Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-09-23
FARMERS PHONES
AND 1H[ TAX Law
Executive Council Would Be
Glad to See the Present
Law Changed
LAW. comPELs ASSESSMENTS
LAW, coMpELs ASSESSMENTS
Secretary Davison's Circular to coun-
~ Auditors Suggesting Agitation for
a Change Likely to Bear Fruit
Sewers and Railroad PoIitics--The
Future Of conser.
Special to Tlmes-Republlcan.

Special to Times-Republican
| Des Moines, Sept. 23.-County audi
tors seem to be reading between the
| lines In the circular which has been
| sent out by Secretary a. III. Dawson OF
the executive council on the matter OF
telephone assessments The county
Secretary Dawson letters disappearing
Of the present methods of assessing
farmer telephone lines and Secretary
Dawson has nothing that he can do but
to remind them that their relief Is with
the legislature which will shortly con-
vene. AT the last session of the legis-
lature the executive council Instructed
Secretary Dawson to bring 1t to the
attention Of the legislative committee.
that there was a needed change Ia the
methods of assessing telephone COM
panies. The present method is for th.
executive council to assess all tele-
phone companies of every kind. There
are hundreds Of farmer telephone lines
eAiAt ieAtC OAl q QOAcH OT So QHOl1S
them, that do no commercial buMness
and are solely for the benefit oe the
people owning the phones. Thri: to-
tai length does not average over seven
miles and their assessment $40 mile
On that basis the state receives an
average Of $.23 from each of tham
which doesn't pay the expense or the
assessment, so that the state is really
out money In the cost Of blanks and
stamps.
|. The attention Of the legislators was
called to this fact but they insisted
that all property should bear Its share
OF thestaxes even II the state was out
money In making the assessment II
was the plan of the executive council
to have these mutual lines that did no
inter-county business assessed by the
local assessors and have only such
telephones as did business in more
than one county assessed by the ex-
ecutive council. In answer to the mum.
erous inquiries from county audi. ,r,,
Secretary Dawson has sent out 4 cir
cular letter in which, among other
things, he says:
MdlIy cADLCSSlOIlS dIC COlllIS lIOII
county auditars Of disapproval of the
assessment in the manner provided by
law Of many Of the smaller lines of
telephones. If county auditors who de-,
sire a change in the law would at this
time give little attention to the mat
ter they might make it possible for the
next general assembly to find way to
so change the law that commercial
lines only would be certified to then,
from this department and that the To-
cal assessors would assess the others.
The legislature will meet in a short
time. If you will act in this rnatte,
you will save yourself much trouble.
The executive council will sympathize
no doubt with such change"
The injunction against the executive
council certifying to the county audi
tors the assessment of the telegraph
lines along the main line of the Bur-
lington and along the Humeston-S Shen-
andoah branch have not been released.
When the executive council came this
year to assess the telegraph lines 1t
found that the Western Union had
failed to report any of it's lines along
the Burlington line. The Burlington
claimed it owned the telegraph lines
along the main line and the Hurneston
and Shenandoah branch The law re-
quires lines owned by railroads and
used for railroad purposes only, and.
not for commercial purposes shall be
assessed with the other property Of
the railroad. The Burlington lines are
leased to the Western Union and used
by it for commercial purposes They
secured temporary injunction
against the separate assessment of the
liens and the final hearing is yet to be
had. When it was found this year that
the telegraph lines along other lines Ct
the Burlington had not been reported
by the Western Union the council as
sessed them anyway. 1t is expected
that before great while the injunc-
ton suit will be reached by the attor-
ney general and head
The statement by George Sewers
lately made general counsel for the
Minneapolis .& st. Louis, with head
quarters at Minneapolis that railroads
should leave politics alone and attend
to their own business is not news to
his intimate associates. Mr.. Sewers
is known to have held that opinion for
some years and to have advocated 1t.
AS an individual he has taken quite
an active part in politics in his county,
and last year went out and got the
delegation from his county to thu
state convention After it was all cut
and dried he Is reported to have called
Congressman Lacey to his office ana
showed him the, list, which was not OF
Congressman Lacey's particular
friends, and informed Lacey that the
delegation would be thus selected. II
is noted that the Minnesota laws pro-
hibit lobbying and prohibit railroads
and corporations and individuals rep
resenting them from seeking to infiu-
ence politics.
Major Conger's speech at the Grant
Club meeting Thursday night did not