The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-06-07
GENERAL PROTEST
AGAINST TAX
INCREASE
LETTERS FROM COMMERCIAL
BODIES AND INDIVIDUALS oB-
JECTING TO ACTION.
RAILROADS WILL PRESENT
Their Side JULY MEETING
r. r. Commissioners Are Not Being
Denounced For step Taken But Pro-
tests Are Couched in Tactfu and
Dispassionate Language.


of fair-mindedness that generally pre-
walls among the people of Mississippi
toward corporations is being striking
ly manifested in the numerous pro-
tests being filed with the railroad com
mission concerning the advance Of
forty per cent made on the assessment
of property of common carriers for
the current year.
Nearly all the boards of trade and
commercial organizations in the state
have addressed resolutions to the COM
mission frankly setting forth the opin
ion that, in their judgment, it is un-
fair unwise and ineXpedent to make
such a radical advance in values, and
especially at this time when the state
is passing through an industrial and
agricultural revolution.
Had the railroad commission twelve
years ago ordered fiat advance of
forty per cent on railroad assessments
it is doubtful whether any protests
would have been heard except from
the railroads involved Today, the
railroad officials are saying very lit
tie about it, reserving their arguments
for the July meeting of the commits
sion, when they have the legal privi-
lege Of presenting objections. But a
most vociferous protest is being made
by the general public, and it is not
confined merely to resolutions adopted
by commercial organizations. Indi-
viduals are writing letters to the com
mission earnestly advising the mem
bers not to carry out the plan propos-
ed, and predicting that the result will
be disastrous unless the commission
treats the common carriers fairly and
equitably, assessing their property on
the same basis fixed for the property
of individuals.
AS a rule, the letters and protests
are couched in tactful and dispassion-
ate language. The commissioners are
not being denounced for their radical
policy. The public simply seems to
cherish the notion that the members
have made a grave mistake, and en-
deavors to point them into the right
path
Attention is called to the fact that
the railroads have been most potent
factors in developing the material re
sources of mississippi; that to the
common carriers, more than any 9th
er contributing element, has been due
the splendid growth in wealth, pros
perity and development of resources
during the past two decades that the
state is now at the Threshold of an
other era of new railroad building, the
completion of the Panama canal hold
ing out promise of the building of sew
eral new trunk lines through the
state; that nearly all of the railroads
have suffered heavy losses from the
floods, overflows, excessive rains, anC
unsatisfactory business conditions
during the past eight months; thai
practically all of the roads have suffer
ed reductions in tonnage because o
these conditions, and still further re
ductions, will follow the doubtful crol
prospects, especially in that larg
area of the state invested with thu
boil weevil.
This is the general tenor of tn
protests filed. Business men VIII
have no element of selfish interest il
the railroads, but who, on the cor
trary, pay heavy tribute to them eac
year in freight rates, are declarin
that the phenomenal advance in a!
sessments is, is their judgment, a
unsafe, unjust and unsound method {
I distributing the burden of taxation
:. and in no measure justified by Il
r fact that the state treasury is threa
I ened with deficit in revenue tn
i year.