Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-23
MUNICIPAL TAXATION OF RAILROADS

Fremont Tribune: II is clear II the Omaha
plan should be followed the taxation of the
roads would be greatly increased. for then
the terminals would be assessed once for
municipal purposes, whereas under the
unit system that part Of the terminal value
apportioned to mileage between stations
now escapes municipal taxation. The reads
now escape this.
Fairbury Gazette: The railway man
ayers are making a mistake in opposing H..
r, III. Two wrongs don't make one right.
II is no excuse to say that railways should
not be assessed at a fair cash value be-
cause horses are assessed at $40 and mules
at IS per head. All such assessments are
ridiculous. All property must come up to
a common level for assessment purposes.
II the railway people persist in their OPP
position to tust and fair assessments, they
will force the issue into a campaign, and
then there will be something doing Of a
very radical nature. This assessment ques-
tion will not down, nor will It be settled
until II is settled right. The members of
tie legislature who are not with the peo-
pie on this question, and their actions at
Lincoln this winter are being closely in
spected at home, will find their future po-
litical aspirations will vanish In the air.
They must be fair to the railways and fair
to the people. Nobody can object to that
proposition.
Rushville Recorders: The Recorder has
been inundated with leaflets, pamphlets.
and foolets on the taxation OF railroads
this two weeks, and we have come to the
conclusion that the attempt of the rail-
roads to buy editorials in the press has
acted like the lease law on the stockmen.
When people begin to stir up a heap. they
must look out for odors. 1t certainly looks
as though the city Of Omaha was making
out by far the stronger case in its fight
for equal taxation on city property. While
the railroads have conferred immense ben
ehts on Omaha, they have to some extent
Offset these when we see the valuation
Of railroad property there conducted in
such a ridiculous manner. Nebraska has
a very high position among the states on
account Of it's l~iteracy, but we shall not
have much faith in that kind Of boast until
It is exercised enough to place the railroad
taxation on somewhere near the same basis
II occupies in older states. In Indiana the
state, under its revised taxation scheme in
one year raised the assessed valuation on
railroads from $50, 900, 900 to S160, 200, 900 and
the railroads and state are still doing bust
ness. There is not the least doubt on earth
that the railroads here in common with a
large lumber of citizens are assessed too
low and Omaha is not the only place where
the evil can be found. We are only afraid
that the matter of our new revenue laws
generally are being rushed through too
quickly. and hat more time should be
given to revising our whole fiscal system.
Long Pine Jodrnal: The journal should
think that the railroads having terminal
property in Omaha would be ashamed to
| 6anA AV,N Nka NnlI Ag. 49,. - T.
hlcting on the country newspapers in re-
gard to the local taxation Of their ter
minals. In Omaha the assessing for city
taxes is entirely separate and apart from
the county assessing. All property is as
sessed at its cash value. except that in
the case OF the railroad property a clause
in the law, inserted there for the benefit
OF the railroads, compeis the tax commits
sioner las the city assessor is oalled) to
take the assessment made by the state
board, which is a ridiculously small frac-
tion OF the real value OF the property. The
Omaha people want this clause repealed, so
that they may assess the railroad stations,
ETC., at full cash value. for city purposes.
OF course this means a big increase in tax
alton for the railroads, which are paying
only a few thousands of the million dollars
that must be raised in Omaha each year.
anvil - " ~ NaoN VILE -
tion in omaha would mean Just so nan
dollars taken out Of the rockets Of the out
side counties, as railroads are assessed as
a whole. II Omaha hogs the tax, they say,
what is left for the rest of the state? It
will be seen that the railroads are DELHI
erately confusing the state and city assess
ments, which bear no relation to each
other. 1t is true that the state board as
sesses the railroads as a whole and then
apportions the assessment. so to speak,
among the counties, villages, etc, according
to the number Of miles Of railroad within
them, but this is for county, school and
other taxation. The rest Of the state will
not lose a cent II Omaha taxes them ST.
900, 900 a year, and any man OF sense ought
to know 1t.
Nebraska Independent: II is obvious that
state government covers every foot Of
railroad within the state, and so far as
concerns state taxes 1t matters little from
what particular county or counties they
come, so long as railroad property on the
average pays as much state tax per 500
OF fair cash value" as other property
over the state pays on the average. Out
lying counties along the line Of railroads
having terminals in Omaha contribute to
the creation of value in those terminals,
and the system Of dividing the total value
OF any given road by the number OF miles
Of line IN that road-thus arriving at a
per mile va~luation-coul have no other OBJ
feet than TO give outlying counties, for
local taxation, a greater share Of railroad
valuation than the value Of railroad prop
erty within those counties would warrant IL
assessed without reference to any other part
of the road. 1t is also obvious that county
government also extends over every foot
OF railroad in the state, and whatever Of
the value Of Omaha terminals is not taxed
for county purposes in Douglas county is
taxed for county purposes in other counties
along the line. Whether the entire as
sessed valuation in the several counties is
high enough as compared to other prop
erty in those counties, is wholly another
...I I'M