East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-04-06

property, especially franchises. The
tax laws were obsolete and inefficient
in several respects. Accordingly, I be-
~gan an agitation for a temporary tax
commission. Such a commission was
created, the Honorable Fred w. Null
key of Portland. Honorable William
j. Lachner of Baker county, and Hon.
orable E. B. Seabrook of Coos county
received the appointment as commits
s%ioners. This commission organized
by electing Mr.. Mulkey chairman and
| clyde B. Aitchison, now railroad COM
missioner, as secretary.
Have Fine Statute.
LAS a result of their excellent work
we now have this fine statute: The
terms land, real estate, and real prop
erty, as used IN this act shall be con-
strued to include the land itself,
whether laid out in town lots, or other
wise, above and under water, all
buildings. structures. substructures,
superstructures, n improvements
erected upon, under or above, or af-
fixed to the same, and all rights and
privileges thereto belonging or in any
wise appertaining, and all franchises
and privileges granted by or pursuant
to any law of this state, or municipal
ordinance or resolution, owned or
NR'N ~ any BSAsCAA W.
other than the right to be a corpor-
alton: n all mines, minerals, quar-
ries, fossils, and trees in, under, or
upon the land Our tax laws were
improved in several respects.
Il found the assessor with power to
regulate the county school tax. The
state law in 1902 required the county
court to levy a five mill school tax on
the assessed value of each county re-
spectively. 1t was then within the as
SCISSORS power to assess the property
of his county at any percentage of it's
actual value that happened to suit
him.
Got High Levy.
IF he chose to do so he could as
sess the property of his county so low
that the five mill school tax would
produce very little, or he could assess
it so high that the school a would be
entirely beyond the need of school re-
It at once began an agl-
tation which resulted in a law that
provided for a levy high enough in
each county to produce a fixed sum for
each child of school age.
81 have been, and am now, an adj
vocate Of popular government as pro-
yided for under the present initiative
and referendum laws Of this state.
~ SUN up j lOulQ the TdllTOdQS
Of the state assessed at S5.858,101.5O
They are now assessed at $45.199,-
The mileage has Increased
only 1888 miles to 2213 miles. Not
only this, but before this agitation be-
gan the transportation companies were
Of the people. fixing charges
and extending or restricting SERVED
TO the public at will. The railroads
have, therefore, been required to pay
share Of taxes on the one hand
and have, on the other, been denied
authority to recOup themselves by adj
vancing freight charges. The tax laws
been modernized, and the public
have been given definite sup,
port.
These reforms have been worth
thousands of dollars to the COM
people of Oregon. MY connection
with them is well known history and
can be established beyond question.
] set out 10 benefit the people gener-
ally. | have worked out the lead
/ began on so far as I can do
through the assessors office. The
old system has been corrected and the
assessment Of railroad property has
been committed to the care Of the tax
commission.
But a new condition has arisen
which threatens to consume the full
Of all taxable property. both
corporate and private. The tax bud