Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-14
COLD FACTS IN HOT WRAPPING
Edward Resswster Arouses County Legis-
lstors to Enthusiastic Applause.
SHOWS HOW RAILROADS RULE TO RUIN
Lewis $. Reed Tells Com missioners
that Omaha's Interests Are states
Interests and W. 8. wright
Boosts Nebraska.


The address of Lewis S. Reed asking for
closer relationship between Omaha and
/ the state; the address of W S. Wright,
president of the Commercial club. in which
| he told of the wonderful commercial inter
ests of the state and the address of Ed
ward Rosewater on equal taxation, in which
he explained the increase in the state taxes
and in which he cited facts and figures as
proof that the railroads of the state had
never been taxed as they should have been
these combined with the election of Off
| GERS and the selection OF Kearuey as the
| next meeting place, made the Wednesday
program of the county commissioners and
| supervisors in convention at the Willard
| hotel particularly interesting one.
The officers elected were: y. J. Kennedy
| OF York, president; Jacob Wooster OF
| Adams county, vice president; l.. d. Beach
! of Fillmore county secretary, and Z. j.
| Trainor of Douglas county, treasurer. The
| officers were elected without opposition
! The greatest surprise of the day was the
| election of Kearney as the place for holding
| the next meeting. At noon 1t was conceded
| by most of the delegates that Hastings
| would be the place. At the noon hour, how
ever, a delegation from Buffalo county got
|
uted. and when the vote was taken late in
the afternoon Kearney got the prize
Rosewater Hit the BuIIseye.
The address Of Edward Rosewater at the
afternoon session. in which he went into
details of the manner in which the rail-
roads had shirked their taxes and the man.
ner in which they had controlled state
| offices In Nebraska and his conclusion.
that they will either pay their taxes OF
| we will regulate their rates" seemed to
strike the commissioners as the proper So
! luton of the taxation problem and the
statement was heartily applauded Another
statement, that no governor either repub~
lican or fusion, had been elected in Ne
braska without the sanction of the rail-
roads-or If there had been the officers had
the sanction of the corpora lions when they
retired from office-drew forth decidedly af-
flrmative applause.
Preliminary to the meat Of his talk Mr.
Rosewater told of the large land grants
made by the government TO the railroads
and then how a commissioner of lands
had discovered that the Burlington had
appropriated 10000 acres on the north side
or the Platte, to which 1t was not en-
titled; then how the land had been sold
to settlers and later, when the discovery
was made that the road had no right to
the land, bill was introduced in con-
gress for the relief of the settlers. That
BILL Mr.. Rosewater said. merely was a
donation Of s2,OOO,OOo to the Burlington.
Tax Fight UnsrntefuI Action.
In view of the land grants and the high
local rates charged in Nebraska, M
Rosewater said 1t was reprehensble that
they should now be fighting the payment
of their taxes In 1908, the speaker said,
| ~ 90
ing state, county school and city.
amounted to $4,000 while in 1901 II
amounted to s1o.S6000O At the same rate
of Increase. he said. the taxes for 1905
would amount to over fl2,0ooO0o OF this
enormous amount of money the people
, | pay Sc per cent. The state taxes in 1905
amounted to s,5oo.Oo0. in 1904 TO 81, 40, 600
, and in 1905 they mounted up to S21SO,OOo
Thus the state taxes have increased over
, 10000 in three years, or an increase of
90 per cent
Then the speaker explained why taxes
had increased at such a rate Way back
, in the sos Boss" Stout got through the
first bill to levy "A I mill tax to pay for
q the state capitol; later a h-mill tax was
levied for maintaining the university.
!. This ls-mil levy, the speaker said, had
never been contemplated because II wa.
| make this institution self-supporting
] Later this levy was made l mill. In
1903 it amounted to S1S4.oO0 and in 1904 II
= amounted to $4,000. This year the uni
versity will get from the mill levy s3o4 900
No Move Made Toward Economy.
No one, neither governor or legislator
said Mr.. Rosewater had raised n finger
d to cut down that levy, though the assess,
* ment of property had Increased T12O, O0C
in the two years and the mill tax from
! $4,000 10 100000. Another mill levy will
l. be made to reduce the state debt which
' amounts now to over s2,2000oo.
e This enormous state dept Mr.. RosewateI
y said. had been created contrary to the
! constitution and 1t had been created not
y only by defaulters who robbed the treas
y ury of state, but by reason of the fact
q that the railroads had never paid their full
: share of the expenses of state government
l. The speaker said when Nebraska got
governor and a legislature that represented
the people the railroads would be forced
q to pay their taxes He complimented the
Board of Assessment which raised the as
e sessmcnt of railroads $40, 600 900 In 1904 bu
= claimed that the value should have beer
r. much higher. The present value of Ne
! braska railroads is from s75,Ooo0oO t
= sll0.O 900 greater than It was In 1903, anC
q the value should have been increased cor
:. respondingly this year. 1t was an insul
. 10 the people OF the state for railroads t
offer to pay so per cent of their assessmen
and he predicted that a day of reckoning
. would come. He said the argument o
a the railroads that to tax their terminal
Il locally in Omaha would take from tn
81 taxes OF the state was the rankest foolish
q ness and that the much talked of dlstribu
ton of the value of the terminals was
farce.
Omahn's Interest IL states Interest
n Lewis S. Reed, in his talk on the rela
\ tions of Nebraska to Omaha. impressed tn
& commissioners with the thought tina
Omaha belonged to the state and when tn,
y state prospered Omaha prospered wha
s helped Omaha helped the state Omaha
he said. did not object to any othe
4 city in the state becoming pros
q porous and doing much business and h