Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-15

to all men and cannot be concealed while
the private tax shirker has abundant op-
portunity to cover his belongings.
The officers of the Railroad appealed to
the Courts and the suits are there pending.
Testimony is being taken and the rights of
the State and the Counties are being cared
for by the Attorney General and others
learned in the law This is the lawful
and orderly course and the question will
be decided after that full Rearing suaran-
teed by the Constitution to every litigant.
II the Courts shall adjudge that the tax
imposed is valid in Its entirety 1t Will be
promptly paid with interest and penalty.
Neither Butler County nor any other nor
the State will be injured by the submits
sion of the controversy to the Courts of the
land II any harm shall come to any
County II will be caused by the action Of
it's own officers, and this is especially true
of Butler County, for it is not true that
the Burlington has refused to pay Its taxes
for 1904 and 1906 and in most of the Coun-
ties Of the State the tax for 1904 ten
dered by the Railroads has been accepted,
but not so in Butler County. The truth Is
that prior to the Both of November,
1904. the Burlington Road rendered the
Treasurer of Butler County on account OF
taxes levied for that year against its two
branch roads in that County. the sum of
s5,O9237, or S2,5S757 less than the amount
of the total tax levied for all purposes.
except the tax levied against the property
that was assessable and assessed by the
local Assessors OF that County. The ten
der in question was improvidently refused.
At the time of fling it's bill in equity in
the Federal Court, the Judge of that
nd m directing this Com
pany to pay to the Treasurer OF Butler
County the sum that it had heretofore ten
dered him, without prejudice and without
in any manner affecting the defense OF the
county to the pending suit, and for the
purpose of preventing any inconvenience
that might otherwise result to the County
IL the tax, or the greater part OF it, were
not paid The Attorney General, repre-
senting all of the Counties in the State,
including Butler. advised that they could
receive the amount rendered without preju-
dice to their rights in said suit. Not
withstanding that. and for some reason un-
disclosed, the Treasurer of Butler County
has refused to accept the tender made,
although he might have received this
money on auy day since the tender was
first made. The effect Of said tender. had
It been accepted, would leave in contro-
versy in the Court the sum OF s., Ss75 in
stead OF s7.679.4.
Do the people of Butler County under
stand that the real thing in the contro-
versy is the excess tax. or that the entire
tax is in controversy? The same procedure
was had in reference to the taxes OF 1895,
and the tender for that year was again
refused The respective amounts rendered
still available and may be had at any
moment whenever its Treasurer shall sig
Nifty his desire to accept the same, and
the payment will in no wise affect, the
right OF that County TO hereafter claim the
full tax from the Burlington Road in case
its contentious should not be upheld in the
present litigation in the Federal Court
The people of Butler County should under
stand that the Burlington Company, in
order TO prevent the hardships of which
they complain, in good faith offered ia
pay the tax rendered. 1t seems to me that
the circular issued by the Committee" in
volved a clear attempt to deceive. for that
the Union Pacific and Burlington Com
panies had not refused, as therein stated