Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-07
OMAHA AVID TIE STATE.

IndI cannot be severed. NhdltNtI pLO-
notes the growth and prosperity OF
Omaha benefits the state at large.
Whatever retards the growth and pros
perity OF the state hurts Omaha. In the
parlance Of the trades unions, an injury
to one Is an injury to all. The hot wind
that blisters the corn fields in central
Nebraska, the drouth that withers the
crops In the Republican valley or the
blizzard that destroys the live stock in
the semi-arid region depresses business
and retards the growth of Omaha. The
closing down Of the Omaha smelling
works or meat packing houses, the fail
ure Of its principal banks, in fact any
disaster that cripples Omaha would also
seriously affect the prosperity and we'll
being of every section of the state.
The taxable wealth Of Nebraska, in
Guiding railroads, is computed at $1,000
OO0,O 900 to 1900, 100000, Of which $140,-
100000, or ~thereabouts, is located in
| Omaha and South Omaha. These two
cities are practically one, and together
they pay more than one-tenth of all the
state taxes. In round figures, Omaha
alone has paid more than $1,000,OOO in
state taxes during the past ten years,
and its proportion of the state tax will
grow as the city grows In wealth and
population.
If Omaha were wiped out by a con-
fagration a deadly blow would be in
dicted not only upon the city, but upon
the whole state. If Nebraska were in
the position of the state of Kansas with
reference to it's commercial metropolis
as Kansas City is in Missouri, or II
Omaha were located in Iowa, the bulk
Of the burden of state taxation now
borne by Omaha would be thrown upon
the shoulders of the state at large. Give
Omaha a population of 100000 and tax
able wealth of $250,O00 900 and the bur-
den of taxation now carried by the bal
ance of the state would decrease proper
~tionately, while its land values would
increase correspondingly. With II per
cent of the state population at Omaha
and South Omaha the producers of the
state have a home market for a large
portion Of their food products that
would otherwise have to be marketed
beyond the state, and the producers in
Nebraska would lose the difference in
the cost Of transportation to Omaha and
the eastern markets.
Manifestly it is to the interest Of the
people Of Nebraska outside of Omaha to
back Omaha In every enterprise and eff
fort that tends to promote its growth
and increase its taxable wealth.
The demand of Omaha for the enact
ment of avs that will compel railroads
to pay their just proportion of municipal
taxes In addition to the taxes they pay
toward the maintenance of public
schools, county and state government is
stigmatized by the railroad tax bureau
as supremely selfish and calculated TO
rob the balance of the state of the dis
tributed value of railroad terminals and
improvements at the Nebraska metrop-
| oils.
: This idea is sought to be insidiously
J i%nculcated through paid editorials fabri-
Gated by the railroad literary bureau
under the supervision Of John N. Bald
win, but the people of Nebraska are too
intelligent to swallow such chaff. They
are awake to the bunco game the rail-
road taxshirkers have been playing for
years. They know that the values of
the railroad terminals at Omaha have
never figured in the assessment of the
railroads INV ofofa h0orln Htz- -
I that not a dollar of the value of these
q terminals has ever been distributed to
8 their county, school district or state.
4 They know also that the assessment OF
these terminals for state, county and
school district taxes distributed on the
Q mileage basis from Omaha to the west
e boundary Of the state will in no way be
( affected by their assessment for city
n taxes at Omaha.
On the contrary, the assessment of th,
v terminals, depot buildings and other i'm
provements in Omaha will lower tn,
state tax rate and raise real estate val
d ues in Omaha. To be more explicit, 4
II the railroads are compelled to pay thei
d share of municipal taxes the city tai
1t rate will go down, real estate value,
Is will go up, and when real estate ii
IT Omaha is relieved Of the excessive bur
den by which it has for years been de
pressed 1t will be sought by foreign can
le ital for investment and improvement
70 An advance in real estate values will
u Increase Omaha's contribution to tn
Is state treasury and the outside countie
"a and school districts will pay that muc,
lie less into the state treasury. Incidental
an increase in real estate values 4
Omaha will stimulate an advance q
u land values all over Nebraska, Just a
u the growth of Chicago and st. Louis ha
Il stimulated the increase of real estat
III values in Illinois and Missouri.