Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-22
LETTERS |!F HERMAN
Strenuous Efforts to Prejudice
Iowa Voters Against Re-
publican Rule Amusing
THRU MEDIUM OF LITERATURE
Peculiar Twisting Of Statistics Relating
to Assessment of Corporate Proper
ty in,lowa Found in Campaign Doc
unent, "l.e .etters of Herman an'-Harp-
ing on Sleeping Cars Valuation.

Special to Times Republican.
Dos Moines. oct. 22-one of the
amusing things N connection Win the
strenuous effort that IS being made to
detract from the reputation OF the re-
publican state administration ard 10
make campaign argument in behalf
Of the opposition by peculiar twisting
fof the statistics relating to assess
nent OF corporate property IN TINS
state. appears in the campaign aoeH-
menf Letters OF Herman" which are
being circulated with other similar HI
erature to prejudice the voters OF 'h'
state The purl ose OF all this liter
Iature is to convey the impression tnae
the republican state administration mas
been grossly derelict IN its duty III tildi
III has failed to make a sufficient assess
menl of corporate property, and tina.
the republican state officials are ~
league With the corporation ol1leials 10
relieve the corporations OF taxes ana
place the burdens on the owners or Feai
as.ata in th, state One of the many
arguments put forth is that the exec
utive council made an immense reduc-
tior in the assessed valuation OF sleep
ing cars in the state
And find" says the purveyor OF
misnformation IN regard to assess
ments, that the same reform council
lowered the assessed valuation or sleep
ing cars by s2l5.eoo."
The statement is going out uncon-
ftradicted 1t has been IN cifculatoh
for ten days or more and nothing mas
been done by those who are entrusted
with the circulation of truths IN re-
gard to state affairs to counteract the
bad effect OF such a bold accusation,
and especially one so in line with the
whole fight of the year against repuo-
Ilican management OF the state OF
IoNt..
But 1t is a strange statement. In view
Iof tbe fact that the assessment which
was covered was only s212.S39 in the
first place. This was the aggregate or
the sleeping car assessment for l902.
To have lowered it as much as indlcat-
ed would have been to more than wipe
II All out AS a matter OF fact the
sleeping car assessment this year
amounted to $2u4.1lI, according to the
printed report The sleeping car as
sessn,ents have varied from year to
year because there is great variation IN
the mileage of these cars travelled in
Iowa. All depends on the business
done.
The process of arriving at the valu-
alton of the sleeping car service where
sleeping cars are operated that are hoe
owned bv the railroad companies is
simple The sleeping cars We're valued
at SIS 500 each. Reports were secured
from the companies showing the mum
Der OF cars in use In Iowa on an aver
age. and their mileage over the Oil
ferent lines of road. The reports TOY
this year show I'd that there was an
average of 5S.7. sleeping cars in con-
stant use on lines in Iowa. or course
there We're several hundred ears actH
ally in the stase at one time or an
other. but this f gure represents the aN-
erage number il daily use. lhere Wefc
also T.e6 tourist sleeping cars on an
average in use The reported actuas
yallle of these cars, reports from the
companies. was $l99.550.Sl and tae as
sesstble value as reported BY the own
ers sl99s sS7I2 The executive coun-
ell did better than this by fixing the
value per car All St3,500 instead OF Sl3.-
coo as contendel for by the car owners.
The owners claimed that they had had
a car.fu, advertisement made OF their
entire equipment and found that ihe
cars were worth. $4,000 on an average,
and they wanted to know why they
were assessed higher. They We're po-