The Springfield herald., 1902-02-21

would put uoIneSuc companies on IL
plane with foreign corporations. which
is not the case under the workings of
the present law. 1t is generally agreed
that all corporations should be treated
alike and that the rate should be 2
cents on each $1,000 of capitalization,
where the par value of the stock is
more than 81, and 2 cents per 1000
shares where the par value is less.
The House on Wednesday continued
the debate on the revenue bill. In or
der to avoid double taxation 1t was de-
termined to assess real estate and the
mortgages thereon as unit. This
was the intent of the old law. but some
assessors did not properly interpret it.
Onerous court fees provided in the orig
inal bill We're stricken out by acclama-
ton. The state will lose S2S.0OO in
revenue. but it is believed that the
fees did an injustice to litigants. The
House refused to exempt druggists
from the payment of the $50 license
imposed on the sellers of liquors.
The missing roll call on the third
reading and final passage of the reg
ular session of TanQuary's employers
liability bill has been found. 1t was
folded up and hid away in the Senate
journal. and its resting place has been
fingered by n score OF persons since the
labor organizations began their search
for the missing bit of paper. To Sen
ator ]. Frank Adams of this county
belongs the credit for the discovery.
The find was made Tuesday afternoon
during a session of the Senate commit
tee appointed to investigate the disap-
pearance of the roll call.
The agitation for the repeal of the
Bucklin amendment was renewed Fri
day. The House committee reported
favorably upon the Adams bill to ac-
complish that purpose. but recon-
mended that after it passed second
reading 1t be submitted to the SUI
preme Court for an opinion upon its
validity. This morning an agreement
will probably be reached to postpone
consideration of the repeal bill until
after the revenue bill has been dis
posed of. This should cause the issue
to be first determined in the Senate.
Senator Bucklin and his friends claim
a majority in both houses.
After the reading of the journal
Monday morning Mr.. Ballinger of Park
arose to n question of personal privi-
lege. The Republican had asserted on
Sunday morning that he had intro
duced railroad commission bill. know
ing that it was unconstitutional and
hoping TO use it to wiring favors from
the corporations for his many relatives
who We're employed by the roads. AS
Mr. Ballinger proceeded it was appar-
ent that he was very much affected.
II presented the bill in good faith"
he said. Il believe the Democracy
owes it to the people of the state to en-
act it. Its constitutionaiity has been
affirmed by the highest court in the
land One provision of my bill l con-
slider of especial Importance. and it
was suggested by the death of my son,
who was killed while acting as engi-
neer on the South Park. September
21st. 1t provides that the commission
shall inspect the roadbed and equip
ment of the roads and see that they
are safe. If such law had been on
the statute books my boy might have
been alive, and its enactment now will
save many lives"
In discussing the revenue bill the
other day Mr.. Montgomery condemned
the Supreme Court for compelling the
rectification of the assessments of the
board of assessors. Judge Campbell
returned from Europe in order to make
that decision" said he. 1T would have
been to the eternal credit of the state
If he had remained in Europe. The
purpose of the decision was to permit
Judge Riner to get his nose in. and he
succeeded. His opinion was not n le-
gal but political opinion. Nay, nay.
not that-it was a corporation decis-
ion 1t will go down to posterity as
the greatest monument to disgrace
ever erected in this state. The Judge
went even farther than he was asked.
He not only declared the board of thir-
teen assessors unconstitutional. but he
announced that the Legislature could
not vest assessing power in the fifty
seven assessors sitting as a board. He
said that an assessor had no authority
outside his own county. We have
tifty-seven sheriffs created by the same
law as the assessors, and no one ques-
tons their power outside their home
counties. 1t is an inherent power in
the Legislature to confer additional au-
thority upon statutory or constitu-
tional officer so long as that authority
makes for the interests of the state.
Tint was never questioned until we Sc
cured a new class of lawyers and cor.
porations decided to dodge their taxes y