The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-08
THE KANsAs RAlLWAY ASSESSMENT.

tion; north winds; cooler.
THE KANSAS RAILWAY ASSESSMENT.
TOPEKA, July THE prime subject of
conversation now is the lift" which the
board of railroad assessors gave to the
property cf the carrying corporations.
Everybody wants to know why they did
it, and what the railroads will do about
it, Whether the roads will contest tie
matter in court is doubtful, and whether
such a contest would do them any good is
more doubtful still
Attorneys say that the imposition of
higher levy Is unjust, but they see moth
ing left for the corporations to do except
10 dance TO the music. 1ney might he
able TO defer payment of taxes for IA time,
but it would not be for great while, be-
cause of the peculiarity OF Kansas law,
which regards all railroad possessions,
buildings, bonds and right of way, as well
as rolling stock. as personal property.
Being so, it can be levied upon and sold
for taxes more quickly than ii it were real
estate. Accordingly, the railroads would
net gam much, even in the wav of time,
by lighting the question in the courts
Moreover, while the assessment may be
considered high, it is not returned us the
actual value of the property, which the
Law directs shall be done. 1t has been the
custom of assessors to return property at
One-thlrd or one-fOurtb, or some other
arbitrary fraction of Its actual value, but
The sworn returns say, nevertheless, that
It has been assessed at its real worth. If
The companies should 20 into court it
would be developed that the assessment is
even yet below the intention of the law.
The railroad companies have abundant
reason to complain, but 10 Is not because
Sheir property has been assessed too high
1t is because other property is rated at
too Iowa figure. Tax Commissioner Cart
lidge Of the Santa Fe says that the in
crease OF the assessment of The property of
that system Is 80 per cent, making the
valuation twice what IL was before. The
Rssessors raised Santa te properties So
800 COO which means an increase of taxes
this year of 500 900. Apply the same rate
of increase to the property OF other roads,
and it makes, Mr.. Cartridge says, an addi-
tIon OF SIG, 900 to the valuation OF rail-
road holdings in Kansas, which increases
the taxes paid 10y the corporation by
100000.
According to the tax commissioners es-
Inmates, railroad property is now assessed
at 60 per ceut of its real value, while other
property Is listed at only so per cent. lie
has fignres from the forty-nine counties OF
Kansas through which run lines of the
Santa Fe system, and in all of them, save
one, railroad property was taxed higher
than any other property before the in
Grease WAS made.
This is where the injustice lies: That
The taxes on the possessions of railroad
companies are increased while they remain
unchanged as to the property of others.
Secretary of State Osborn said that the
assessors bad been governed by what they
beiived to be right, without any thought
oi political effect.
lie stated that the complaint of the rail
roads is groundless ana that the companies
Will regard their best interests by keeping
out OF court In their work the assessors
bad, he said, gone into the minuteSt detail |
and made discoveries of fraud and mpO- |
sltion, which the corporations should be |
Careful not to stir nD. when / was in |
New York some time ago" said the secre- |
tary, Il found that the bonds of one road |
were floated At $4,000 mile, but when |
1t maze returns for assessment ii said its |
property was worth only about SIS, 900 a |
lnile. Most of the roads of Kansas are |
bonded at from S60,0 600 to 100000 a mile |
but they baYe not been assessed at much |
more than one-twentieth of this amount.
Tine fact is that the railroads have one !
y;!uaton-whlch they make whensthey pay |
lakes, and another which they make when |
they TX freight rates or float bonds. Their |
freight and passenger rates are calculated |
TO yield an income on the bonded value
and if such an income is yielded, then the |
roads are worth their bonded value. But |
we have not taxed them for their value |
il the roads are not worth more than SIS |
600 or $50, 600 a mile, then the companies |
ought to cut down their traffic rates so |
that the people Will not have TO furnish |
them an income on 100000 II they 20 |
into court we viii show up some of their |
past practices for skinniDg the pubic |
which will be anything but TO their ad- |
vantage"
Attorney General Little said that the |
board had done what it believed TO be |
Justice and that the courts can have moth |
lng 10 do with the case.
THE law directs that we assess the |
property at its real value, and if we have |
made any mistakes it has been IN not |
putting the assessment high enough"
Treasurer Biddle stated that there were /
10 differences among the members of the |
board as to the justice Of raising the as |
hessment and that they took no political |
considerations into account.
While the yeomanry are very anxious |
that corporations be taxed heavily, they |
are very sure TO avoid paying taxes them |
selves. Probably no state IN the Union |
has tax laws more loose than those OF Kan
s8s-or rather laws more loosely inter !
preted and applied.
\ few years ago bill was drafted for |
The purpose of giving the state BOARD au- |
thority 10 compel county boards TO return |
property at ltS full value, and empower
ing II TO raise the assessment when the
direction of the law was not followed The !
bill went through the senate all right, but
when the busbaudmen OF the honse saw
The object of the measure they Killed it.
Such plan would be just, while prevail.
ing practices are very unjust. II property
could be assessed at Its real value ana the
rate of taxation reduced there Nyovi1 i,a