The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-02
TAXATION VICTORY.
Assembly Votes by 81 to 26
to Advance the Two
Klink Bills.
RAILROADS. VAIN OPERATION
Roll and Derousse Aid the Corr
poration Lawyers But Are
Emphatieally Beaten.
Assemblyman Klink and W. D.
Edwards Make Telling Argu-
ments on Behalf of
Jersey City.
Special to the Jersey cstp Nc,os.

Special to the Jersey Citu Nc,ns.
TRENTON, March 2, 1S97-The advo-
Gates of equal taxation won a signal vic
fory in the Assembly this morning After
fghting against great odds from $50
O'clock last night Until Las o'clock this
morning, in Committee of the Whole
they succeeded in having the unfavor-
able report of the Committee on Railroads
and Canals upon bills nos. / and set
aside. and those measures placed before
the House ON second reading.
There was large number of Jersey City
people present and, strange to say, all
We're looking after equal taxation. Emil
Datz dropped his City Hall bill and shout
ed equal taxation. Colonel Samuel Dick
inson was also in favor of equal taxation,
but ne spent most of his time in the SEN
ate, looking after the election bill, which
did not show its head; Herbert Potts, who
was here with Wilbur Mott lost all inter-
est in Police Justice bills and listened to
the arguments. Among the others pres
ent were Mayor Wansert Joseph A. Dear,
Louis Booraem, Myron Furst, Dr. Quimby
James c. Young. Henry " Condict, John
Nevin. John WaM Queen and Charles c.
Black.
When the committee sat, Assemblyman
Watkins, of Cumberland, took the chair
and Mr.. Klink opened the discussion in a
speech which was an excellent one, al
though much of its force was ruined by
its length. He began by saying that the
object of the committees meeting was to
discuss the three equal taxation meas
ures so thoroughly that the members could
/ better act upon them.
Perhaps he said, some of the mem
bers are not familiar with the present law
for the taxation of railroads. The law of
1884 had hard struggling bitter birth.
The same arguments were made against
It by the railroads as is made now against
our bills. They predicted the ruin of the
railroads and the loss of money invested
which would bring misery and want to
the widows and the orphans. and they
would have to reduce wages and dis
charge mon, which would bring more
misery to the families of their employees
For two years the railroads fought
this act from Court to Court with the
same bitterness as they do now. But the
law triumphed. finally, and was affirmed
by the Court of Errors and Appeals The
law was reaffirmed and amended in 1885,
Under this law the railroad property
Is divided into four classes. First, the
main stem, which is a thin, marrow strip
100 feet wide; second, railroad property
outside of main stem. which class is un-
der discussion tonight; third, tangible per-
sonal property; and fourth, the franchise
The value of the second class property is
4o,0oo,000 on which the railroads pay one
and one-half per cent, or SIS on a 1,ooo
unless the rate of the municipality in
which the property is located is less
Il suppose today that if railroads were
taxed under their true value at the aver
age rate of 2.0S6 the result would be that
81. 500 900. We don't ask anything like that
We do not ask that the railroads shall
pay on second class property taxes at the
local rates, the same as the individual
does, and that brings me to No. l. 1T in
no way disturbs the act of 1884, but only
amends section of It. The railroads say
that they are willing to pay at the same
rate the individual does. Only in Jersey
City they pay on full value, while the in
dividual escapes with valuation of sew
erlty per cent. on ITS true value. That IS
met by Bill No. 1, which says that in
case any property was taxed below its
value the State Board of Taxation shall
step in and equalize those taxes The
railroads pay $1,500000 taxes TO the State,
and of that amount the munlcIpaalieS get
back s4O5. .0O0 and Jersey City gets of that
amount r,l mon only s22sooo. = -
sBiil IL provides that the rate of 11k per
..a,, l,e esps :, eya,5 r., tvso .ner cent ali of
;ch cli os oisaiu ia ~ ino fhe pynnnieipalitv in
which the nroner-tv IS located No. 184 In
no way eompels the ranroaas ;ad 70 p pay &c an
aouss1a eoa aoo cent u asteiy 4,, CO., sbaii
the $z0o,00O now given TO une Slate siiaal
go to the municipalities. We don't want want
the railroads u pay any more than 1ea rnelr ar
fair share and give the municipalities
something fer the privileges they enjoy.
We ask them to regard the Constitution,
ys,iel1 saws that all spropertv shall be taxed
hv fixed rules and al true valuations,
which IS not done now. Bin No. / over
no,vse.s "A, a aafaefs II, fha1 law of 1894 IT
coies ss,i u,ie anT NH t = ~ sit,,atan
= esoi's lesss,u.e s,ssssx 10 c,sTa Afava 's
from SusosA y Sape a;t Mays ....a,az 80
Mr kink anen Ssvsrely ,crl.lcise4 sllo
report q ee ~ ~ ei,yt ~ foee
ana SAID s4,ShiH5 " ttS ispoi y y SalossS
gentlemen, mat u "aS ~, eie 9ana oh r4sS1a e.
but tne tp poacs NH @ + t5av 5,a not
warne&a & sne h;I1s and eiTe ersey itv uiu re-