The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-09-21

termingled with projected legislation.
Did you know that the railroads
pay on s2,273,160 out of the s6,9sb,-
452 total assessment valuation in
the county of Spokane outside of the
city of Spokane? A mile of railroad
in a transcontinental line, II 1t hap
pens to fall within the limits of
city, is no more valua BILE than a mile
of the same railroad If it happens
to fall in the midst of an area of
scab land But viewed in contrast
with adjoining or abutting property,
city property seems more valuable
and the railroad assessment appears
to be less proportionate. That has
nothing to do with any law except
the existing revenue law of the state
of Washington, and has never APP
peared to have until the morning
Turner organ of this city, with malice
aforethought, commenced its career
of confounding the existing revenue
law with correstion of abuses which
fall without the provisions of the rul-
ing law of the state.
The railroad corporations operating
in Spokane county pay 25 per cent.
almost-245, to be exact-paid on
property outside the city of Spokane.
And those figures may be seen on the
official books of the man who has
been treasurer of this county and is
now lauded as a tower of strength to
the democratic ticket If the revenue
law of the present day is not to the
liking of the people, blame not the
present men who are sworn to en-
force that law. no matter what
may be their sentiments on what
should be.
Take the question of the amount of
taxes paid for the support of the
schools in this county by the rail-
roads. 1t has nothing to do with
the commission law question. The
railroad has no children to be bene-
fitted by the law which provides free
schooling. Do not confound the ex-
listing state revenue laws with any
thing like bill which will regulate
the railroads"
Take a string Of school districts
along the line of the Spokane Falls
& Northern railroad: The action of
the state revenue law makes District
12l the recipient of taxes on valua-
ton Of $22,256 from the people and
s37.9Sb from that railroad-the rail-
road paying $3.50 per cent of the cost
of maintaining the free school in that
district. The railroad pays $500 per
cent of the maintenance Of the school
in district No. 102; 62.61 per cent of
district So; s2.ss of 119; 60.e7 of SO;
1874 of SO, and $50 per cent of the
maintenance of school district AZ.
If that is not enough, an amend
ment of the present revenue law will
afford the remedy. not the commits
sion bill for which the Spokesman
Review is prating. Or, perhaps 1t
may be deemed wise to incorporate
the proposed amendment into the pro-
posed commission bill. At any rate,
the railroads contribution under the
revenue law of today has nothing to
do, as far as assessment is con-
cerned, with any commission bill of
tomorrow. The revenue law is active;
the commission provisions are for the
future; and the existing conditions
are the ones to be remedied through
the channels of law in the future.
Here is a table of some of the
school districts of the county in
which the assessments Of the rail-
ways. childless though they be, are
given in figures of percentages:
No. Is, between Cheney and Tyler.
59.12 per cent; No. 10, Tyler, So; No.
80. Manila, 1923; No. IS. Silver Lake,
60; No SO. Marshall. 1879; No. 43,
Lyons, 1854; No. Is. Deep Creek,
67.0S; No. ~. Mead. $50; No. sc,
between Marshall and Spangle, 6o.S9;
No. II, Chester, e51a; No. IS, Chat
taroy. 62.61; No. 106, Camden. s6.36;
No. 119, between Colbert and ORA
COON, 62ss; No. 125, army post. 1910;
No. 1877. between Elk and Milan,
1882; No. 1854. between Lyons and
Deep Creek. $3.50.
Those are samples of what the
present revenue law is quietly work.
ing to accomplish, and for which the
present railroad law in this state is
given no credit by the monopoly
which publishes the morning Turner
paper of Spokane county.
The railroads Of SPOKANE county
pay moro taxes which relieve burdens
from the taxpayers than the spokss-
nAn-1svisw corporation win &C.
In ats light against the re-
publican proposition to tax AL cor.
porations, including the Review Pub
fishing COMPANY, what in equity 1t
should pay to decrease the burdens
Of the individual.