The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-01-24

tonic and Arkansas Pass railway.
Last year the Galveston, Houston and
Henderson Railroad company had earnings
sufficient to pay all operating expenses
and taxes and interest on s40,000.00 of
Il bonds to the mile OF Its road and 90 put
sps.2s2.SO in permanent improvements, and
10 stu have a surplus left out OF the
years earnings OF s33,0ei33. While the
gross earnings OF the Southern Kansas
railway OF Texas were insufficient by $46.-
i l54.2g to defray even lis operating ex-
penses. and yet It is assessed for taxes at
sl2b.2i per mile more than the splendid
property OF the Galveston Houston and
Henderson railroad.
| The Texas Central railroad runs from
/ Ross to Albany. and last year 1t paid a
dividend Of per cent on its preferred
\ stock, interest on bonds and operating
expenses, out of its net earnings for the
year, and had s2tsS2.2l left. The Tyser
! southeastern railway, valued by the com
I mission at S3,024.0i less than the Texas
4 Central railway, Is, owing to It's unfavora-
BILE location, almost worthless. and is as
sessed at si,550.2s per mile more than
the Texas Central railroad is assessed.
These references are sufficient 10 call
attention TO the great Inequalities OF the
taxation under the present system, cr
rather want OF system"
Fully as objectionable have boon the
4
the year ending August 81. 1899. The
summary OF table No. 81 OF the comp
trollers report. which is well worthy a
most careful and thorough examination,
discloses that the average assessed value
OF the Galveston. Houston and Hender-
son railroads.&c. carrier Of the entire
traffic between Houston aud Galveston of
two great railway Systems, besides Il fair
proportion of the local freightwas but
s6,997 per mile. This is undoubtedly one
OF the best revenue producing railroads Ia
the State and yet we find It listed at $500
| per mile less than the San Antonio aud
Arkansas Pass railway. S3l77 per mile less
than the Houston East and West
Texas, ana $676i per mile less than
the Texas and New Orleans It is hardly
probable that the Galveston, Houston aud
Henderson railway. with its present and
future advantages could be purchased
from its owners at 4 less cash price t-an
ten times beyond It's assessed Value. In
| the same table we Ind that the Houston
East and West Texas was assessed In Har-
ris at S7S17, In Nacogdothes at $l3,3t7, and
in Shelby county at SIC s17 per mile. The
New York, Texas and Mexican railway was
rendered in Fort Bend at $7i5l. but in
the adjoining county Of jackson at slt .0a7
per mile; the Pecos and Northern Texas ut
1920 in Castro and s627O per mile in
Parmar county; the Missouri, Kansas and
LEXIS HI AlioS IN bhStTOn. SsOnU In JOln~
son, $10,4I In Travis and $l1, 1872 per mile
in Hill county; the Houston and Texas
Central was listed in Harris at si2.6
and In Travis county at Si6,555 per milo,
though the rolling stock, which ls In
cluded in the assessments Is valued at
s2s, LOG more in the former than In the lat
ter; and the Gulf. Colorado and Santa ne
at SesGI in Bell, sll,9lO IN Llmpasas. y,
$1,000 per mile In Runnels county When
ig 40 baf ia ha -
state TAXATION under the preseu. constitu-
ton. each citizen and each county Is
directly and peoanlarily interested In the
assessment by every other citizen ana In
every other county, the facts recited can
not woll be ignored.
What recpmpense Is thus made 70
the people OF this State whose munihcent
liberality to such enterprises has not been
equaled by that of any OF the American
commonwealths.
Out OF her domain she has donated to
railway companies 3i17a,055 acres OF land.
all Of which has been surveyed and re-
TUNED to the general land office for patent
More than that, she has not only given to
one clmpany-the lnteln1tiunal and Great
Northerp--lg acres Tor every mile con
structed, but she has also exempted from
taXntion--State county ami municipal
for period Of twenty-five years, the land
so given and the capital stock, rights,
franchise and road OF the company.
the railway land grants Of this State
not only exceed in area the land acreage
OF any one OF twenty-five States of the
Union, among them being included New
YORK Pennsylvania and Ohio. but also
the combined land acreage of Maine, Mas
sachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island
ana vermont 1t also exceeds one-l fifth
OF the entire land acreage Of our own
state Many Of the lands so granted were
quite valuable, especially those located
In the pine timber region, complete
schedule ot the grants Is hereto appended,
TO which the attention of the Legislature
is invited. How much wiser and more
ar-slghted would Texas have been, II in
making these extensive grants she had but
followed the example OF Illinois. When
that State In 1890 donated $50 acres OF
land for every mile of road actually con
structed, to the Illinois Central Railway
company, a perpetual annual tax of Z per
cent or the gross earnings from freight
and passengers moved over its lines was
imposed, as a condition In the grant From
this source alone aud upon tracknge only
Of I05oO miles. Illinois realized, in 1898,
$500 u as against less than $500, 600.
the total amount Of state. county aud