Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-09-14
form procedure for assessing railroaas

, form procedure for assessing railroads
Is utterly bad. 1t encourages the wors
/ sort Of petifogging, which usually de
ludes persons unacquainted with tn,
intricacies of railroad accounts ant
values and promotes dishonesty ant
corruptness." And closing this arti
Gle, he further said: Our presen
way of doing things is wholly bad.
forces railroads into politics and i
encourages corruptible politicians in
to Matchmaking railroads." 1t may b.
here suggested by the friends of Mr.
Cummins that the railroad assess
ments of Iowa have been largely in
creased. Conceding for the sake O
argument that this be true, let us
look at a few comparisons of the rail
road assessments. The latest figures
at my command are the BIRD annual
report as made by the secretary o.
the executive council. In 1880 the
assessed valuation of railroads was
$4,99700 per mile; now, twenty-fou1
years afterwards, with the growth and
development Of our state and conse
quent increased business of the roads;
with the vast expenditure the com.
panles have made in that time in the
way of improvement to roadbeds and
rolling stock, the assessment per mile
is less that one thousand dollars more
per mile, and in ten years the assess
ment has only been increased about
five hundred dollars per mile. In 1880
the per cent of assessment to gross
earnings was 103, in 1894, los, and
in 1904, 1874. In 1880 the per cent of
assessment to net earnings was PIT,
in 1894, $3.50, and IN 1904, 1881; but
during this same period the net earn
lngs mad decreased per mile from ST.
$4,000 to $1,o52.0O. In 1880 the per
cent of taxes on gross earnings was
.o26; In 1894, .O32, and in 1904, .033,
very slight increase in twenty-four
years. In 1880, the per cent of taxes
on net earnings was .OS7; in 1894,
Ill, and in 1904, .109. Being less
under Governor Cummins than it was
ten years ago.
II time would permit it can be as
we'll established as it was in the days
OF Mr. Herriott, that inequality would
still exist. Will any one for a mo-
ment contend that the Des Moines
Union railway with an assessed val
uation of about $225,OOO last year, for
eighteen miles of track. and for which
the Governor if not now was formerly
a director and general counsel, is not
worth at least double lnat amount?
And as Senator Lewis, in a speech
delivered at College Springs, Aug. rs.
1905, said, Don't be afraid that the
railroads are being overtaxed now,
Inc report of the interstate COM
merce commission for 1904 just pub.
lished gives the following average rate
OF tax per mile paid by the railways
IN the several states as follows: Ill.
inois, $411.00; Nebraska, s2O4. 90;
Wisconsin, s259,00; Missouri, 5000
Minnesota, $247.0O; Iowa, s171.0O.s
Might l also inquire, is the third.
term candidate for Governor right in
assuming all of the credit of the raise
IN taxation OF railroads. or are the
other three members of the council
entitled to portion of the credit
CANNED by the Governor? 1t might
also be we'll to know in passing. that
While the assessment of the railroads
mas been increased in the last four
years. that for every one million dol.
lars OF increased valuation of the rail-
ways for taxation, the valuation OF
the other property of this state has
been increased over eight million dol.
lars, thus increasing the burdens of
the farmers of Iowa eight times as
much as he did the burdens of the
railroads. Another suggestion in pass
ing: Judging by the oratorical bonn
bardment on the part of the Governor
OF the Burlington railway and it's gem
eral counsel and the public assertion
OF Mr.. Cummins that he had incurred
the enmity of that road one of an
imaginative turn of mind might be
inclined to think that the assessment
OF the Burlington railway was an es-
pecially heavy one. That road. one
OF the best in Iowa, with it's double
track and heavy steel rail; its solid,
safe and substantial roadbed; it's \
neayy, mammoth engines, and in
every way modern rolling stock: it's
elegant and commodious depots: all
this added within the last few years,
and yet from Burlington to Council
Bluffs. the main line assessment is
the same as it was twenty
years ago.
During the five years of Governor
Cnmmins' administration, nothing of
has been added to the tag
laws OF Iowa as pertaining to this
class of property, though the inequal-
lty and the lack of system are just as
apparent now as they were in the
days OF Mr.. Herriott. During the 29th
General Assembly, however, the WAYS
and means committee in the senate,
composed of friends of Governor Cum
MINIS, gave much study to this sub
ject, and subcommittee reported a
bill to the full committee with this
recommendation accompanying it:
The committee Is of the opinion
that the general belief that the rail.
ways OF this state are not paying their
full share of the taxes necessary for
the support of the various depart.
ments OF the state government. is
we'll founded - We have exam.
med into the constitutional fnhibi.
tons and limitations and the laws of
our own and other progressive states
IN relation to the subject of railroad
laxatlon, and have reached the con-
clusion LAT in some respects our
present laws are entirely inadequate
to meet the new conditions in rail.
way management and flnanciering."
This report was signed by Senator's
]. M. Junkin, Thomas d. Healy, L.
w. Lewis and your humble speaker.
The bill was reported by the commit.
tee to the senate, and known as Sen
ate File. No. go, and passed the SEN
ate against the understood wishes of
our Governor, but was defeated in
the house, and no legislation, to this
day, curing the defects complained OF
by men like HealY. Herriott. Innkin