Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1901-04-13

PROVED ~neueetuhfs
San Francisco Chronicle, April z.
Trouble OF a serious nature is brew
ing in the law department of the
Southern Pacific Company. They have
raised the railroads assessment in the
State of Nevada many millions Of dol
lars. and Attorney W. F. Herrin has
started an inquisition to determine
| who is responsible.
IN A oUANDARY.
+. Black Ryan, tax attorney OF the
Southern Pacific, returned yesterday
from Carson, where his protestations
and eloquence in mathematics were
insufficient to convince the Governor
and fourteen County Assessors that
the Central Pacific main line across the
| State Of Nevada was worth not more
than $11 900 a mile, although bonded
for several times that amount. The
| Governor and the fourteen County AS
SCISSORS, sitting as a board charged by
the Legislature with the responsibility
OF assessing railroad property, decided
to jump the assessment up from SILL
600 to 500, 900 a mile. Tax Attorney
Ryan is consequently not 80 merry
and gleeful as is his usual wont. and
the head of the law department is be-
ing diligently scratched for some solu-
ton Of the vexing question.
c. c. wALLACE's NOTED.
The story goes that G. @. Wallace,
| better known in Southern Pacific po-
litical circles IS "Black" Wallace, used
to attend to these little matters for
the railroad during his lifetime. The
politicians up in Nevada are said to
have imposed great confidence in Wal
lace, and when he assured the State
Board OF Equalization that the main
line of the Central Pacific was not
worth more than $11 900 q mile, the
State Board would let it go at that.
But Wallace died some weeks ago and
Southern Pacific political interests in
Nevada have been suffering ave since.
Nevada politicians are said to have
become imbued with a desire to start
with a new page, in their relations
with the railroad, when Wallace passed
from this life, and as q result the Ken
lucky corporation now finds itself
called upon to make an unexpected
contribution OF many thousands OF dol
lars to the treasury Of the State.
ATTORNEY RYAN's STATEMENT.
"The Nevada Legislature, on the
day before adjournment" said Tax
Attorney Ryan yesterday, enacted a
law creating a new body for the as
sessment of railroad property. The
Assessors Of the fourteen counties OF the
State were required to meet, according
to this new law, in the office Of the
| Governor on the first Monday in April
with the Governor as the presiding
officer. to classify all the different
kinds of property in the State and es-
tablish a uniform system of taxation.
As the taxation of railroad property is
purely the duty of the State Board Of
Equalization, l filed a protest against
the assessment work of this body be-
fore it made a move, on the ground
that it lacked jurisdiction. The Gov
ernor and the County Assessors, how
ever, went through with the work out
lined for them by the Legislature.
"After getting through with the
| classification and assessment Of live
stock and other property, they pro-
ceeded, on Thursday, to classify and
assess the railroad property of the
State. The Central Pacific was placed
in a class by itself, as was each OF the
other railroads. These other roads are
the Virginia & Truckee, the Carson &
Colorado, the Nevada, California &
Oregon, the Eureka & Palisade, and
the Nevada Central. Thus six differ
emit cl~assifcations OF railroads were es-
tablished to fit the conditions and cir
cumstances OF the six different roads.
"The assessment of the Central Pa
cific main line was increased from SILL
600 to 500. 1000 a mile, and the sidings
from 5000 to s 1000. The Virginia &
Truckee assessment vas increased ten
per cent. and the assessment of the
Carson & Colorado road was increased
fifty per cent. The Eureka & Palisade
line was left undisturbed, while that
of the Nevada Central was increased
from 81, $50 to 81. 900 per mile. l think
the assessment is unquestionably lille
gal. l cannot say what the law de-
partment will do about the matter"
Utah Sheepmen Win.