Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-21
Railroad Protests Taxes.

M. A. Hartgan. tax agent of the st.
Joseph & Grand Island railroad protested
to the board Of equalization this morning
against the value placed upon its property
in the following cities: Hastings. Grand
Island, Edgar and Fairfield.
At Hastings Mr.. Hartigan said the value
Of the property Of the company was fixed
at s54. 8SO. This practically is the same
figure as returned in 1905 and which the
board reduced to S4.40h He asked that
the same reduction be made this year.
At Grand Island the assessor placed a
valuation on the company property Of
I'll, 22s the right Of way or land valuation
being d.O70. The land of the mpa
therefore was valued at 500 an acre while
other land was valued at tes an acre.
At Edgar the right of way OF the COM
PAM was valued at $4,000 or $3.50 an acre.
With the exception of two blocks next to
the right OF way the land In Edgar. Mr..
Hartigan said was valued at $50 to $50,
At Fairfield the railroad right Of way
was assessed at $50 an acre while land
adjoining this property was assessed at
SIS to S125 an acre. Both Edgar and Fair
field said Mr.. Hartigan are small towns
and the railroad property does not inter
cept the main business district Of either
Lower Rates on PullmRns.
The state railway commission Is about
to secure a reduction in Pullman rates in
Nebraska on it's own initiative without
waiting for a formal complaint to be
filed. The commission compiled q SEIZED
ule of rates and then sent for representa-,
tives of the company to see what they
thought about II. H. B. Clement, general
ticket agent and @. s. Fernald. assistant
general solicitor, both Of Chicago conferred
with the commission today and agreed to
send back a schedule shortly containing
reductions along the lines suggested by
the commission.
The seat rates will be fixed on q mileage
basis at about one-hAlf cent a mile, while
the rates for bsrths will be- decreased
about 50 cents. The representatives Of the
Pullman ompany were not satisfied with
the rates of the commission and they
were given permission to propose q re-
duced rate schedule.
sh~RIenberEer q Chautauaua Speaker.
Governor ~Shallenberger returned to his
office this morning, after a speaking tour
which took him through Kansas, Iowa and
Minnesota. The governor was filling the
date Of Senator La Toilette, who was de-
tained in Washington. The governor
talked democratic politics in all of his
speeches. At Abilene. Kan, the governor
ran across a cyclone. which not only de-
stroyed thousands of acres Of corn by
cutting the stalks off close to the ground,
but which tore the tops Of. practically all
OF the big trees in the city. No dwellings
or business houses were damaged, the wind
evidently being too high to touch them.
As a result of tho storm in that county
the governor said the prospects were corr
would be only about ona-tifth Of the usuaI
crop.
Governor ~shallenberEer has been invited
to speak at the irrigation congress Al
Spokane, Wash. on the 18th. This is Gov.
! ernors' day, and Governor s~hallenberger
will stop over in Spokane with hts stat
while on his way to the Seattle exposition
Corporations to Fight.
II was reported at the state house today
! that a collection is being taken up amonl
certain corporations that object TO thu
} occupation tax levied under q law enaotet
! by the recent legislature The report say
that each corporation is expected to con
tribute one-tenth OF the tax levied agains
It to the fund to employ counsel to figh'
the law.
Hearing Before Excise Board.
The excise board this afternoon tool
evidence In the case wherein B. A. Moor
charged Chief Of Police Rlckard. Detectiv'
Jim Malone and officer Cody with having
abused him. Moore said he represented Al
oil burner company and gave domonstra
lions at his place Of business. b tn,
officers arrested him without warrant and
kept him In jail q day and a night anC
then ordered him out OF town. He left anC
now comes back to prosecute. He claim
the officers abused him and he was sub
jected to many indignities, and that hi
private letters were confiscated by the po
lice. More evidence will be taken Thurs
day morning.
Boy Drowned In Salt Creek.
Lawrence Barrett. aged Il years. wa
drowned while swimming In Salt creel
this afternoon. He was the son OF james
Barrett, PISS South Eleventh street.
COhn's Commission Restored.
The action OF former Governor Micke!
in revoking the notary commission Of Ma
Cohn OF Nebraska City was reversed b.
District Judge Cornish this afternoon. anC
2 the commission ordered Il given back L
Cohn. The revocation OF the commission
grew out of litigation in Nebraska City
out of which also grew the disbarmen'