The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-04-26
LEGISLATIVE PUZZLE.
What the SoIons Are Going to Do
Relative to Railway Tax.
alton.
BENATE AND HOUSE DON'T AGREE
There Being a Possibility OF a Perma-
nent Deadlock-Question OF
Crossings at Grade.

| Just at present it would, in my hum
bic Judgment, take the very best Phila-
delphia lawyer on the job TO hgure
out exactly what is to be the outcome
OF the railroad or sO-called equal tax
alton problem. The principal details
of the Chandler bill, as passed by the
house by a nearly unanimous vote,
were given in my last letter. Since
the epistle was indited the senate
railroad committee has had its say,
with the result that the bill is now
an altogether different document
whether better or worse than the
| house draft being matter which
| each person must decide for himself
Like the man who could not exactly
make up his mind just where he
wanted to 90 when he died, because
he had friends in both places, | have
to confess the belief that there are
excellent features in both measures.
Where the senate and House Differ.
| The majority Of the senate COM
mittee amended the house bill by
eliminating telegraph. telephone, eX-
press, sleeping car and fast freight
companies, leaving its provision, there
! fore to apply only to railroad and
union depot and station companies,
| the idea being TO have a specific tax
Apply to the corporations stricken out.
| The amendments also strike out the
| provisions that the property shall be
| assessed by the state tax provision
| and substitute a separate board of
three members, to be appointed by the
| governor. No method is provided in
| the senate draft for determining the
| average rate of taxation TO be applied
to railroad properties, the language of
tho constitution being simply followed
and the assessors left to work out
this problem to suit themselves.
These are the main departures from
| the bill as passed by the house, al
| though there are some other amend
ments. The senate railroad commit
| tee was not unanimous in its action,
| 1t was nearly So however, Senator
| NichOld being the only dissenter, and
he agreed with his fellow committee
men that the bill should apply only
| to railroad properties. He. therefore,
made q minority report which pro-
vides for the making of the assess
ment by the state tax commission, and
that the average rate of taxation be
determined by dividing the aggregate
| taxes Of the state for the current
year by the aggregate assessed valua-
tion Of all the property Of the state.
1t should also be said that whereas
the house bill calls upon each railroad
company TO render to the state asses
sors a full and correct inventory Of its
personal property, the majority senate
bills calls for a detailed statement
only; further, the former bill provides
that in determining the property of
railroads subject to taxation, the as
SCISSORS shall consider the relation
which the number of miles Of road
within the state bear to the total mile
age of the companies, and the senate
draft calls for the consideration of
the relation which the number of miles
of main track of the roads in the state
bear TO the companies entire mileage
OF main track
Fight Over Two Reports Begins.
The fight in the senate over the two
reports and the house bill will COM
mence this afternoon, and it is not
probable that the upper body will emu
late the example of the house and dis
pose of the question at one sitting.
The indications at present are that it
may take the senate several days to
arrive at "a decision. Just what this
will be is problematical, canvasses Of
the body showing it to be very evenly
divided on the subject 1t is very
probable, however that, as finally
passed, the bill will differ materially
from the house measure and then
trouble between the two houses will
| commence. Some Of the leaders of
the lower house are Of the opinion that
that body will never consent to the
elimination of all corporations except
railroads, or to the creation of a sep
arate assessing board, and these gen.
tlcmen even 60 to the length of say
ing that the house will not agree to
the appointment Of q conference COM
mittee to settle the differences if the
bill comes over from the senate in its
present shape. This may possibly
prove to be the case, but the chances
are that better councils will prevail,
and an earnest endeavor made to get
together on bill that will come some
where near satisfying the wishes Of
the people.
question of Grade Crossing.
Governor Bliss has taken firm
stand against the wholesale attempt
to nullify the authority given the rail
road commissioner in the matter OF
tIOSSluSS vi tIttlIlC Will Slcdlll lOdu
tracks by amending city and village
charters so that common councils may
dispose of these matters. Some
months ago the railroad commissioner
decided to allow no crossings at grade
unless it was physical impossibility
to separate the grades. This stand
was taken in the interests of the pub
lie, the commissioner seeing that the
multiplicity Of crossings incident to the
great growth of electric railways
called for the exercise of the greatest
care In this connection if the state Is
to be spared frequent repetitions Of
frlghtful grade crossing accidents. Be-
ing unable to swerve the commissions
er from what he conceived to be his
highest duty, parties interested had
provisions inserted I'm city charters Civ
ing the councils power to grant per-
mission TO cross at grade. One Of
these bills slipped through before the
governor learned that il contained this
provision. He then announced that he
would sign no more charter bills In
which this provision was made, and