Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-03-11
Madison. March 6

the railroad taxation DlllS uCAu y Oo1OA
day afternoon and last evening in the
senate chamber. All did not have an
onportunity to speak yesterday, DuI
the Joint committee on assessment
and collection of taxes will meet again
TODAY and will continue the hearings
until all have made their arguments
Every railroad in Wisconsin, from
the mighty ST. Paul and the powerful
Northwestern to the insignificant WIS
consin Western, formerly known as
the Kickapoo, was represented by at
least one attorney, while some roads
had four or five, Those present who
were identified with railroad interests
were General Counsel L. w. Bowers,
Attorney M. G. Ring, Tax Commission
er r. p. Crandon, all of the North
western road, Vice President A. G..
Bird, General Counsel Geo. r. Peck,
Assistant General Freight Agent T..
P. lyman and Attorney Geo. n. Wis
well of the st. Paul system, Attorney
IT. H. Gill and wisconsin Counsel
Breese j. Stevens for the Wisconsin
Central, J. w. Losey, counsel for the
Burlington, Alfred H. Bright, general
solicitor for the 500 line. John A.
Murphy, attorney for the Great North
ern, Judge Dickinson, general counsel
for the Illinois Central, Jesse B. Bar
ton. general solicitor for the Wisconsin
e Minnesota, H. O. Fairchild, attorney
for the Green. Bay & Western, and H.
A. J. Upham, president of the Wiscon-
sin Western.
These we're the railroad lawyers,
but there were other railroad men
there including the local representa-
tives of the roads entering Madison.
: Then there were many other represen-
tative men present, among them being
all the members of the state tax conn.,
mission, Railroad Commissioner G. L.
Rice, G. E. Roe, former Tax Commis-
sioner w. J. Anderson, Edward Deck
er of Sturgeon Bay, most of the sena&
tors and many assemblymen.
If the array of talent was formi-
dable one, the arguments before the
committee were even more So George
Curtis of the tax commission opened
the discussion in the afternoon. He
was followed by Judge Dickinson. In
the evening H. A. J. Upham, T. H.
Gill and H. O. Fairchild spoke. Mr..
Curtis laid before the committee the
plan which the commission had fol
lowed in arriving at the conclusions
on railroad taxation which were con-
tanned in the bills under discussion.
Judge Dickinson attacked the report
of the tax commission insisting that it
contained so many far reaching errors
that the force and value Of it's sugges-,
tions and. recommendations were de-
stroyed. T. H. Gill thought the bills
unfair in many respects, but stated
that the railroads were willing to pay
just proportion of the taxes. H. O..
Fairchild dwelt upon the fact that the
governor in his message had said that
there was about $862,500,O00 OF per.
sonal property in the state while the
tax. commission report showed only
$251 100000 Of that class of holdings.
This ne contended showed that $780,
100000 of personal property was ,es-
Gaping taxation. He characterized it
as infamous to ask the. railroads to
pay more than they are at present
when such large amount of property
pays no taxes at all He thought the
report of the tax commission was SO
inaccurate and. incomplete as to
make it useless as a basis on which to
predicate legislation.
This was the last speech of the rail-
road lawyers. for the evening, but the
statements about the amount of per-
sonal property escaping taxation had
nettled Assemblyman A. r. Hall, a
member of the committee. He rose
to ask some pertinent questions of
the learned counsel He wanted Mr..
Gill and Mr.. Fairchild to understand
that the state could only tax that.
property in sight, and he thought if
the railroads were disposed to be fair
they would be willing to bear the bur-
den in the same proportion as the
other tangible holdings. Because
5000, 100000 of personal property es-
capped taxation, he held, was no reason
why man owning farm, building
in the city or some other form Of Wis
ible property should pay higher rate
than the railroads.
Mr.. Fairchild wanted to know if the
committee and the commission pro-
posed to allow personal property to
escape taxation Mr. Hall replied:
This legislature is working day and
night to devise ways and means of
bringing property out of hiding, but
until that is done the state must tax
the visible holdings"
Curtis Opens Discussion.
First Assistant Tax Commissioners
Curtis said the commission was crea-
ted primarily to help the legislature
in its work and that in discussing the
matter of railroad taxation it would
present facts impartially. The COM
mission, he said, had devoted more
time to the investigation of the taxa-I
ton of railroad property than to any