The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-06-02

of the people electing precinct asses
sors, county assessor was provided
for who should hold his Office four
years and be ineligible for re-elec-
ton. He was empowered to appoint
deputies to do his work, who by virtue
of their appointment would be indie
pendent of the community which they
assessed. 1t is much easier for the
corporations to procure the nomina-
ton and election of one county asses
sor than twenty-five or thirty pre-
cinct assessors. Moreover, by getting
into the Office one of their partisans
of appointment, he becomes a valua-
BILE part of their machine. They are
thereby able to inspire new terror in
those who oppose them and offer adj
ditional fayors to their friends.
Further the county board is au-
thOriZed under the new law to raise
the assessment OF any precinct to any
amount they see fit. The restriction
OF the old law to the effect that the
grand total should not be increased by
the county board was removed. The
body that had the expenditure of the
money and the levying of the taxes
was authorized to raise the assess
ment of the property under their jur-
isdiction to sum that would produce
all the money it desired to expend
without increasing the nominal rate
OF taxatiOn-a bad principle of gov
eminent, but necessary to be intro
dnced in order to enable the railroads,
through their control of the county
boards to fix the precincts as they de-
sired before the matter should come
before the state board, In addition to
all this the state boaru has been au-
thorized by the new law to raise the
assessment OF any and every county
to any amount it desires. So that If
the county assessors and their depu-
ties, and the county boards, who are
better acquainted. with the value of the
property in their several counties than
the state board can possibly be, do not
return such an assessment as the state
board desires, they can place it where
they. want it. 1t places final, arbitrary
and autocratic power in the hands. of
those few men at Lincoln whose nom
railroads as every one familiar with
the political situation knows This
new law requires the assessors to as
sess private property at one fifth it's
actual value, while it is notorious that
railroad property is not assessed at
more than one-tenth of its actual
market value No such requirement
Is placed on the state board in assess
ing railroad property. A provision
making such requirement as to rail-
road property was voted down by the
Legislature.
What will the plant tools of the
railroad on the state board do in the
premises with this great power thus
placed in their hands by the legisla-
ture? They will, by various shifts and
devices and with plausible excuses
serve their masters and shift as large
a portion of the taxes from the rail-
roads to the people as it is practicable
for them to do.
Why not? Was not that what the
law was passed for and these men
elected for? We have no reason to
expect them to do anything else. If
the people elect another republican
finding their work ap-
proved they will take another step
and pass some new and further leg
islation to relieve the railroads. They
will probably elect another United
States senator who will buy his place
from the bosses and get even by sell
ing postoffices and other federal jobs.
Ii the bucolic pumpkins of Nebraska
want oppression and official rotten
ness, let them have it.