Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-09-12

right, but in practice 1t is all wrong.
The law has not accomplished Its
purpose but has on the contrary re-
suited in much litigation and much
expense to different individual old sol
diers who attempted to take advantage
of it's provisions. l do not know of
single case in the state where an APP
pointing body has allowed the fact that
one Of the applicants was an old SOL
der to influence their decision. but on
the contrary the fact that an applicant
has endeavored to take advantage Of
the law has in almost every case
prejudiced the appointing body against
his candidacy and he has failed to Sc
cure the appointment. AS conse-
quence, suits have been instituted but
in not a single case has the old SOL
dier candidate been able to induce the
courts to order his election or appoint
ment. Such law, a law that does not
accomplish it's intention, but on the
contrary is prolific in litigation, is a
bad law and should be repealed, and
believe that our experience has been
such that we can consistently go be-
fore the legislature and ask for such
action, especially insofar as the law
applies to the municipalities of the
state"
Secretary Pierce recommended
changes in the law regarding park
commissioners. stating the present law
was difficult to understand and is not
uniformly applicable. He also urged
that the league work, Tor a law giving
cities and towns the fright to regulate
the speed Of automobiles within the
limits Of their jurisdiction. A law to
enable cities to sprinkle streets and
tax the costs to adjacent property was
also recommended.
Mr.. Pierce also recommended more
executive power for the mayor, In or
der that he might have right to remedy
evils for which he is always blamed.
Publicity Of Corporations.
ut was suggested last winter by
municipal official Of Sioux City that
all public service corporations be COM
PEELED to publish annual statements
showing the items of their income
and expenses necessary to give the
municipal officials the Information
essential to decide what Is reason
able rate. commend this proposition
to the attention Of the delegates and
believe that should such law be pass
ed. it would do away, with much OF
the friction now in evidence between
our municipal governments and our
public service corporations"
Railroad Assessments.
Secretary Pierce called attention to
what he believes the unfair method OF
assessing railroads as regards cltl@s
On this subject he says in part:
"Any one who has considered the
present plan of railroad assessment
and has had their attention called 70
the fact that the average city win
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth
of railroad property within their lin
it's in the way of depots, yards, shops
and lands and remembers the fact
that the city only receives taxes on
tbe main line of the road within the
city limits, and that the adjoinins
township with simply the right OF way
often receives taxes on more rallroau
property than the city, cannot help put
come to the conclusion that this IS
eminently unfair to the cities. In many
cases the taxes received by the CITY
from the railroad do not amount 10
nearly as much as would the tax on
the land alone that Is owned by the
railroads within the city limits II u
were assessed to soma private indlvli-
ual. This is clearly unfair to the CT
les and as suggested year ago by Z
prominent railroad attorney OF the
state. was a concession made py the
railroads to the farmers Of the state IN
order to secure the support OF tue
farmers to the present plan of railroad
assessments
Taxation and Assessments.
The secretary made "a strong arSI-
ment for radical changes in the mem
cd of assessments of city property. lie
declared that gross favoritism was the
rule and that If the law were strictly
enforced a large number of successful
business men would be serving pem-
Tertiary sentences. He advocated ap-
nointment of assessors instead OF cleo
tion and payment of better salaries,
g,y,re the assessor more time in which
to do the work.
err there is any one thing more than
all others that is driving the Worklng
man and wage Garner to Socialism, and
creating an unrest among our citizens
at large. # is the fact that the wage
Garner, who has probably $500 equity
In a small property is obliged to pay
taxes on the full value of the property,
while he sees on every hand men OF
wealth, the men who are considered
the leaders in civic and political affairs.
paving only a small percent of the
taxes that are justly due UNDER the
law. The wealthy man who occupies
a prominent position in the business
world, and who by every possible legal
technicality, and in many cases by the
willful commission of perjury as de-
fined by the statutes, succeeds In pay
ing taxes on only small and unim-
portant part of his wealth, creates
more socialists among the wage earn
ers in one month than the street corner
orator will convert in year. H1stor1-
cal precedents uniformly prove that II
this class Of citizens is absolutely inn
mune from the law, in other words, ii
it is utterly impossible to force the
rich to obey the laws in regard to as
sessments, il public officials and courts
cannot or will not enforce the laws,
that then those who do obey the laws
have the moral right to use force, ii
necessary, in order to compel a class
Of citizens who are above the law to
bear their share of the public burdens.
The agitator argues that under the
present system of taxation and method
of assessments that such condition
exists, and in this statement he has
an argument for his cause that 1t is
difficult for the fair minded man to