The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1904-02-26
Carson Letter.

The Republican State Central Com
mittee has sent out a little olive
branch to those who left the party in
1892. and have not yet returned. They
admit that these people were earnest,
sincere friends of the white metal, and
left their party ties which had bound
them since Fremont and Lincoln, to
battle for the interests of the State OF
Nevada. They do not admit III as
plain words as the foregoing, simply
because they do not want to stultlfy
themselves too much, and yet they adj
nit enough to make their admission
look like an olive branch. ] believe
those who have kept run of the Repub-
lican party's record on the silver qnes-
ton will diagnose the olive branch as
swamp root stepped in olive oil, IN
stead of the genuine article. ! do not
question the fact that the party is ex-
ceedingly anxious to get the boilers OF
1892 back into the sheep pen, ana they
will 90 as far as common decency will
hermit them to accomplish their OBJECT.
Rut there stands out one bold promi-
nent fact which seems practically ln-
surmountable at present, and that Is
the fact, that the Republican party OF
Nevada, which now admits that the
bolters of 1892 did so for the best in
terests of their State, were frustrated
in their endeavors in large measure by
that very party. 1t may be all very
true that the silver question is minor
issue, and will be so considered in the
ensuing campaign, but it was the para
mount issue in 1892, 1896 and 1900, and
the Republican party of Nevada, by
their opposition to the success OF the
boilers from both political parties, pro-
claimed to the world that Nevada was
divided on the question, and thus lent
a tremendous moral aid to the enemies
of the white metal, throughout the
Union. The sins of the party may be
forgiven in the face of issues of vastly
greater importance than the silver
issue made practically unimportant
now solely by reason of the fact that
its ultimate success is very remote
and problematical | refer to the
Panama Canal question, our tax laws,
and the determinations of the South
ern Pacific Railroad Company against
Nevada. If the Republican party of
Nevada, should take a bold and un-
eauivocal stand on these questions,
favoring the building of the canal, the
equalization of taxation, and pledging
its candidates to do everything in their
power to prevent the determinations
of the Southern Pacific, that party
ought to carry Nevada this year as
against the record of the Democratic
and Silver Party leaders on those ques-
tions, being the paramount and live is
sues for Nevada to consider this year.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany has little less than 400 miles of
road in Nevada Since the last assess
ment of that road at $4,000 mile by
the State Board of Assessors, the Com
pany has expended in betterments
improvements S52,000,000. The
State Board of Assessors, in considera-
ton of such betterments, raised the
valuation of the road in Nevada from
$4,000 per mile to 800 per mile,
making a raise of $1,000 per mile.
81, 500 per mile for 400 miles makes a
raise of 81 100000. This shows that
So, 600, 900 worth of additional property
and value has been assessed by the
State Board of Assessors at S1,000,000,
showing that the Southern Pacific
Railroad Co. is paying but one-fifty-
secondth part of its legal debt to the
State. $4,000, 900 for 400 miles would
be $4,000 mile. No such sum has
been spent by the Company in Neva-
da. 1t is more likely that the figures
meant by the newspapers is S5,200,000,
and that would make an assessment OF
one fifth of the value of the improve
ments, in rough numbers. At 81, soc
per mile valuation the road pays on
Just about one-seventh its actual mar.
ket value, based upon the interest paid
upon its bonded Indebtedness; cattle
men pay ON about one-half of the value
of their stock, by reason of the fact
that they do not return the full mum
Der, and small householders and ranch
ers pay on full value and over. Such
inequitable and unjust distribution o.
the burdens of government should be
remedied. 1t is the paramount ques
ton of the hour. All other questions
pale into insignificance as compared
with it. Small taxpayers must ''union
ize'' and stand together to force the
"big ones'' TO pay their share of the
burdens of government. The 'bie
i