Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-26
Eurni,tg Timrs- Il hIira't 5llarslla11tnn,1,

prohibition friends can scarcely blame
the republican party which has granted
them the opportunity and the necessary
means to attain what they desire
There are some who seem to dreau
that our nominee for governor, Mt,
Cummins will urge or desire a repeal
or weakening of our existing law. NO
one need have any dread of this. he mas
declared in unequiyocal terms that hs
favors 1.-The maintenance of the muic.
law as it stands for the reason that y
protects the interests of those count
les in which the prohibition sentiment
dominates" Mr.. Cummins is not MAI
to mislead the public. His pledge 70
good for he is a man or honor, ana the
advocates of temperance have no rleh.
to doubt his word Furthermore ne
voices the sentiment of the republican
party that enacted the law we are I'M
der and that still stands for its enforce
ment.
THE TAXATION OF RAILROADS.,
The main complaint of the democrats
is that railroads are not taxed as thes
should be. Here again we 1nd tnat re-
publicans and democrats are IN eeheia.
accord. Last summer nearly twenty
five republican county conventions eA-
pressed the demand of our party ior re-
form in our assessments In resolutions
that rang. out in tones clear and strong.
our candidate for governor was selecteu
by the rank and file OF the party ne-
cause they had confidence that he wouio
insist upon reform In our method OF as
sessing railway properties. MY own
nomination to distinguished place on
my partys ticket may be taken as evi-
dence OF such desire on the part OF re-
publican. Plus all of these signs our
platform declares for their taxation
without bias or favor
These expressions demonstrate most
convincingly that in this great que stioh
the republican party is just as desirT
ous of looking after the peoples interest
as in the past. and I submit tina. the
history of the party's management OF
the state affords abundant evidence 70
Justify the continuance of the repuph-
can party in charge in order to carry
out the reform necessary to secure the
desired end, namely the just assessment
of all corporate property.
/ am Informed that the republicans
here in Marshalltown desire that deal
somewhat at length with this vexeu
question and it seems that 1t mas Deeh
SO announced The subject is complex
and difficult to present briefly. Never
theless it is one that must needs De
dealt with for thetevils resulting from
cur recent practices are in my opinion
most serious, and think such is the
conclusion OF all who have carefully OBJ
served the course of events in the last
decade.
we need legislation that, Will over
come two objections TO our railroad as
sessments as now made az to enforce
equitable assessments and (2) to secure
tfuIf valuation. To attain these ends we
need. as have often contended, dehn1,e
statuatory provisions laying down the
rules or procedure for assessing rail-
way property.
railroads may be assessed in various
ways. Their value may be arrived ~
from the cost or the value of their road
bed, rolling stock, depots, shops ana az
monies. credits or securities utilized IN
the operation of road. or We may
take their gross earnings or business as
a basis. or we estimate the value from
their stocks and bonds outstanding, of
from their net earnings. While these
methods differ as to their merits they
AFFORD us definite bases for determining
value end il uniformly adhered TO the
assessments will be fair and JUST. butt
under whatever plan the one tni MI
above all others to be desired, that y
fundamental, is that 1t should secure
equality OF assessment, one ROAD COM
5pared Will, another. II assessments are
not equal and our method does not m
sure equality we open the doors wide e
Injustice and abuses of the worst kinn.
AS have heretofore exhibited the
grave Inequalities In our railroad as
sessments a few samples taken from
right before your door yards here IN
Marshall county Will suffice, The streets
of your city are crossed by four trunk
lines Take their assessments first as
measured by their gross earnings taken
for taxation. The G. & N. w. this year
paws $40 on every $500 received. the e.
NJ e. ST. p. $3.50. the c. g.. W. $780, and
the Iowa Central 1890 tsee the last re-
port Of the secretary of the council,
Hon. A. II. Dawson, table No. ~
On the basis of net earnings the IN
congruities are just as marked. The
council erquires the G. & N. W. to pay
$3.50 out OF every 800 earned net, the
C. NJ. & st. P. $500, the Iowa Central
s7.To, and the c. G. w. 1920 of its net
income. When 1t is considered that the
total earnings OF our great railway sys-
TENS for the state get up into the mill
lions the pecuniary advantage to the
ones most favored aggregate enormous
sums
But the case is no more satisfactory
&c we measure the railroads onsthe basis
of their stocks and bonds. On the day
the roads were assessed in 1900 the COM
mon stock Of the Northwestern sold at
s163 in New York and that of the Great
western.at only $685., yet the litter was
assessed at $4,760 per mile and the for
mer at only 5000.
Now my fellow citizens 1t needs no
great amount of intelligence to con-
vince even the casual observer that
these Inequalities are serious in the ex-
IRENE and that they are .ndefeEslDie.
We can not relieve one road from forty
to sixty thousand dollars In taxes per
annum without at the same time max
ing those roads not so favored or the
private citizens of the counties make up
the difference. Surely can not be mis-
taken in thinking that the people OF
Marshalltown donot desiresuchi nequal-
tiles. Your trunk lines are great factors
in the upbuilding and in TIE welfare OF
your thriving city. You naturally wish
them each and all. the greatest prosper
ity but you do not care to promote one
or two at the expense Of the owners OF
a1...r. hath iann.fSs.. and