Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-27

ments upon real estate, in order to
drive down the average State tax
rate, which under the new railroad
tax law was to be applied to the as
sessment of railroad property, but
these laws did not operate to compel
similar increase in the assessment
of railroad property.
Retaliation Law Passed.
Governor Fort procured the passage
of a law providing for a revaluation
of railroad property and appointed an
impartial expert to value this prop
erty. He also did what you and no
other Republican Governor had ever
done, appointed men not controlled by
the railroads to the State Board of
Assessors Governor Wilson appoint
ed me to this board, and when the
reValuation work was finally conclud.
ed and a reassessment was made by
the State Board of Assessors, the net
result of all of these laws and acts
taken together was an increase of the
railroad taxes to the extent of nearly
IS, 100000.
Governor Fort. who contributed to
this proposition materially was polit-
ically ostracized by the Republican
leaders. He upset the bipartisan
machine control of the State Board of
Assessors in the interest of the rail
roads. He refused to appoint David
Baird. He refused to appoint Eckert
Budd, the alleged Democratic MEM
Der, and Theodore Strong. the Middle
sex Republican boss. For this he was
virtually driven out of the Republican
party. These are the essential facts.
Now let me ask you some questions.
You take credit for the increase of
railroad taxes from $1,500,000 to
Sc, 100000. If this was a proper thing
to do in 1906, 1t was proper thing to
do in 1905. Your attention as the new
Governor was called to it directly by
the mastery reports of Chandler
Riker and Charles C. Black.
You had been personally informed
of the fact that the railroads were
plundering the public to the extent of
millions of dollars, and yet during all
of the nine years when you sat in the
state Senate you never lifted your
voice or introduced a bill to rectify
this gigantic wrong. Why did you
neglect this opportunity TO serve the
public?
''Why did you sit silent for nine long
years in the face of continual public
agitation, and let the PENNSYLVANIA
and other railroads swindle the public
out of millions of dollars a year?
During this time you were elected
director of the West Jersey railroad,
the company under which the Penn
sylvania railroad operates a larger
part of its business in New Jersey.
Why were you so elected?
Railroad directors are chosen
either because of their railroad expe-
rience or of their possession of large
blocks of stock. Did you own a big
block of West Jersey stock? If so.
where did you get the money to buy
it? If not, why were you selected
as director? You had no railroad
experience Whatever-you had been
school teacher and n bank clerk, you
knew nothing, of railroading. You
were elected director of this DOW
erful Pennsylvania Railroad corpora
ton for some reason. What was the
reason? Is it not fair to infer that
the reason was that as a responsible
public official, as powerful and
growing Republican leader, you had
for many years helped to sidetrack
the agitation to compel these rail-
roads to pay to the State the millions
of dollars of taxes which they were
escaping through their control of poll
| tics?
by your own statement these rail-
roads virtually robbed the State of
at least thirty million dollars by the
!
privilege during your career as a
party leader as State Senator, and
as governor. How did this mon
strous and continuous robbery escape
your attention? How did You close
your ears to the repeated agitations
that from time to time were car
ried on against this outrage? How
was 1t that not one word in denun-
citation of this injustice ever came
from your lips as a political leader
or State director; that the recon-
mendation of Messrs Black and
Riker was ignored by you as gov
ernor, and that you never uttered a
word in favor of this reform until
Everett Colby and the eleven New
Idea Assemblymen took their seats
in the legislature at Trenton, pre-
pared for a winters fight to expose
the alliance between the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad and you and the Re-
publican leaders?
The facts are that from 1883 to