Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-13

gress may have committed the party,
| while greatly interested in mat,
ters pertaining to the affairs of the
general government, deem it most ex.
pedient that should devote the greater
portion Of time Of this discussion to
those questions that must be dealt
with by your chief executive and by
F; the legislature.
State Issues.
In the administration Of state affairs
many matters Of Importance are to be
considered and dealt with. In recent
years many laws have been enacted
with reference to the regulation of
corporations. the changing or modih-
cation of our election system, etc, all
Of which I have endeavored to have
observed strictly and fairly, many Of
them have worked admirably but some
be corrected. It Is universally COLI
coded, both by friends and by those OPP
posed to the primary system, that it
needs some modification Of its pro-
visions. Those matters I shall ask the
legislature to take up in a spirit Of
friendliness and not Of hostility to the
end that the system may be made is
nearly perfect as Is possible so that
all abuses hereunder may be avoided.
shall likewise ask the legislature to
carefully consider questions pertaining
to corporation regulation, especially
those matters coming under the super
vision Of the railway commission SO
that our state may not be discrininat-
ed against and that the interest of all
concerned may be protected.
Telephone Control.
$$4v - Ia 1~&s 80
corporations there are still some need
ed laws or amendments of present
laws. The question OF telephone con-
solicitations and regulations has not
been provided for, and with nearly
three thousand companies or organiza :
tons in the state 1t necessarily fol-
lows that many consultations will be
ter of service and rates charged are
Of great concern to the public as we'll
as to the companies themselves and
should in some proper manner be pro-
vided for. In this connection it is
proper to say that many public utili-
ties need to be brought under better
regulation and control and unless
some means is provided therefor we
may reasonably expect to see the
agitation for municipal ownership con-
tinue and increase.
Taxation Reform.
i have said on previous occasions
that there is no subject connected with
the affairs of state government that Is
so difficult of proper solution as that
of revenues and taxation. That our
laws are full Of iniquities cannot be
perplexing question. Under our sys-
tenn the fixing Of values upon prop.
erty rests primarily with the local
assessor His work is in turn re-
viewed by the local board Of review,
by the board of supervisors and by the
state board Of review, which is the
executive council. The theory of the
law is, that after so many bodies have
passed upon values they must be cor
rect and consequently quittable,< but
in practice it can hardly be said to be
the case.
"As to land values there might be
an approximation, but as to personal
property 1t seems to be an impossi-
bility There appears to be no way
whereby the state board can equalize
the assessment of stock, for an illus
tration, between counties and have
the equalized value traced back to and
made to attach to the property value.
consequently the live stock of one
county is assessed far out of proper
ton to that Of other counties. For
example, the last assessment shows
the. average value of horses three
years old and over in one county to
be $116.70 per head. while in another
county they are valued at only S39 per
head, and practically three times as
much in one county as in the other.
This means that when the state levy
lis placed against the value of the
horses in these two counties the one
lis paying to the state three times as
much taxes as the other.
II might conclude that the present
executive council is at fault in this
matter If did not know from reports
of state auditors and messages Of gov
errors that this question has been up
for solution ever since the days OF
Kirkwood and Gear and Is yet I'M
solved Neither do believe that 1t
ever can be solved under our present
taxing system The question of in
equality Of value between counties is
of little importance except as relates
to the payment of taxes by the coun-
ties to the state But as to that 1t
means much. AS a relief to the stu
alton, 1t was suggested more than a
quarter of century ago, that instead
of levying an assessment for state pur-
poses against the property OF the vari-
Gus counties the amount needed to
support the state government be ap-
portioned among the various counties
in proportion to the population. 1t has
also been suggested that it be ap-
portioned according to the relative
total real estate values. Neither Of
these suggestions seem to have merit
ed serious consideration. A third sug-
gestion is, that the railroads and other
like corporations be required to pay
their taxes into the state treasury for
the maintenance of the state govern
ment and that the counties be relieved
from contributing to the support of the
state. This plan seemed to have at
tracted more attention, and has been
adopted in part or in whole by some