The morning call., 1893-03-10
MUST PAY TAXES.
Assemblymen Don't Want
to Compromise.
THE RAILROAD IS PUSHED.
Legislator Ford Under Arrest and in
White Rage Makes Fun for
Spectators.
Special 10 THE MORNING CALL.

portant issue that has been before the
present Legislature, that OF the back taxes
due from the Southern Pacific Company,
came up for discussion in the Assembly
this afternoon. There was large crowd
in the gallery and the lobby, drawn there
by the promise of an outburst of OratOry.
There were many ladies among the spec
tators. After the clerk had finished reading
the bill FinlaysOn offered an amendment
striking out section l of the bill and insert
ing the following:
Section /. Every assessment of property made
after the year 1879 which is invalid. or may
hereafter be adjudged TO be, by reason Of any
i-galily, iuyaldEy or nregularity declared or
existing IN the assessment OF suen property or
IN the mode provided for the assessment thereof,
shall be iemade and The property reassessed aud
equallzed for each year Cor which such assess
ment is invalid as aforesaid, and for each year
for which he assessment OF such property was
invalid as aforesaid, and such reassessment and
equalization shall be made by the same officers
aud boards, at the same Time or times as are
now prescribed by law for the assessment and
equahZatiOn OF property Of the same classes or
kinds as the property which hereby Is requii ed
10 be Ieassessed. The assessment and equaized
assessment Of such properly shall be entered on
the several assessment rolls books 10 the
same manner that assessments of such property
RIe or we're required by law TO be entered for
menis shall be made. And there is hereby levied
for State purposes the same rates for taxation
for each Of such respective years as were hereto
fore levied upon such property for each OF said
years for said Stale purposes.
This section was taken from the Seawell
bill. and provides that the same rate shall
he renewed and the property assessed at
tie same value.
Finlayson spoke in favor of the amend
ment Be said that now is the turning
point in the records OF the members of the
Assembly, and proceeded to review the his
tory of railroad back-tax cases. He de-
clared in conclusion that the railroad COM
pany should pay every dollar that it justly
owed.
Kahn followed Finlayson. He said that
he would feel that he had been recTeant to
his trust if he did not vote for the amend
ment offered by the gentleman from Los
Angeles.
why should we CO." he said, that in
hand as begRars to this corporation? Why
not go to them erect, as men, and demand
every dollar that they owe us?"
Kahn then referred to the decision rem
dered by Judge Hebbard, in which he had
decided that the Southern Pacific Company
owed 100000 Tor one year alone He
spoke in high terms of Judge Hebbard,
saying that he was a just and honorable
man.
Simpson of Los Angeles also opposed any
compTo mise whatever and called upon the
members to stand to the pledges they had
made TO the people and vote to compel the
railroad to pay every dollar they owed.
BiedsOe added his voice to the Others
before him and declared that he was
opposed 10 establishing the precedent of
compromising with a debtor when that
debtor was rich and abundantly able to pay
The State, lie said, was great enough and
rich enough to lose every dollar of the
money, but it was not poor enough to accept
one cent less than was justly due.
ShanRhaC said that were some iDcon-
sistencies IN the railroad reassessment bill
He stated that at the beginning Of the ses-
sion ex-Conroler John p. Dunn had
handed him bill prepared by the Citizens
Defense Association which only went back
20 1882, This he considered to be one of the
Inconsistencies During all Of his experience
as a legislator he had never heard of any
bin providing for the payment of back taxes
that went further back than 1882. Notwith-
standing the Inconsistency, however, he
would vote for the 1879 amendment He
said that he considered the Seawell bill TO be
a better measure than the one he himself
had introduced.
Bulla was the next speaker. He said that
every man who was about TO vote for the
Seawell amendment had voted for the Shan
ahan bill and passed it. He then explained
his amendment, which strikes out the
general before levy. II was done, he
said, so that there could be no possibility
of the railroad escaping the paying OF county
taxes.
Assemblyman Bulla wanted to know
why it was that the 1879 amendment
was brought in at the last moment Why
was it not introduced at the meeting of the
judiciary Committee? Now comes this
substitute" he said. (which 1t is well known
the Senate will not accept"
Afford then defended the Introduction Of
the new amendment. and said that when he
voted in the committee yesterday morning
he did not know that the railroad company
owed any taxes back OF 1882. But now, that
lie did know it. he would rather be called
inconsistent than vote for a compromise Of
one dollar.
Schlesinger said he would vote for any bill
that would compel the railroad company 10
pay its taxes. lie would 90 back to the year
], if necessary.
Miller declared himself as opposd to both
L
layson.
Mathews of Tehama said the situation
would be amusing if it were not serious
He joked about the younger members being
SO fearful Of making a compromise. He
said that some of the greatest questions in
the worlds history had been settled by COM
promise. He then referred to the figures
by Dunn, and said that they were not true.
Figures could lie. and they did in this in
stance.
Duckworth, as usual. took the floor In
favor Of the railroad company.
Gould followed with a vigorous speech
against compromise and In favor of the
Seawell am endment.
Vann spoke, Taylor followed him, and
then Carlson took the floor and made an en-
t5usiastic speech in favor of a compromise.
The debate did not close until after 6
O'clock, when the roll was called. 1t re-
suited in the adoption Of the amendment
by vote OF 81 to 20. The vote was as fol-
lows:
Aye6-Adams. Afford. Barker, Barlow,
Bennett OF Orange, Bledsoe, BOyee, Breiz,
Brownie, Buckley Burke. Catherine, Con-
way, Cuslck. Dodge. Drees, Emery. Finlay-
son, Gallagher, Gately. Godchaux, Hen
erickson, Hurley, Hutson, Jacobs, Jacob
sen, johnson of Humbold johnson of
Santa Clara, Kennedy. Kahn, Kerns, Lut-
trlnger, McCauley, McElroy, Mack. Marks,
Marston, Matthews of San Benito, Nor
decai, ONeil. Pueschel, Schlesinger,
Schroebel. ShanahaD. Sims, Taylor, Tin
dali, Vann, Wade. MIR. Speaker.
Noes-Andersen, Androus. Bennett Of
Santa Clara, Blakeley, Bulla, Carlson,
Duckworth, burst. Hamilton, Lynch,
Mathews of Tehama. Miller, O'Keefe,
Owen, Perkins, Raw, Sargent, Simpson,
Taggart, Thomas of Nevada.
The House then took a recess until 8
o'clock
Emerlc's efforts to inaugurate the game
laws of England in California have not
proved successful. lie succeeded in getting
bis bill Ihrongh the A ssemhlv ALI rirht h,1t