Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-28
RAILROAD BULLETIN No. IS.

Ever since the Real Estate exchange
secured hat much boosted Of reduction
Of 3 mills In the state levy for Doug
las county a ~well-dehned rumor has
been in circulation in Commercial club
and railroad circles that the exhibit
made by the committee Of the exchange
before the State Board of Equalization
was designed for future use In the in
terest Of the railroads, in support of
their contention that all property in the
state outside of Douglas county has
been assessed at from one-tenth to one
twentieth of its actual value. That
well-defned rumor is now confirmed by
bulletin No. 4S, which drops the mask
and gives the whole thing away in the
following language:
In the preceding bulletins we have shown
that there was a general disposition On the
part Of assessors throughout the state to
assess the value Of property in their sep
arate counties at 10 per cent, or possibly
less, Of its value, and in this reduction OF
assessment the railroads only desired that
their assessments should be made on the
same basis as other property. in support
OF this form Of argument we have been
ably seconded by the facts and figures pre-
sented and the argument made at Lincoln
by the Omaha Real Estate exchange in the
presentation OF their case, asking for q re-
duction In the levy for state purposes in
Douglas county. Mr.. Mcintosh, In his
argument before the board. ably presented
this feature which the railroads wish to
make plain.
There is no doubt that the railroads
were ably aided by the Real Estate ex-
change committee and its attorney n
the most deplorable feature is that this
committee knowingly assisted the rail
roads, under the p%retense that 1t was
saving the taxpayers of Douglas county
over $4,000 in taxes for the year 1902.
AS a matter of fact, the state board
reduced the total levy by 100000, thus
deliberately creating IN overlap which
the next state board will be compelled
to make good, unless the policy of reck-
less Increase in the state debt shall con-
tinue to be pursued. A ay
Cutting down the state levy by $780,
600 in the face Of a deficit of 100000 in
the running expenses of the state does
not help the taxpayers. 1t simply piles
up the state debt, increases the annual
interest charge and will finally result
in an enormous increase in taxation.
When the tax bureaucrats assert that
the assessors throughout the state show
a general disposition to assess property
in their separate counties at 10 per cent,
or possibly less, of Its value, they de-
lberately falsify the facts. The as
SCISSORS in nearly every county held
meetings prior to entering Upon their
duties and agreed upon a basis for as
sessment averaging from o%ne-fourth to
oHe-saventh of actual value, and the
real estate and personal property as
sessments, with rare exceptions. prove
that the ratio of assessment to actual
value is from one-fourth to o~ne-seventh,
while the railroad property is assessed
by the state board at one-twelfth or one
thirteenth Of it's actual value.
When the supreme court shall order
the state board to reconvene for the re-
assessment of railroad property on an
honest and equitable basis, the bulletins
issued ''by authority Of the railroads
will afford the strongest proof against
the railroads that could be produced in
support of the charge that the railroads
OF Nebraska do not bear their just share
Of the tax burden.