Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-11-01
HITS YOUR POCKET
Facts and Figures Given Showing
How RepubIiCanism Affects
Your PoCketbO0k.
AN UNf AIR VALUATION.

The State Board of Equalization Dis
crininate Favoring Railroads Who
Pay Taxes on Only l3 Per Cent
while the People Pay 33 Per Cent
rbe second plank in the platform of
democratic party of this state reads
follows:
I'VE demand that all property, both in
vidual and corporate, be taxed on an
hal basis. 1t is no injustice to require
at corporate property belonging to
6lway, telegraph, telephone, express
4 sleeping car companies shall pay
same proportion of taxes that the
tmer, merchant and laborer pay; and
arraign the republican party of this
,te for it's discrimination in favor of
ese corporations.
I'VE make comparison of the average of
e classes of property belonging to
private citizen and compare it with
{ percentage that the railroads are as
ssed as equalized by the State Board
Equalization for 1906 in some of the
blley counties, as follows:
Real estate, without Improvements,
\ sessed 25 per cent of value.
City lots and Improvements, assessed
I per cent of value.
& l&Structures on land, and improvements
sessed 25 per cent of value.
Merchandise, assessed IS per cent of
Due.
Bank stock, assessed As per cent of
Hue.
The total of five classes is 165 per cent.
rhe average is 33 per cent.
Let us take the Great Northern rail
Ray assessment. The stock of that road
is quoted at 1886. This quotation is
8what the stock will sell for in cash. We
#place the cost of construction per mile
Hat 500. which includes the right-of-
Hway, grade, ties, rails, rolling stock, with
Hts pro rata of the terminals, complete.
mo account is taken of its bonded in
&ebtedness, although the private citizen
has to pay full taxes on his property,
whether encumbered or not.
Il Per Mile.
Cost of the Great Northern
# railroad ................... SIT ,5OO
Stock increased per market quo
u quotations, S335 ........... 5S,625
SHOULD be assessed as other prop
Is assessed, average main line
and branches ............. 7.75O
Or at 1874 per cent.
81 In corroboration of the above. we take
the net earnings per mile of the Great
Eorthern system, from the Manual of
Statistics of the Stock Exchange Hand
pook, 1905. The value per mile on a 7
per cent dividend basis gives its assess
Sd valuation in this state at less than 13
per cent.
81 Then we have the property of the pri-
Pate citizen:
Per cent.
The Great Northern Railroad at. 1871
S Gentlemen, is that equal taxation?
he Great Northern pays 1874 per cent
zPf Its valuation, while the citizen pays
~ per cent You have been led COM
Placently by the corporations and bosses
pnder guise of party affiliation. The
ofporatlons dance while you pay the
Piper
on every $1,000 you own, you pay tax
zEs on an assessed valuation of $3.50. On
very 81, 1000 the Great Northern owns in
ms state it pays taxes on an assessed
Ealuatlon of s132.5O. The railroads.
trough their control of the State Board
B' equalization, evade not only paying
nelr Just share of the taxes to the state
VI also take exorbitant freight rates,
8 nlch comparison with the Canadian
aclhc Railway will show.
me Canadian Pacific railway charges
! gram from Winnipeg to Fort Will,
pnos, a distance of 427 miles, 10 cents
Per 100 pounds.
ne Great Northern charges from
''ne TO Duluth, distance of 1863 miles
cents Ter 100 pounds. The Canadian
,., asluc charges from Regina to Fort
mans. distance of 1893 miles, le
nus per l0O pounds. The Great North,
u charges from Buford, N. D., to Du.
~ psn' distance of 636 miles, l9cents pei
z H. pounds. The rate on coal from Fort
l'l'ams to Winnipeg, 427 miles, is s2OC
- 'oh' while the rate on coal from Du.
'n 10 Grand Forks, 297 miles over the
.o"' Northern railway, is $40 per ton
''NS you see our railroads are short on
'nR taxes and long in collecting
'e"S Are you willing to submit tc
"' denominations against you in lht
M