Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-01-23

| ton or railroad property. The policy OF our
| for the ascertainment of the value of the
| railroads OF the state, naturally introduces
comparison between the values attached
| TO railroad property and the values assigned
| to other property. Those whose property
Is valued by assessors subject only to
view, have an undoubted right to demand
| that the executive council. the assessing
board OF railway property. shall SO per-
form its duty that the railway corporations
| shall pay their just and proportonate
| share of taxes; or. to phrase Il differently.
that the assessable value of railroad prop
| erty shall bear the same relation to its true
| value that the assessable value of other
| property upon the tax list hears to Its true
value. l believe that the difficulties In as
pertaining the value OF 9 railroad are not
fully understood or apprS lated. 1t is COM
| paratiyely easy to fix, with approximate ac-
curaey, the value of farm, or of live stock
| but 1t Is not easy to fix the value OF rail
road and especially of that part of rail
road which lies in this state ant which Is
many states. Nevertheless, the work must
be done, and 1t should be done so that, as
nearly as human power can accomplish 1t,
| Justice Is done both to the railroad com.
pany and to the general tax payer. Many
| plans have been suggested and some have
been adopted In other states, which would,
ell Of the discretion or judgment which it
| now exercises. | have not been able to
perceive the merit claimed for them. in any
| of these plans. and moreover 1t may well
| be doubted whether. under our constitution,
| any plan Is available which DESTROYS the
discretion and Judgment of the assessing
| board and Its right to give due weight to
| all the elements or factors which, by the
! common consent of the business community
| enter the question of value. /, therefore,
do not advocate change In the law which
| would take away from the executive coun-
| ell the duty Of expressing its honest con
all the information accessible to It, / do,
however, believe that there are amend
ments to the law. which, II made. would
lu hA 80
| council and render its conclusions more
| just and certain. The three great factors
to be taken into. account in determining
| the value Of railroad are: First, its ply
steal condition; second. its gross earnings
and third, Its net earnings. Passing the
eli has now abundant authority to ACQUIRE
| all the information that exists relating to
II. come to gross earnings. With respect
| to railroad that begins and ends In the
| state of Iowa, there Is comparatively little
| difficulty; but with respect to a railroad
| which owns or operates a system extending
ment of the gross earnings OF that part of
the property lying within this state Is most
imperfectly provided for; Very much the
| ~ owned and operated by companies with
| lines extending through other states, and
par q PrSpsr IN tns state Is 1sed as
these railroads is Invisible into four classes
First. that. which originates and ends in
| the state Of Iowa, second, that which origi-
mates In Iowa and terminates eleswhere
third, that which originates elsewhere and
terminates In Iowa; fourth, that which
neither originates nor terminates In Iowa,
| but Is carried over some part OF the state
| II Is manifest that with regard to all the
business save that which originates and
| terminates In the state there must, In order
| to ascertain the gross earnings within this
| state, be established basis of division;
and that ! believe should be the work OF
| the legislature and not of the executive
council The basis OF division being known
y Is then clear that in order to do justice
there must be uniform system of accounts
kept by the railway companies so that
their reports will furnish the same informa-
tion, computed In the same manner, from
each company The executive council has
| no authority TO SO require. and the remedy
| Is In the hands of the general assembly.
| Win sueh amendments. and with faithful
reports the assessing board could ascertain.
| with reasonable accuracy, the gross earn
ings OF railroad property in this state.
With respect to. net earnings. the made.
quacy OF the law is still more apparent.
| phrase, met earnings" has different mean
| ings with the. various railway companies.
| what should be deducted from the gross
earnings, In order TO arrive at the net earn
| ings, ought to be declared by statute: and
such uniform accounts should be kept by
railway companies as win enable them to
make their reports upon common basis
With net earnings. as with gross earnings
1t is palpable that with respect to those
railway companies which have systems do
Ing business In two states or more. there
must be some rule adopted for the division
| OF the cost OF maintenance and operation by
| the law. With the gross and net earnings
| thus ascertained, many of the obstacles In
the way OF just assessment would dsap-
pear.
am heartily in accord with the proposal
| TO make railroad assessments In July in
stead Of March; that Is 10 saya..at the time
wheR the executive council has under re
view the assessment Of other kinds of prop
| erty. ] favor such change In the law for
| two reasons: First, because Ii will enable
| the executive council to have more fully
fefore IL the general basis of assessment
| on other property, and to put the railroad
properly upon the same basis: second. be-
cause the time between the coming in OF
the reports from the railway companies and
| the time at which the assessment must be
made; is Inadequate for the work that must
be done. The executive council should
nave the ainplest opportunity. not only TO
examine the reports themselves, but IL such
reports fail to disclose all the Information
N Mdsn ~ ohe nxeenve council should have In
u ought to seek that information from 9TH
err sources. My final thought In this con
nection is that the executive council should
| have the power TO employ, II deemed neces.
through further inquiry the facts which When
the reports may fail to disclose.
ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION
Tnere VIII occurr next year at st. Louis
| the celebration of an event OF greater sig
n the 10 the peSps q Sw than
| deeply interested in the exposition which,
| took place In Philadelphia In 1876, but we
We were much concerned in the Gelnm mi,Dn;
| Fair at Chicago In 1898. but we shared
| that concern with all the people of North
America. The centennial anniversary OF
what Is commonly known as the Louisiana
Purchase" relates peculiarly TO those states
Which comprise the territory then acquired.
wealth claim for her the highest range
among the states. The commemoration of
the act which gives us our title to sta,e-
mood In the greatest republic of the earth.
the event which gives us a place In the
azure field OF Stars and Stripes from which
our star blazes more radantly than any
other ought not TO be allowed to pass I'M
noticed. Ii would humlliate every man and
woman In the state II mt st. Louis In 1908
Iowa were not. as she is everywhere else.
among the first We may not be able 10
| pass into the treasury the dividends while.
Will. from time TO time, be declared upon
me investment we make In this memorial:
come to us In more devoted and enlight-
ened citizenship. and In a truer conception
| commonwealth.
vIcKsBuRG MONUMENT.
/ IL lives me more than ordinary pleasure
to mention the proposal to erect an appro-
| pirate state monument and suitable regi-
| meItal monuments In the National Park at
Vicksbusg. The tributes we render to the
| fought for the Union in the war OF the re-
bellion. no matter how great or how noble
| Will but feebly express the gratitude we
| feel Iowa has a peculiar interest In the
siege OF vicksburg The vaior OF Iowa sol
dlers everywhere conspicuous was especial
| ly distinguished through the dreadful DAYS
that preceded the fall of this important
stronghold. Our proportlonate losses were
greater than history records for any other
| engagement, and II Is meet that we should
mark the field Of patriotic courage with
enduring testimonials of our grateful MEM
| cries.
HISTORICAL BUILDING.
The state has made a beginning In the
| erection OF an historical building In the
rush of material Affairs let us not forget
that important and essential department OF
the government which Is to be ho'/ed and
carried on In the historical building. Many
| considerations urge the completion of the
L work nj the earliest nractlcahla rnoInanf