New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1901-09-07

inaugurated policy against street rail
roads, likewise against all public service
companies-thati is, all corporations havin!
public franchises, which policy should
through taxation. lower fares or othe
methods, transfer to the public a large
share of their benefits so long such privi
leges should remain in private hands, ant
which looked ultimately to the public own
ership and operation of all such publl'
functions. But, unfortunately for tn,
Press, Tom l.. johnson perceived the in
iquity of making private property OF the
arteries Of the social organism.
In the middle eighties, and before the
Big Consolidation was effected, he haC
publicly uttered clear views ON this subject
and during his congressional campaigns
while still director of the Big Consolida
ted, and still holding his stock and bonds
in that company intact, he condemned pri
vate ownership of public franchises and
announced his fixed purpose to work with
his fortune and all his powers to awaken
the people to the TRUTH that these prvi-
leges should not be granted to him or tC
any other individual but should publicly
be held and shared by all alike. On this
same principle he offered tariff amend
ment in congress to place steel rails on the
free list, although he was a manufacturer
of steel rails, which were highly protected.
Likewise he advocated the abolition of the
patent laws, although he had been and
was then patent beneficiary. Similarly
he voted for measure intended to raise
all federal revenue from land values alone,
and this in face of the ownership, by him
personally or his relatives, of considerable
valuable land
If it be demagogic to avow certain prin-
ciples of public justice early i'll ones
career and then publicly to proclaim and
work for such principles consistently, and
persistently, and to declare that the money
being made from form of public privilege
was to be used to educate the people to
their rights and, lastly, on taking public
Office to act as one has sworn to act, to
work in the public weal-then Tom l..
johnson is a demagogue, and such dem
agogue as the world seldom sees.
But even if he had no such principles
about public ownerrhip of public fran
chises, should he forswear himself9 The
law of Ohio is plain. 1t says that such cor
porations as the Big Consolidated COM
pany pay taxes on their "true value in
money The Ohio courts have long set
tied that this true value is to be deter
mined by the market value of the stocks
and bonds. What the mayor of Cleveland
has done was to appoint to the local assess
ment board men who would act upon
the state law and its judicial interpreta-
ton.
In accordance with general usage in Ohio
to assess at 60 per cent. Of the full value,
the board raised the assessment of Senator
Hanna's Little Consolidated system from
something over $500, 900 to more than &c.
000, 900, and that of the Cleveland Electric
company, or Big Consolidated, from less
than 81 900, 900 to above 100000. Per
haps this is ''playing to the galleries" but
the masses of the people of Cleveland
seem strongly to indorse it, and a judge
opposed in politics to the party to which
Mayor johnson belongs refused to enjoin
or in any way discourage the mayor or his
board from proceeding with their
work.-Henry George, Jr., IN Philadelphia
North american.