Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-11
NO CHANGE IN VALUATION FOR STATE
MOkullen Loses His Fight Against State
wide Primary Bill
SPEAKER TO NAME THE JOINT COMMITTEE
House Informed IL Must Pass on
Appropriation Before II Can
Secure stamps Under Its
Resolution.
orrom a statr correspondent.l

veloping the big fight Of this legislature
will be to pass the Clarke bill, providing
for the assessment and taxation OF rail-
road terminals for municipal purposes, the
same as other property is taxed. The cam
paign OF deception practiced by the rail-
roads Is bearing fruit and there are many
members who actually believe to tax rail-
road terminals locally viii be to take from
the school fund of the various school dis
tricts of the state, This idea is still being
spread among the members of the rural
districts and there Is a strong disposition
among certain Of the members to sidestep
this part of the republican state platform.
Henry T. Clarke. jr.. OF Omaha, who in
troduced this bill in the house, today gave
out the following clear cut statement re-
garding his measure and the efforts of the
railroads to deceive the members OF the
legislature:
II. r. No. 13 introduced by me, is a bill
providing for the municipal taxation of
railroad terminals. and fulhIs in every
particular the pledges of the platform. 1t
has been carefully drawn and from a con-
stitutional and legal standpoint has been
approved both as to contents and as to
form by two of the most prominent MEM
bers of the Nebraska bar.
Il find that the claim of the railroads
that the Omaha terminals are now as
sessed as part of and spread or dis
tributed through the entire Burlington,
Northwestern and Union Pacific systems
for the purpose of taxation, and that the
proposed legislation is scheme devised
By Omaha to take away taxes from the
rest of the state and use them for it's
own benefit, is being industriously and
insldiously circulated Nothing could be
more falSs than the claims of the rail-
roads thus set forth.
Takes Nothing from Country.
"The enactment of this law will not take
one dollar from the revenues now derived
from the taxi ~ of railroad property In
any county lship or school district
in the state any statement to the con-
trary is false and malciously intended by
! the railroads to mislead and misinform the
| people of the rural districts and their
representatives in the legislature
In fact an ex-member of the railroad
lobby Of four years ago recently admitted
that they had circulated the above argu-
ments broadcast. knowing them to be false.
The proposed plan of taxing railroad ter
minals for local purposes does not In the
! least make any change in the present
scheme of assessment and taxation OF rail-
roads for state, county, school district and
township purposes The State Board OF
/ Equalization will continue as 1t has done
| in the past to value all the property OF
the railroad corporations in the state; fix
a levy and distribute the receipts for state,
county township and school district pur-
poses.
THE new feature of this law is that the
cities, towns and villages through which
! the railroads run and in which they have
property are empowered to assess the prop
I erty within their corporate limits and tax
1t for municipal purposes only.
This would in no way effect the work of
! the state board and would not take / cent
| from the state, any county. township or
/ school district
THE Omaha terminals for taxing pur-
poses are not distributed throughout the
Burlington, Union Pacific and Northwestern
system as the railroad lobbyists would
have the county and state representatives
believe.
Proof of this statement is verified by an
examination OF the 1906 report of the state
auditors department from pages 262 to 297,
! inclusive, which shows the Burlington sys-
/ tenn is made up of fifteen or more different
corporations and are assessed as taxed,
separately. That the Union P1cifc system
I is made up of three systems and all as
sessed and taxed separately and the same
assertion applies 70 the Northwestern 80
tenn.
Example of Assessment.
''To show the different assessments of
the corporations making up the Burling-
ton system within the state I cite the
Omaha & Southwestern, which is assessed
| at Ss.035 per mile; the Omaha & North
Platte at $500 per mile; the Burlington
/ a,
Omaha or Douglas county. at s15.47O a
mile and the Grand Island & Wyoming
Central at $500 a mile. and the Oxford
& Kansas at 81 900 per mile The follow
ing is an example of the difference in the
assessment OF the different parts of the
Union Pacific system: Union Pacific main
line. tis,1OO; Omaha Republican Valley
branch, $500 per mile. and Kearney
branch at $500 per mile.
"In other words neither the people in
Omaha nor along the Billings line Of the
| Burlington system west of Grand Island
get any benefit OF the taxation or assess
ment OF the Burlington & Missouri River
road, which is the highest taxed part OF
the Burlington system. The people in
| Lincoln and along the Omaha & Repub-
lican Valley and the Kearney branch OF
the Union Pacific system get no benefit OF
| taxes from the taxation OF the Union Pa
clfc main line, the highest taxed part of
| the system.
'In other towns and cities like Omaha,
! Lincoln. Grand Island North Platte, CO.
lumbus, Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, Has
tings, McCook, Beatrice, Wymore, Fre-
mont and many other cities and towns in
the state the railroads have shops and
terminals worth millions Of dollars These
properties are given police and hre pro-
lection and all the benefits that accrue 20
other property within the municipality.
yet taxes which they pay for these bene-
hts are inhnitesimal when compared with
the burden borne by the local property
owners for the same benefits.
''No one win deny that the most valuabls
narf of tha rAilroada N Located within Ii