Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-10-11
RAILROAD TAXATION,
The Law Openly Violated by the
Republican Executive
Council.
John Herriott and A. B. Cummins
Sham Reformers.

The executive council OF the state is
composed of the governor, ths secre-
tary OF state, the treasurer OF state and
the auditor of state. Among other
things 1t is the duty of the executive
council, on the first Monday in March
of each year, to assess all the property
of each railway corporation in the state.
The statute says:
1.-THE said property shall be valued at
Its actual value, and the assessments
shall be made upon the taxable value OF
the entire railway within the state, ex-
cept as otherwise provided, and shall
include the right of way, roadbed,
bridges, culverts, rolling stock, depots,
station grounds, shops, buildings,
gravel beds and all other property, real
and personal, exclusively used in the
operation of such railway. In assessing
said railway and its equipments. said
council shall take into consideration the
gross earnings per mile for the year
ending January 1st, preceding. and any
and all matters necessary to enable said
council to make Just and equitable
assessment Of said railway property. II
part OF any railway is without this
state, then In estimating the value OF its
rolling stock and movable property,
SlSy eia1l Wake lIltO COlSlUSl dllOu tHS
proportion which the business OF that
part Of the railway lying within the
state bears to the business OF the rail-
way without the state"
The law governing railroad and ali
other assessments is found in title seven,
chapter one, OF the code OF 1897. Sec
lion 1905 says: "All property subject
10 taxation shall be valued at its actual
value and shall be assessed at
ss per cent of such actual value" The
term actual value" is defined in the
same section as follows: Actual value
Of property as used in this chapter shall
mean its value in the market in the
ordinary course of trade"
The Law Perfectly Plain.
After quoting at length the law on
the subject of the assessment of rail-
way property in Iowa a leading farm
Journal some time ago pertinently OBJ
served:
1t is difficult to conceive how Ian.
guage could be framed that would give
The executive council wider scope as to
the methods OF determining the value
pf railroad property than is contained ir
the above. The council shall take into
consideration not only gross earnings
pei tiilc, Dul any anu all OlIleI. lldlteIs
necessary. There is nothing they may
not take in. They are required to take
all measures to determine actual value
which is strictly defined to be the value
Of property in the ordinary course oi
trade. Why is it. then, that the coun-
ell have every year since the code was
enacted absolutely refused to look upon
the market reports OF railroad stocks
and bonds and have insisted on max
ing their valuation by methods for
which not ono OF them is in the least
eompetenti"
The plain and simple answer to this
question is, that the executive coun-
ell, tho state government of Iowa, has
Tor the past eight or nine. years been
wholly fnd completely dominated and
controlled by railroad influence. In
ample support of this answer, and as
furnishing indsputable proof of the
iact, it is only necessary to quote at
random from the famous protest" is
tusd in March, 1900, by John .Herriott,
sszasurer Of state. Mr.. Herriott said:
i--tff'tF