The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1908-10-30
THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS

llE | NOl OOLD AuLN DMLN1O
Thinking voters should take care and vote the two
proposed amendments to the state constitution in the
coming election They are plainly indicated on the ticket
and should not be overlooked. Remember that they
are carried by majority of those who vote on the
amendments and they do not require majority OF all
the votes cast for officers at the same election This is
important to the voter who has no ak to grind and who
wants the amendments to stand or fall on their their
merits Those who are directly interested for or
against the amendments will be sure to vote, but the
great mass of the who do not understand that
they too are involved deeply in the result should cast
the deciding vote, and not the special interests.
The Journal editor has made honest study of the
two and submits his IDEAS not with the ida of lntuenc-
ing the voter but to suggest to him points to think
about and if any reader does agree with would
be very glad indeed to publish his views in next ISSUE
One amendment would grant to individuals.
firms and corporations the right of eminent domain the
right to condemn property for rights of for drains
fumes bitches and logging railroads. AT hrst thought
the proposition looks good 1t would permit logger to
force his way through land held by the Weyerheuser
and other timber syndicates but there another side
to it, Not only is it establishing dangerous principle
of granting the right of condemnation for private pur
poses but permits the private Logging railroad to hold
up the owner of the land through which it passes lt
will permit logging railroad company to go through al
mans bunch of timber log all around it and force him
to sell out which he will do accouat of the great dan
ger of fire and because the logging company can pull
up it's tracks and leave his tract of timber isolated
annot force the logging company to haul out his logs
He must sell his logs to them or let them stay IN the
woods Under the law it is logging road must
be common carrier and accept logs and other freight
at regular tariff rate from every it condemns any
property AS result logging road is being built up
mill creek in this county, which will operate as COM
mon carrier and haul anybods logs any farmers
produce along the way Such road is of benefit to the
country through which it goes. If logging companies
want to force their way through anybodys land let
them follow the example set by the Mill Cree road and
the Chinook Lumber Co., Deep River and take out
charters as common carriers. 1t is argued that it is
now possible and the practice of large corporations to
bottle up isolated tracts of timber and prevent 1t being
logged by giving right of through their ands
but our observation has been that corporations like the
Weyerheusers really more reasonable than most in
dviduals in this respect AS for the farmer whose
land would be cut by these private roads, there is not
much uustion about where his interests would lie.
The other proposed amendment provides for the
classification of taxable property with view to having
the state derive it's entirely from the railroads
and other public service corporations and leave the real
estate and local personal property to be assessed only
for county and city purposes Money lenders and those
who invest in warrants, bonds stocks, etc. will oppose
this amendment and they the who are raising
the cry that it would be class legislation popular cry
but one which does not bear investigation 1t is true
that our present law requires the taxation of all prop
erty alike and theoretically money bonds, stocks etc.
should be treated like real estate but in actual practice
it goes free from taxation. Investors simply do not
and will not report money and credits to the assessor
and all the laws making nquisitors out of assessors
have been failures have made grafters and black