The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-29
JERSEY CITY'S PLEA
Mr.. w. D. Edwards Talks
of Equal Taxation to
Good Government
Association.
RAILROAD ENCOURAGEMENT GROWING
City Insists That the Tax on Sec
ond Class Property Shall
Be RENTED to Her.

Mr.. w. D. Edwards, special counsel fol
Jersey City in the grave question OF
Equal Taxation, addressed a meeting OF
Good Government Association No. Last
night, in Arcanum Hall, jackson and
Clinton avenues. The audience. although
small. made up in enthusiasm, attention
and appreciation what it lacked in num-
bers. n none of the points made by
Mr.. Edwards was lost on his audience.
President T. Holt opened the meeting
and In a brief manner introduced Mr.,
Edwards. who Immediately plunged into
his subject by saying that even when
two or three people are gathered together
some good may result. He said, at the
outset, he wished it to be understood
that he did not belong to the large class
in this community who are commonly
known as anti-monopolists, He believed
in corporations which are doing a greater
work than any other set of individuals.
Neither do 1 belong" said Mr.. Ed
wards, ito a class which is opposed to
trusts. I I'M frank to say that they
are doing a great work to cheaper COM
modities.
And again, I am not opposed to rail-
roads, for they also are necessary n
l need not say are doing a great work.
But I am in this fight because the State
of New Jersey prefers one class Of in
dividuals to another, and I am opposed
to all preferences and special prefer
ences."
Mr.. Edwards next, in a simple and lucid
manner, told of the fight for Equal Tax
alton beginning with the movement of
the late Governor Albeit to whom, he
said, three-fourths of the credit for the
movement were due. Prior to that
time the railroads needed encouragement
and were looked upon as infant indus
tries. The railroads then paid one-half
per cent. on their cost, n ten acres
of their property was exempt from tax
alton.
To enHghten the association on the diff
ferentiation of railroad property Mr.. Ed
wards said that the first-cIass comprised
the main STEM" or tracks 100 feet wide
across the State taxed for State purposes
at one-half of one per cent. Tangible
personal property, such as locomotives,
water tanks, ETC., paid to the State the
same tax. e all property outside Of
main stem, including the terminals. is
called second class property, and pays
one-half per cent. to the State and one
per cent. to the locality. Then that is
not all the value of the road. There are
the bonds and stock of the company, the
value of which is known in Wall street.
The value of the tangible property is de-
Quoted from the value of the bonds and
Tho diffo-z-44 H. 49, A.1 a
order that the railroads shall not be as
sessed too much the State takes so per
cent. and calls it franchise.
Nov all the railroads in the State
have property amounting to 22O millions,
and of that sum $751; 00, 600 is main steu,s 4,
continued Mr.. Edwards. About $40, OO0,-
600 is second-class property; tangible
property represents $22, 00O. 600, and the bal
ance, 5 ,000,0 900, is called franchise. If all
parts of the State had an equal amount
OF railroads n main stem, all would
equally contribute. In every county each
has its main stem and that constitutes
Us quota We make no objection, to
main stem. sS II
But we do object in Jersey CITY to the
assessment on second-class property, be-
cause there is no city in the State which
has anything like the proportion of rail-
road property within its limits as, here
and the property is growing. There are
about 10,450 acres of land ia this city. al
tnat l,5W acres are streets. The railroads
own 1880 acres, or 20 per cent. Of the
land, and that is valued at $22, 600, 600. on
that they pay to Jersey City 1926. 900. or.
in other words, on one-fourths 81 the
area they pay one-third of the value or
one-tenth of the taxes. Now other indi-
vlouals, like you n me, three
Iourths of the property, two-thirds Of the
value, and we pay nine-tenthss Of the
great trouble"
These facts, said Mr.. Edwards. were pre-
scented to the recently formed Commission
py himself and Mr.. Edlow Harrison. who
We're employed by the city for that pnr-
pose, n that commission was really
ra noW NOT to 90 It" n How not to give
PRODUCING maps, colored red. green and
yellow, indicating the present zra iIroad
property in Jersey City, Mr.. Edwards mi
nutely described the growth Of the rail-
road property and the closing ,up the wa
ter front, and he said impresstveIy that If
the present rate of increase in the growth
OF railroad property is continued the next
generation will see not a single building
lot below the hill would be used for MANI.
features, but they would be gridfroned nv
tracks.
Now, where is the injustice to us? All
mat second class property in New Jersey
Is worth $1, 900, 600. Of h sum S2s mn m
IS located in Jersey City. The raiIroaIs
claim they have built up our city, hut that
Is not so. Nature has made Jersey Cifs
q great terminus of freight for the West
srn world Show me a terminus here and
I'll show you a successful road. What We
5sk is, remit to us the tax on that SEA. O0Ol-
POO on second class property and instead of
Jersey City receiving 1 per cent. on $23, Goo
Oo, the railroads would pay s27.40. Or, in
per annum 100000 from the railroads In
stead of $780, 900, and the result would Be
that our tax bill would bs $50 on the
H,000."
guments before the commission Mr.. Ed
wards treated in a very interesting man
ner, infinitely taking up each claim and
showing its absurdity. He demonstrated
roads were not since 1884, when the SUI
1reme Court decided that they were pay.
Epg their due share of the taxes, paying
heir proportionate share today. Their