Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-28
NEW ISSUE TO Be RAISED
Governor Savage Outlines His Policy as to
Nebraska Corporations.
CHANGE IN EXISTING LAW PROPOSED
Message VIII Advise Altering statute
to Permit of N MAKING
Assessments for Local
Taxation.
In the Chicago Chronicle Of yesterday APP
pears the following article from a Nebraska
correspondent:

pears the following article from a Nebraska
correspondent:
Governor Savage, candidate for the re-
publican nomination for next term, is pre-
pairing TO give the republican officeholders
and politicians a chance to stand on his
own platform, with the alternative OF get
lic materldi out o. which the principal
plank is made. The governor win put in
plation for several months by which he
will force the republican state treasurer
ana the state auditor to agree to reverse
the, republican practices OF thirty years
ana levy a tax on the railroad property of
the state in proportion to that put on other
The fact that such a thing is to be done
py the governor has become known among
come to the ears of the railroad people atiso
and the condition of uneasiness that exists
In these circles is all the more intense be-
cause IL Is not advisable to have 1t talked
about generally.
The fact that the governor will take this
step and that he has decided to do SO after
several months Of elaboration as to the
manner In which he would do Il has been
Known to a small circle Of his closest
friends and to the chief managers of the
railroads. for a week or two, but II is not
known that the precise method of, proce-
arranged by Savage. such. however. is
sald TO be the fact and his method of ex-
state oficeholders will be this:
Proposes to Raise values.
Nhen the state board meets on May 10
10 hx the valuations of the railroad prop
erty In the state for taxation for state,
county and municipal purposes Savage
will, as a member Of that board, submit a
proposition that the valuation per mile of
the property of all the railroads in the
state De raised. This board is composed
OF the governor, the state treasurer and
the state auditor and is created by an act
OF the legislature.
equitable assessment of railroad propertv
IN the state has been the avowed policy Of
az p0nucal parties for many years and
mat the vast majority of the voters of the
state have honestly favored such action
and looked in vain to the men elected to
oftice to accomplish the reformation. The
poItlcal party platforms have dealt In gem
erai phrases and the men elected to office
on Inese platforms have not found the way
to.put into practice the changes promised.
savage will point out where in the old
nays! ten or twelve years ago, a railroad
assessed/at only 50, 400 a mile, and that at
the time when the higher assessment was
oullt, rough and raw as the new railroad
across the prairies in those lays usually
were, and that since that time It has been
extended until 1t is not only an important
part of a great system, but stretches hun
dreds OF miles into the mountains of the
west. There have been put in depots, side
tracks warehouses;, heavy steel rails in
place OF the fragile iron strips that first
the line and factories and villages, towns
ana cities have sprung up, in all OF which
the railroad has acquired property which
it's original holdings. Savage, in his prop
osition TO the state board to raise tho as
SINE Will call attention to the fact
that when this particular piece or railroad
property was assessed at 5000 a mile there
who was by general Understandings The
greet representative of the railroads and
they would be reasonably supposed to get a
low assessment under his supervision.
The governor will submit that II is not in
accordance with pledges fairly to distribute
the burdens of taxation to reduce this par
ticular assessment and others OF railroads
which are IN practically the same condition
0ro hsylng been made lower while AL other
ernore, proposition to the board wifi be
that all railroad assessments in the state
be raised with a specific designation of the
amount at which the Valuation FOR taxa
ton of each shall be fixed.
Wants the Law Changed.
This win not be all that the governor will
put up to the board, whose members are
tives Of the republican party in Nebraska,
He will announce in the same manner that
ing a great hardship to the several coun-
ties and municipalities of the state the
ofncers to sit at Lincoln and fix the valua-
ton OF taxation for local purposes of the
railroad property In the counties. He will
the next legislature in his biennial message
mat the proper steps be taken to change
permitted to assess only for state taxation
and that the county boards of the several
countles De permitted to assess the rail-
road property in their counties for taxation
for local purposes. This will put the whole
railroad assessment question right up to
GERS and members Of the legislature,
The unheard-of action Of Savage. q re-
publican governor taking such a step has
created CONSERVATION among the few poll
ucians OF that party who are aware Of his
determination The method he purposes to
Issue which must be met first by the two
other republican members Of the state
dicted. vote against Savage's proposition,
The matter will be then of record, however.
and the full statement of savage's position
of the board, 1t will be public property
and from the intense feeling which has two
been aroused among the farmer voters over
this very question the politicians know that
a stormy time is ahead.
The party or the candidate that refuses
to go on record will have to give an account
to the voters themselves. There are among
the republican politicians a large number
who have made. successful careers on their
protestations of Independence OF railroad
some glittering generalities that served to
give them credit with the anti-monopoiy
farmers but which did not bind the ~oficials
elected by. their party to any definite plan
Of remedying the things the farmers COM
Plsined Of. This failure to act could be
beautifully on for many years.
May Secure Positive Action.
The prospect of the manner in which
Governor Savage intends 10 cut OF ali re-
treat into these bypaths that lead round
positive action leaves these men i'm a de-
plorable condition. 1t is doubtful II thew
can be made TO vote against the Proposition
when II comes up in the state convention
To vote for II would be to indorse SaVage's
reform measure, and II would be hard to
take his measure and reject the man him
self. To vote against the proposition would
be 20 cut loose from all p~retense OF being
anti-monopolists. 1t Is a hard problem
Savage prepares.
The adoption of S~avage's platform will
alliance men and anti-monopolists hut
what will the railroads do? That Is the
question the republican politicians are ask
Ing themselves. Success without the am
port Of their anti-monopoly contingent Is
impossible. Governor Savage has been a
candidate for nomination as governor since
he succeeded TO the office upon the election
OF Governor Dietrich TO the United States
senate. His friends declare thai he would
not accept the nomination II the reDub-
lican convention offered II to him witbout
party platform to the reformation IN the
method of assessing railroad property were
agreed TO. He insists on having his own
platform to stand upon.
Savage has had a bitter fight on his
hands since he paroled former State Treas
urer BARLEY and afterWard pardoned him
without condition. The action OF the last
republican state convention IN censuring
the act OF paroling the prisoner resulted in
Savage sending him back to the peni-
Tertiary. After that the full pardon was
tinued their night against him, In which
| nearly all of the republican uanarg - a.