The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-10-19

lu~e 10 obey SUcn TPu>OllaDlt regulations
as laid down by the commission they
would be fined for disobedience. Mr.
Turner believed that tae railroads could
and would comply with such conditions
Decisions of the supreme court of the
United States vested such powers in Il
railroad commission, and there was no
doubt in his mind but that they could be
enforced
Attacking the candidacy OF Mr.. Mead
the speaker said:
! MY friend Mr.. Mead, made one fair,
square, honest declaration, and only one,
in all those speeches that he has been
making in eastern Washington. He told
the people of Colfax that it was true
that the Republican legislature and the
! Republican party two years ago had
betrayed the faith and the trust of tn,
people of this state in this most i'm
portant matter, and he said that they
had not made any professions upon tn >
subject this year, because they were
afraid that if they did so they woa;i
again be compelled to betray the fAtn
of the people of the state OF Washing
ton.
I'VE could understand how the
ration on the part of Mr.. Mead
but We did not understand the
ensuing declaration that he made, ana
that was that the best hope of the pco-
Pile OF the state of Washington lay in
the election of the candidates of the
Republican party.
I'VE could not understand how thc
best hopes of the people of the state for
railway commission lay in the sue
cess of a party which had betrayed the
people upon that subject two years ago
and which was afraid to make any dee
laration this time for fear it would
again betray that faith But other dis
trguisned speakers have explained this
riddle to Us. We hear those speaker.
J and We have circular from the Rcp'lb-
lican state committee OF this state
which tells us that the best hope of
the people lies in the success of the I;c
publican candidates, because. If you
elect a Democratic candidate they say,
we are going to have a Republican legis-
lature anyway, and You cannot expect
Republican legislature to pass com
mission bill for a Democratic governor
to sign.
But, fellow citizens, l do not want
to 90 into this matter so extensively
as to tire the patience of my auditors.
[ believe that the people of all por-
tons of Washington have read enough
about this subject to agree with me that
it is absolutely essential in regula-
tive way to provide a tribunal of this
character. with the strong right arm OF
the state behind it, prepared to act
speedily and summarily in order to pro-
tect the Just rights and interests of all
the people of this state. But there is
another phase of the necessity for a
tribunal of this character which perhaps
the people would have not read upon as
fully as upon its regulative features
and that is its taxation features. and
I desire now TO draw your attention very
briefly to that feature.
The constitution of our state requires
that all property in the state shall be
listed for taxation at its fair. actua
cash value. and that Is the only fail
rule of taxation, because when one
mans property escapes taxation, il
whole or in part, it constitutes a FRAUD
upon every other taxpayer This ruiz
OF the fair, actual cash value perhaps
Is not lived up to literally in any county
in this state. although it is lived W
to, l believe, in spirit, in every county
in this state.
In the county of Spokane. the ruiz
OF valuation adopted by the assessor i
, to take about 20 per cent of the actua
value Of the property assessed and lis
it for taxation at that rate A business
, building worth 100000 Is assessed a
$4,000 and so on with reference to al
other classes of property, and I nav
been told that about the same rule 0
valuation prevails in this city and in al
the other large cities Of this state. Eel
low citizens. that rule prevails witt
reference TO every class Of property ex
eept one, and that is the property o
great public service corporations