Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-07
WOULD VOTE DOWN
FIRST AMENDMENT
DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE GOES
ON RECORD
New Method of Taxatlor, Would Re-
IIeve Utility Corporations of
Burden and Shift 1t on
the People

Democrats at their weekly meeting
yesterday at the Westminster hotel
went on record as opposing proposed
constitutional amendment No. 1.
The Los Angeles county Democratic
committees executive committee unan-
imously adopted the following resolu-
ton, advocated by Richmond Plant
and r. S. Yaeger:
Whereas, There is submitted to the
voters at the general election in No
vember an amendment to the constitu-
ton of the state known as amendment
No 1, which provides for a new meth
cd of assessment against the property
OF public corporations, the executive
committee of the Democratic county
central committee of Los Angeles coun-
ty declares that the said amendment
would:
Aids Corporations
Il. Reduce the taxes on all corpo-
rations included within it's provisions;
o. That 1t would not raise sufficient
taxes to conduct the state government,
and that 1t would therefore increase
the taxes on all other kinds of prop
erty in order to meet the deficiency
in the state, to say nothing of the loss
to the cities and counties;
49, That all the cities and counties
in the state now obtaining q revenue
by the city and county taxes on these
corporations would lose that revenue,
and the loss will have to be met by
additional taxes on other property In
said cities and counties;
"a. That IL the said amendment is
adopted by the people no county or
city thereafter can lawfully charge
upon such corporation any share of it's
bonded Indebtedness incurred for any
purpose whatever, and that the inter-
est on as well as the principal Of such
Indebtedness must be met by the re-
naming property of said city and
county;
''5. That this proposed amendment
is the answer of the corporations to
the action of Honest Old Ben Ward in
his efforts to compel the payment by
these corporations of a just proportion
of taxes, and If this amendment Is
adopted these corporations will be en-
tirely relieved from the payment of any
county or city taxes whatever;
Vicious and Wicked
&C. That the attempt to fix and crys-
taliZe in the constitution rate which
neither the people nor legislature can
alter, so as to equalize the burden of
taxation, is vicious and wicked
scheme of the public utility corpora
tions and their tools and instruments
in the legislature, which has Tor It's
purpose the virtual exemption of the
property Of such corporations from just
taxation and the imposition upon other
property and property holders of the
state corresponding increase of the
burneds of such taxation. Such scheme
deserves to be denounced in every
newspaper and on every platform and
by every writer and speaker of what
ever political party until the day OF
the election.
1--WE believe that these amendments
have been brought forward In this
year. of presidential election in the hope
of its authors that by reason of such
election the amendments would not be
duly considered, but would be obscured
in the discussion of national policies.
"This committee therefore appeals to
all the voters of all the parties to give
these proposed amendments their ear
nest consideration, to the end that they
may pronounce their judgment of con-
demnation upon the scheme and upon
the schemers and so save themselves
and their children from the unequal
burdens which these amendments, If
carried, will impose upon the people,
other than the powerful corporations
for whose benefit the amendments are
designed"