The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-28
his in s way Saved the Perkins bill from

iMehuueLf, 8hlcn was 10 Substitute lne
Arrowsnith bill for the Perkins bill.
| He believed that ais amendment would
be a better solution Of the question than
! the Perkins BILL If his amendment should
not prevail he wanted to see the Perkins
bill passed. To his mind it was unrea-
sonable to take out of the ratables of
municipalities the most valuable of their
property and convert the revenue to the
State. He then explained the Arrow
smith bill.
Senator Hillery believed that the
amendment transgressed the rules of tax
alton wrich has been laid down by the
highest courts of the State He said
that he thought that the theory of taxa
tion of the Senator from Essex was
wrong in principle The policy of the
State had for yeans been that the State
should have the revenue from the main
stem tax which came from the railroads.
Senator Minturn indorsed the amend
ment, saying that it was, in fact, in con-
sonance with an amendment which he
had already offered, and he thought it
well to kill two birds with one stone, as
both amendments would be voted down.
In it's essence railroad property was
| substantially the same as all the other
property. He deprecated the bringing of
the question of railroad taxation to the
Legislature for the purpose Of d;stin-
gushing it from other property. You
sustain in the Perkins bill class legis,a-
tion,' the Senator exclaimed, emphatic
ally. The object of such taxation as the
Perkins bill provided was to apply only
TO the railroads and not left to individ-
uals to settle in their own communities.
The Legislature should levy a tax upon
railroads and compel them to pay it. The
present class system of taxation must be
abandoned, and it must be settled on the
basis of right and justice to the people.
Senator Mckee said that the Senator
| from Hudson had not applied himself to
the proposed amendment. His argument
looked fair on its face, when applied to
Hudson County, but the offset on other
counties of the State would be to deprive
them, of their present income from the
railroads. He believed that it would be,
! right, he said, in answer to question
| from Mr.. Minturn, to distribute the tax
income from Hudson County, to the ex-
tent of proper regulation or rule to the
other counties. Under the act of last
year Hudson County received a fair
share of the income from railroads. He
was in favor of the Perkins bill, and was
going to vote for it.
Mr. Minturn said that the Perkins bill
proposed to take away one-third of the
property of Jersey City and subject it to
different form Of tax. This was unfair
to Jersey City and was not good public
policy or faithful to the people who paid
their taxes insa ratio far above that paid
by the railroads.
Senator Hutchinson opposed the amend
ment. He said that the general taxing
power lay in the State, and the Senators
We're here to maintain the faith of the
State, and they were handing down to
future generations a greater tax act than
had ever before been known. The State
had. under the Perkins bill, retained only
such an amount of the income from rail-
road taxation as was necessary to per-
| form its functions as a State 1t might
at local rates, but he was not legislating
other States have adopted local taxation
at ltcal rates, but he was not leg.slating
for any other than New Jersey. Taxa
4 tion was the most responsible function Of
any State. and if the amendment should
be adopted it would be only short time
before the State would be called upon to
pay State tax.
President Bradley said that he did not
think that the Senator from Hudson
could properly discuss two amendments
/ in one speech. Mr.. Minturn retorted that
he had done so with the view of saving
timea
'-But probably it made no difference"
said Senator Minturn, s.as it has been
decided to kill all amendments to the
bill. Up to this time it had never been
imagined by any sane mind that property
could baseEsegated and taxed eGuitafbly in
parts Or parcels or shreds and patches.
The decision of the Supreme Court on
this point had never seemed to be fair
adjudication by any other thansa railroad
lawyer. The Senator from Mercer had
said that we were handing down a great
law to the people. How the people
ought to bow down AID worship US. The
e..z.-. II