Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-07-14
RAILROADS USE CONDITIONS
TO ARGUE UNFAIR TREATMENT
Say Other Property Advances Have
Not Been Boosted With Their Prop
erty-increase Will Force a Reduc-
tion in Rate of Taxation Fer State
Purposes.
Special to Times Republican.


state officials will help some in making
a record Of great doings in the economy
line.
This report Just made to the state
executive council, al the time Of con-
sideration of how much TO raise the
railroad assessments, IS very pleasing
to those who are fully convinced shat
the railroads have been much injured
by the excessive increase II valuation
in recent years.
The exact figures are as follows:
Tota! OF real estate assessments re-
ported fro massessors tor this year
$3.50, 62l,494: increase OF about 81 000,-
600 over last year
Total OF personal property % every
kind as reported. taxable value only
s153,749,3o7; increase OF over $4,000
600
The assessors ala not. Of course.
make a com lete new realty assess
men1. but they were required 70 add TO
their lists the valuation of the added
buildings and Improvements. This So
600 900 therefore represents the value
OF new buildings last year in cities o.
the state. The increase in personal
property represents the Increase in
number and value of live stock, moneys
and credits. etc.
The increased valuation ati,s.es e ire
real estate and personal property, with
a reasonable increase in valuation OF
railroad property and other taxable
values, viii force a reduction in the
rate OF taxation for sla-e purposes.
Last year il vas found Impossible 20
Keep the rate up, because Of the e,or-
nous INCREASE in valuations. and an
other reduction is certain this year.
The train crew Of the Wabash rail-
road on the train that was wrecked
near Percy a short time ago is held
entirely blameless for the fact ma.
second train was permitted 10 jump
INTO the wreck ana tnjure great many
people. This IS the substance Of the
i report Of the railroad com mission 20
! the governor in regard to this acct
dent investigation showed that ever,
person connected with the first train
( Whlch Went into wash-out, was so
injured that he could not go becl, ~
nag the freight train. A travelling man
VINO mad been a passenger was entrus-
ed with the flag and he started ON. 70
mead OF the coming frei ght train. He
1aAed FOR some unknown reason. Tbara
was much disposition al the time -
scrtlcise the train crew. b1f. this re-
ports puts an entirely different face 70
the trouble
Henry Herbert of Audubon who =
eeserfosd as belonging . The standpat
Aacllon OF The republican parry. 4 c7,o--
ed as expressing the belief -ha+ j. lii
ne the duty OF the republican s-a-a
convention which meets in AIg-,s+ -
select delegates % the next reo71.-
'lican national convention. He points
out that no other convention viii
De held in Iowa until after the CON
Eehtlon which dominates a candidate
Tor president. This Is step further
'7han that taken by the organizers Of
1he Jackson committee VINO -1Arary- r.
sisted last March that tn. delegates ~
Tie county conventions selected in June
inns year would be the delegates 70 n.
county conventions in the preSf1er4is,l
year hence they organized at that time
NlrIually for the control IF the ,a---
IN Iowa IN a presidential ca-nDafgn
Il Is believed that the state convention
can not legally take any action Wal,
regard 10 the next national convention
w. W. Baldwin. the political -en-e-
sentative Of The Burlington railroad IN
Iowa for ranv years. and Clifford
Ihorne. republican candidate FOR state
rs!.roa6 commissioner. are ca--1n. on
JOIN discussion in the columns OF a
paper at keosauqle, over the question
OF the profits Of American railroads
and over capitalization The discus
sion is becoming quite interesting ar-
Baldwin recently declared that Nr,
ThoTlle Is q liar because IF a. statement
that railroad net earnings Increased
over SS15.000,000 between 1900 and
1907; and Mr.. Thorne comes back quot
ing from the reports Of the Interstate
commerce commission showing that
whereas the earnings Of American
,rail-oads above operating expenses IN
1900 We're s525.s16, 300 they were ss4o.-
5a9.164 in 1907. Mr.. Thorne further
adds that:
The earnings ot American railroads
above all operating expenses, includ-
ing cost of labor and supplies, IN 1909
were over $500, 600 900 greater IN 1909
than in 1888, and they averaged over
80 per cent greater in 1909 than in
1898 for every mile Of railroad In the
country"
In regard 20 over-capitalization Mr..
Baldwin quoted Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.
tAiAdpp eiS &, SuDSI lance that the
roads are not over-capitalized Mr..
Thorne shows that for many years the
Interstate commerce commission has
been urging that a physical valuation
of American railways be made. fol-
lowed by C careful supervision Of issues
of stock
It is probable that Mr.. Baldwin as
representing the railroads will organize
the fight against Mr. Thorne and in
behalf of the democratic candidate for
railroad commissioner. There are In
dications that the bureau which was
organized during the primary 10 carry
on the fight is still very active and is
supplying the newspapers of the state
with correspondence touching this and
kindred subjects.
It is learned here that IN case the
Illinois legislature gets a chance at
election of the successor to Senator
Lorimer, leader of the Illinois stall
warts. ex-senator William E Mason
win become a candidate for the place.
A distinguished IIiiii::sssc!san recently
stated that Mason was the only senator
elected in Illinois in many years with
out bribery. If Mason ever goes back