The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-09-22
TAXABLE VALUES OF ELECTRIC
ROADS SHOW VERY LARGE gain
Individual Property Owner Will Profit by Increased
Amount of Taxes These Corporations Will Pay-Un-
der Old Deal Some Roads Were Favored at Expense
of Others Great Service Performed For State.

owner. especially the farmer and |
home owner viii profit by the in |
creased amount of taxes these cor |
porations will pay under the high and |
proper valuation.
In 1910, all Ohio street, suburban |
and interurban railroad property was
appraised for s3O.3s2, ,s27 in 1911 the |
total value was placed at Sl15iS22Si |
or nearly four times as much.
The report of the state Tax Com |
mission discloses that even the street |
railway companies did not system of
railway companies did not get
square deal under the old system Of
appraising property for taxation, al
though all were favored. some to a
greater extent than others. and paid
less taxes in proportion to their prop
erty than others.
In 1910 the property of the Cincin-
fati Traction Company was appraised
at S2.gS5,000, while the Cleveland Rail-
way Company was placed on the tax
duplicate for $7,9S4. 500. These figures,
had they represented the true value of
the property. would indicate that the
property of the Cleveland Railway
Company was worth nearly four times
that of the Cincinnati Traction Com
pany was appraised at S1S.123.4iG, while
that Of the Cleveland Railway Com
rany was placed on the tax duplicate
for Sls.4G5. 14O.
The state Tax Commission. after a
thorough investigation by experts
learned that the two properties We're
of about the same value. In Cleve-
land, the Zig public service corpora
tions have not for many years DOM
mated the municipal government.
There Is no George b. Cox there. and.
as a result, Cleveland taxing officers
placed the Cleveland Railway prop
crty on the duplicate at reasonably
high figure-reasonable considering
the old way of appraising property.
But things were different down In
Cincinnati. There the amount OF tax
es a corporation paid largely was reg
r.atad by the size OF its campaign
contribution. The manipulation of
the taxing power has long been re-
sorted to 10y political bosses to-
strengthen themselves. and IL is evil
dent from the 1910 and 1911 values of
Cleveland and Cincinnati railway
Properties that the Cox machine MEM
bers do not need any lessons In the
art Of using taxing power to further
r,achine interests.
The following figures represent the
appraisements OF some of the big
roads in 1910 and 1911:
City Railway Co., Dayton, O.........
Cleve. PaineGvllle & Eastern Ry.....
Cleve. Southwestern q Coiumbus......
Columbus, Delaware & Marion.
Columbus Ry. & Lignt co. (Coumbus
Ry e Col Trac. Co)................
East Liverpool Trac. & Light Con-.
Lake shore & Flee. Ry..................
Northern ohio Trac. e. Light. .........
Mahoning Valley Ry Co................
Ohio Electric Ry. Co. ..............,.
Peoples Ry. Co. Dayton, o.........-.''
The Ohio state Journal (Republlcan)
says:
The ruling out By Attorney Cen
eral Hogan of the printing of 5000
manuals, devoted expressly To legls-
lative personalities and prizes VIII
create a broad smile all over the state
To the taxpayers that job Is not worth
80 cents IL Is wholly testimonial to
geif-importance. that the people would
rather do without 1t should some
times reach the consciousness of leg
islators that personal vanity is not
properly a subject for the outlay OF
the hard-paid taxes Of the people
That is what this manual is-a col
lection of Biographical sketches ant
halftones Isn't IL silly?
"If legislature does good worl
and serves the people faithfully 1t vii
make record far more honorable ant
L.rmanent than q little costly man
ual OF self-praise. The honorable re
cord stands as tribute; the manua
Is thrown aside as rubbish. Ever.
true legislator will look for the homo
Of his career In the life Of the people
made happier and nobler by his own
Whatever man adds 10 his fam
hy way of tinsel and grewgaw sool
giows rusty and shabby.
''The attorney general turned dow
the bill for these manuals, not becaus
The legislature had no right to max
the contract but because II had mad
no appropriation 10 meet 1t. The rul
ing was clearly right. We hope IN
attorney general will dig little deep
er and find In the roots of the statut
somewhere his right 20 rule out
bill when sure OF its utter folly an
stupidity
In seeing that an honest appraist
nent was made of all property, III
state tax commission members hay
reformed a wonderful service fo
the people Of moderate means, esp'
ally farmers and nome owners
Ohio. How valuable the service wa
win not La fully realized until u
next taxes are paid. Then It will
discovered that taxes do not eat
heavily into the salary check or bar
account as formerly.
la 1911. real estate owners VIII pa
more than seven millions of dolla
less taxes than they did In 1910. tn
burden. taken from the shoulders
these tax payers has teen distribu
ed among those corporations and pc
aonai property owners that, heretOfoI
have teen too lightly taxed.
Increases. so large as TO be astoun
ing have been made to corpora
property. Instead or being exampl