Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-18
THE TAx-sHIRKING RAILROADS.

Leigh World: Edward Rosewater editor
of The Omaha Bee, is again after the rail-
roads on account Of their assessments being
too low. He has been before the assess
ment board with a tabulated statement,
comparing the railroad tax with that OF the
farmers and business men, and thinks that
there is good reason why their assessment
should be raised
Kearney Hub: The argument by Edward
Rosewater before the State Board of
Equalization in the matter of railroad as
sessments, opposing the reduction asked
for by the roads and disputing their claims
that the railroads pay more taxes pro-
portionate With value than private prop
erty pays, was a fair statement OF the
anti-railroad side of the tax question. The
railroads have their paid attorneys to pre-
sent the railroad side of the. question be-
fore the board and elsewhere. The tax
payers have not, apparently, anyone to
represent them, and there are few people
who care to take up the taxpayers case
without fee. Whether wholly right or
not. Mr.. Rosewater is doubtless more right
than wrong on the railroad tax question,
and the people of the state should accord
him full credit for appearing in their be-
half at Lincoln.
st. Paul Republican,: The State Board of
Equalization should be bound by no pre-
cedent In fixing the valuation Of railroads
telegraph and telephone lines. They should
make an honest effort to get at the merits
OF the question and then govern themselves
accordingly. The decrease in assessments
of this class of property during the past
twenty years, while actual values have in
creased, would seem to indicate that there
is something wrong somewhere. 1t may
be, however, that similar favors have been
shown to owners of all kinds of property,
In which case no great injustice has
been done to anybody. That is for the
State Board Of Equalization to find out
The people are not demanding an ex-
orbitant assessment for the railroads
All they want is assurance that the rail-
roads are paying their fair share of taxes
They want a state board of equalization
that will equalize.
Holdrege Progress. Edward Rosewater,
editor Of The Omaha Bee, appeared before
the State Board of Equalization and Assess
ment at Lincoln Tuesday In an endeavor
to have the railroads of Nebraska assessed
at a rate commensurate with that assessed
| against other property. Mr.. Rosewater
made an excellent showing In behalf of his
/
sessed at 10 per cent instead of and one
half per cent of their real value. It Is
the prevalent opinion that the railroads of
Nebraska do not bear their just proportion
| of taxation and Mr., Rosewater's effort ia
| secure a more equitable rate of taxation of
| their property and TO arrive at true tax
valution of railroads is highly commend
able. The contention that large property
| and franchise owners are the most artful
| tax-dodgers has altogether too much
| foundation to be ignored. Mr. Rosewater,
with the aid of his paper, can do much to-
ward forcing the railroads of the state Ia
pay their equitable share OF the states
governmental expenses.
Friend Telegraph: Week before last we
remarked that there were a good many
people within this state who would watch
| the coming railroad assessment with no
little interest. with the general instinct
of all corporations the railroads Of this
state are already busily. engaged in seeking
to lower their valuations below that of last
year, and which most people thought was
altogether too low. A pamphlet issued by
the Union Pacific has been received at
these religious headquarters, and after
carefully perusing its pages we are in n
quandry to know why the railroads OF this
state are asked to pay any taxes at all. or
| to contribute anything towards the running
| OF the commonwealth, counties or schools.
| When we take into consideration the fact
that the land grant railroads within this
| state were practically built by the govern
ment, that the lands granted along these
lines sold for sufficient money to construct
and equip these roads, It comes in bad
grace to step up annually and attempt to
avoid their share of the burdens incident
to the municipalities through which they
run. No man desires that these corpora
tions bear more than their Just proportion
or that they be assessed so as to cripple
them, but the values of these holdings has
more than doubled in value and in paying
qualities within the last few years In
equipment they have more than quad.
rupled within tina. time.