Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1899-11-15
THE EXAMINER.
M0Rtpelter. Idaho.
Montpelier, Idaho, Nov. 10, 1899.
THE JUSTICE OF IT.

3
returned from a trip to eastern
cities. While away he called on
President Cornish and other Short
Line officials to see if they really
intended to change the main line
SO that it would run through Boise.
The Short Line officials brought
forth the cry that they were adverse
to more building in Idaho, because
they are "too heavily taxed" This
remark is the text for a long edito-
rial in the Statesman. Of course
the Statesman takes the side of the
raill DAD. Among other things it
says:
"These railroad companies have
always been prompt in paying
their taxes. To be sure, they try
to get the best rates they can, but
no one viii deny hat they have
paid their share of the taxes, while
none assessed against them have
been carried along on the delin-
quent list.
This is one of the Statesman's
arguments. Did it ever hear Of a
national or private bank allowing
their taxes to go delinquent, or
any big mercantile firms, or any
of our big cattlemen or sheepmen,
or any of the successful ranchmen
or business men of any kind?
There are hundreds and thousands
Of people in Idaho that pay their
taxes just as promptly as the Short
Line, yet they get no credit for it
from the Boise daily. Neither
does that paper make any plea for
any railroad, except the Short Line.
Well let's see about it's assessment.
Taking the system that is within
Idaho, we find that it pays on an
assessed valuation of 6 1000, 900.
The road is earning dividends
of 4 per cent on a capitalization Of
500, 600, 600, Of which, perhaps,
three-fourths can be credited as
being in Idaho or say SIS, 500, 900,
and it is assessed for less than one
third of this amount. The ExAMIS-
Err doesn't believe in putting it Oh
to the railway companies either,
but it does think they should bear
their just proportion of the taxes.
The alleged high taxes doesn't
seem to be affecting railway build
ing in the north part or western
part of the state. In the north the
o. r. n. and \. p. are racing with
each other to get as much line as
possible built inside of Idaho's
boundaries, while at Weiser the
Seven Devils road is rushing along
as fast as possible. Then, too,
Col. Dewey has recently announced
that he intends to begin work push
ing the,B. n. & Q. road north and
south in Idaho, as fast as possible.
These don't seem to be scared.
Then again the Statesman says:
"Under these circumstances, when
the heads of the companies thus ex-
press dissatisfaction, it is time to
listen to their statement"
Yes, indeed, but how about the
people who live in the state. When
they protest, shall we listen to
them, too? We think so. They
are entitled to as much consideration
as the railway corporations. II
you lower the railway assessment
won't you raise the taxes of other
people? Then who will have a
kick coming?
But the Stateman says:
sin many counties those valua.
tions are not yet high enough, and
there should be a strong effort to
lift them higher while holding
others where they now arc"
Yes, tax the people more, and
the companies less. That's logic
in the Boise papers eye, but it
won't go down with the people.
We are just as anxious as the
Statesman to have o railways III
the state, but we are not willing to
sacrifice every taxpayer in Idaho in
order to have the Short Line built
through Boise. Give the railways
a fair shake, but give the settlers a
chance, too.
AS between having more settlers
and more railways, We will take