lists of the lands so sold
can be prepared and certified by the sur
veyor general of the territory, and that
the whole matter, 80 far as concerns lands
already sold, will be thus settled and dis
posed of within very short time-prob
ably within ninety days; and that as to
future sales, the same will be reported
! and such fees paid so that said lands will
be taxable at the next ensuing assess
ment; and, While your committee be-
lieve that these misunderstanding from
the direct representatives of the compa-
ny, and undoubtedly made in the best
faith-wln be fully and fairly carried out,
yet they deem the matter of such import
ance to the revenues of the various couu-
ties interested that they do recommend
the following as the sense of the conven-
ton on the subject:
That the said Northern Pacific railroad
company be, and is hereby, earnestly re-
quested to list and report such lands, and
pay the survey fees thereon, with all pos
sible speed, to the end that these lands,
which IN all equity and fairness should
be taxed as soon as sold, may be so taxed
and the revenues of the localities in ln-
terest be hereby increased, and that the
burdens of taxation may be borne alike
by oil who are and should be liable
| thereto.
That to cover possible neglect or fault
of said company in that regard, the con.
gress of the Uaited States be most re-
spectfully but earnestly requested to en-
act without delay such laws as will re-
qu,re said company to pay said survey
fees upon lands already sold Immediately,
and upon such as may be hereafter sold
as soon as may be after sale thereof, and
so that the came may be taxable at the
next ensuing assessm,n mt thereafter; and
that such laws may be enforcibh by such
penalties as may seem most fitting to Sc
lcnre prompt compliance therew1th.