The morning call., 1893-01-08
RAILROAD TAXES.
Acknowledgement Hart on
Deliiquents.
The Report VIII Be Sent to the
Legislature and Presented on
Tuesday Next.

The report OF Acknowledgement Hart on
the subject of delinquent railroad taxes is
about finished. 1t will be presented to the
Legislature on Monday or Tuesday, but
may be delayed few days longer. There
is no doubt when the report is read to the
Legislature it will produce one OF the SEN
satiOns of the session. both on account OF
the conclusions OF the Attorney General
and the reflections made on certain officials.
The Attorney General has been engaged
long while on the report. the work of COM
putting and tabulating figures having been.
the work of months. All Of the work bad
to be done in tho Controllers office and in
the office Of the Secretary of State.
In the report there is a tabulation OF
taxes owed by the different roads for the
different years beginning from 1880, when
the first delinquent assessments made the
railroads the debtors OF the State. There
is also the percentage that oach railroad
county assessment bears to the State as-
sessment, together with the total mileage
for each road and for each year There are
also statistics of the total amount paid by
each railroad. and the total amounts re-
naming unpaid. There are three years of
the delinquent railroad taxes which are not
included in the report, for The reason that II
get any figures for these years. He could
not discover what the railroad paid or owed
for these years. In order to learn this it
will be necessary to go over the records oil
every county in the State.
The reason the figures for the three years,
from 1880 TO 1882 inclusive. could not be OBJ
tanned or compiled by the Attorney General
is that there are no records for railroad
delinquent taxes for these years in the tfices
of the State Controller or Secretary OF State.
At this time the law bad not yet been passed
compelling State and county officials TO file
such statements of delinquent taxes at Sac
ramento.
The Attorney-Ge General finds that the total
amount Of taxes not including interest,
penalties and costs for the years from 1885
TO 1887 inclusive. owed by the railroad TO the
State amounts to S20ll, 100 Is. In addition
there is over S1,000000 delinquent railroad
taxes due to the State from the railroads for
the years preceding 1886.
The next portion OF the AttOrney-G neraPS
report is devoted 10 an exhaustive history of
railroad legislation In this State. particularly
that part relating to delinquent taxes. He
goes atlength into the fifstrefusal of the rail-
roads to pay the taxes, the reasons and law
involved. the steps taken by the public
officials at the time, the bringing of the
suits, the fights In the courts from the
Superior up to the United States Supreme
Court, and the termination OF the litigation
by that tribunal.
The Attorney General attacks John T.
Dunn, who was State Controller, and
who, he charges. refused to accept certain
moneys offered by the railroad as a tender
OF taxes. He also pitches into the late
Acknowledgement Marshall for the manner
In which he conducted the railroad delin-
quent tax cases. Other officials are also
handled without gloves by Attorney Cen
eral Hart.
The Acknowledgement concludes that
these millions of dollars Of delinquent taxes
were lost to the Stale through the lacbes of
officials who had charge OF the States in
terests at the time.
In view Of the railroad fight, which, will
be made by The Traffic Association in the
Legislature, the report will be read with
great interest, as il Is the most exhaustive
compilation of facts and figures on the rail
road delinquent tax cases that has ever
been got up in the State. The Attorney
General only concluded his report yester-
day. leaving a sick bed 70 do so against the
advice of his friends. He will put the
finishing touches on his report to-day, and
take it 10 Sacramento with him on Monday.