Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-27
HELLO MEN SHY At TAXES
Nebraska Phone Company Declares Bluffs
Assessment Highly Illegal
PROTEST WILL Be CONSIDERED TODAY
Board of Review Declared IncOmpe-
tent to Raise Levy, state Executive
Council Being Alone Power
full in suah Cases.

The city council will meet this morning
as a board Of review to hear the protests
Of the corporations business firms and pri-
vate individuals whose assessment as
placed by the city assessor was raised by It.
The Council Bluffs City Water Works
company and the Citizens Gas and Elec-
trio company will be represented by coun-
eel and make objection to the increase Of
$4,000 placed upon their assessments by
the board.
The attempt Of the Board Of Review 10
assess the Nebraska Telephone company on
its franchise also will be resisted on the
ground that the state executive council
is the only body which can. under the
statutes Of the state, fix the assessment
of such corporations. In view of the fact
that the City Board of Review deemed 1t
advisable to assess the telephone company
$4,000 in addition to whatever assessment
may be placed on It by the state executive
council, the company has fled the follow
ing protest, which will be presented at the
meeting Of the board this morning:
The Nebraska Telephone company
hereby enters its objection to the assess
ment OF $4,000 on Its property in this
the 11th day of April, 1903. for the reason
that said assessment is not warranted by
and is contrary to the statutes OF the
double assessment Of said property.
Section 1880 Of the code of 1897 provides
shall be assessed by the executive coun-
Gil. and chapter xiii. of the Twenty eighth
general assembly provides as follows:
erty of every kind and character whatso-
ever, real. personal or mixed, used by
said compssnies, Is , In the Transaction Of Of tele- N
property so included in said assessment
shall not be assessed In any other manner
than as provided in this act"
Said act further provides that telephone
companies shall be assessed by the ex-
ecutlve council and that their assessment
and that the county auditor of each
county shall certify the same to the vari-
9Ss townshPs and d.. TuRhep1eS 1h within
municipality shall be assessed by the local
authorities 90 the property of individuals
is assessed in such locality.
1t will be readily seen by the above that
the only authority to assess telephone
This assessment being made. the assess-
ment made by your honorable body would
amount to double taxation, of the prop
erty of this complainant and your action
Of making said assessment of $4,000 is
illegal. First, because made without au-
by statute, and, second because % such s'Sst as.
sessment would be a double taxation and
consequently contrary to the constitution
or the state OF Iowa.
Protests will also be made against the
action Of the board in raising the assess.
ments of the following firms: The Harle.
Haas Drug company. from $4B, $50, to $50, 900;
Keller-Farnsworth Furniture company, from
$1,000 to $4,000; Iowa Furniture company
from 5000 to $1,000: Ohio Cultivator com.
pany. from 81 900 to $4,000; swaine & Mauer
hardware. from 5000 to 10000; the Emp.
kie-shugart & Hill company, from SS5, 900 tC
$4,000; Union Transfer company, from
$4,000 to $4,000; Cole Brelsford HarwarC
company. from $4,000 to $4,000; p. C
DeVol, hardware. from $4,000 to 1000
Wallace & Grout (the Bluffs City laundry
from $500 to $500; Evans Laundry com.
pany, from $500 TO $1,000.