The Dickinson press., 1895-03-16
Railroad Taxation in North Dakota.

of the legislature of. North
Dakota:
1t has become a fixed fact in the
mind of every member of this legis.
that when in 1890 the legisla-
tive assembly passed a gross earn.
lngs law, they either passed a law un.
der which all of the roads must oper.
ate, or they passed no law at all; that
every railroad in the state was com.
PEELED by the provisions of the con.
stitution to be taxed in exactly and
identically the same manner. But
we have had the double system, and
for the purposes of this argument l
will now make before you 1 am glad
we have had it, as we "a e by
comparison the effects of the two
systems.
Take a county on the line of the
Northern Pacific railroad, the county
treasurer will tell you that in pro.
portion to the miles of track within
that county he received the same
rate of taxation at $4,000 OF $500,
as the ase may he, main or branch |
line, he has received from the assess. |
ment of an equal amount on your |
farm.
Take a county ON the line of the
Great Northern, or any other rail-
road in the state, and what will they
tell you? They will tell you of the
amount they have received OH gross
earnings which has been put into the
county general fund. If there has
been a school district in the county
through which that railroad ran; if
there has been a municipality; if
there has been a civil township
which levied a tax for the purpose
Of sustaining itself, not one cent of
the gross earnings paid into the coun.
ty treasury has been paid to that
municipality and not one cent of tax
has been levied against that railroad
company for the purpose of support.
ing that municipality.
which was put upon the desk of ev.
cry member of this house yesterday,
and on that statement you are asked
to vote whether or not you will have
a gross earnings system.
l hold in my hand also the book to
which that statement refers. 1t
shows as is shown in this report that
the Northern Pacific gross earnings
is $4.O85, 224.6 90. That statement was
published by the man who put it on
your desks, knowing it was decep.
tive; he knew it vas fallacious when
he put it there.
That gross earnings tax relates, as
stated in this book, to earnings by
that company for the year ending
June, 1898. If you will turn to page
BIZ of this same book you will find
what the gross earnings of the North
ern Pacific railroad were for the year
1894 as follows: $2,085 ,224.03.
If the man who was lobbying for
this bill desires that you should vote
intelligently on this question; if he
had the best interests Of the state at
heart instead of those of the railroad
companies, why did he not say that
the book shows on page so and so
$4,085 ,224. SO, but in 1894 the book al.
so shows on page BIZ that it was
100000. less than the statement
shows; and why does he not say in
his report that the tax would be
more than $4,000 short of the sum
he puts forth in his statement?
We will take another me-. In this
statement we find the gross earnings
of the Milwaukee railroad was $685..
334.O4.
A few minutes ago I was in the
auditors Office, and there met one of
your members, and to him I showed
the sworn statement of the Chicago
6 Milwaukee road, and which con
trolls their gross earnings for the
coming year, and I ask you now. DR..
McLachlan, to tell. this house what
you found those figures to be.
DR.. McLachlan-I found the fig.
ures to correspond with those given
on page 3l7 of the commissioners re.
port, $64,O10.
Was that intended to deceive? Was
that item the information on which
you should base a vote in this house?
Are you here to be Influenced by
statements of this kind, when in your
own state auditors Office is shown a
statement of the facts?
Railroad companies, under tho pro.
visions of this bill and under any
other gross earnings law, base the
amount of tax to be collected OF a
sworn statement2of a hired man, who
keeps books 500 miles away from
your capitol. and by his statement
you collect the tax.
There is no provision in the law
which provides that they shall keep
gross earnings separate and apart in
a book where it a be- examined.
There is ne provision for anything
except that the company shall render
a statement under oath. The man
who renders that statement under
) oath is an employo whose job de.
i. ponds upon his doing the will of his
employer, Would they allow your
hired man to give in q statement OF
, your property and swear to it when
: you were present. and let you go!
Would they not require you to make
r an affidavit of the property on which
6 you were assessed? And the same
! will apply to every member of this
;, house.
] Because the railroad lobbyists pu,
: forth such literature as this shall
t railroads be allowed to escape taxa.
ton, and because reports are made
e saying there is no law for the taxa
tion Of railroads?
: Allow me to say, gentlemen, there il
q q law for the taxation of railroads
e and the man who slipped through
e this house the provision which re
pealed that direct taxation law failet
l. in his object. because it was dis
covered before it passed the senat
! and there was put back upon tn
y statute book.
l. The gross earnings measure was d.
.r feated by a large vote.
te
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n A continuous downpour Of rain, Indictment weat
NJ er, generally in winter and spring. are unfnvor
BILE to all classes Of invalids. But warmth al
~ activity infused into the circulation %counteIa'
le these influences and interposes q defence agail