The advocate., 1892-06-08
THE DEFENSE OF THE BOARD OF RAIL-
ROAD ASSESSORS INSUFFICIENT.

10 bho EDITOR OF THE ADVOCATE.
VIII you allow me space to reply to the
defense made by the board of railroad
assessors? Aye? Thanks.
Now, gentlemen-A. ]. Felt, lieutenant
governor; William Higgins, secretary OF
state; s. G. Slower, treasurer Of state; G.
M. Hovey, auditor of state, and ]. N. Ives,
attorney general, composing the board Of
railroad assessors--plesse stand up In
a row and face an angry and outraged
public, while / tell you few plain
truths. am a blunt old fellow, and
know more of raising corn, feeding
steers and paying taxes than l do about
writing political essays.
In 1891 you reduced the railroad valu-
alton of this state Qn round numbers)
from fifty-seven millions down to fifty
millions, thereby knocking off seven mill
ions, and thus saving to the railroads at
least quarter of million dollarsin taxes,
and imposing that sum as an additional
burden on the already sorely burdened
people. You seek to justify your action. /
declare that in view Of the great railroad
traffic Of that year your action was a
simple, unvarnished and unadorned out
rage.
In the opening Of your defense sent
out In circular form and published In the
daily papers, you quote the law requiring
you to appraise and assess such property
as personal property at its actual OGIue
IN money. And thereupon you say:
These officers named In the law (under solemn
oath to perform their duties faithfully and hon
egtly) went over every mile Of the main track In
the state, visited every engine house and ma
chine shop, inspected personally the rolling
stock and machinery, procured sworn state
ments showing the cost Of cars and engines
and other rolling stock, buildings, tracks, and
every article owned and used In operating said
roads, from first class locomotive to pinch
bar and shovel, and then fixed the assessment OF
the property, 40 they found 1t after personal IN
spection, at such value as they under their Oaths
as Cfflcers of the state believed was just and
right.
You are Lot required to become the
palace car guests of tte railroads, junket-
ing over every mile Of their main track.
You are notexpected to pay particular at
tention to pinch bars and shovels. You
are expected to use common sense and
sound judgment. You make the assess
ment In your Office on the sworn returns
Of the railroad officials, il you are salts
fed with them. If not satisfied, you
shall seek other information, and may
compel every railroad official, agent and
servant, to appear before you for examin-
alton. You declare you fixed the value
as you believed was right. This being
true, 1t shows you to be, not corrupt, but
grossly and dengely incompetent.
You declare that in fixing the value of
the road, you allow the business of the |
road to be an important factor in its value. |
That ls, if 1t pays well, the value goes
up; if poorly, the value goes down. The
law nowhere provides hOto the value may
be determined. 1t says you shall ap- |
praise 1t at its actual UGlue in money. So
the law says the township assessor shall
do with my farm. And yet one year
when the murrain killed my cattle, the
cholera carried off my hogs, the chinch |
bugs ate my wheat, the drouth destroyed |
my corn, and 1 was $4,000 poorer at the
end Of the year, my farm was assessed
Just as high as if no calamity had befalIen
me. And I can see no good reason, as
between the farmer and the railroad, why |