The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1922-02-05

~ ACK in the early days of statehood, before the taxing Of
mines became the favorite political pasime of playful dem.
agogues and persons with the passion for office, there was
another such issue, similarly employed by the same aspir-
ing groups of candidates for public pap. This was the taxing of the
souLess railroad corporations which had built lines into and through
this state. The railroads were lodging taxes, it was said, shouted,
sung and screamed. They were not paying their fair share, al
though the rest of us, in those palmy, balmy days, were paying next
to nothing
Railroad attorneys and tax agents of those days were pictured
as masked and horned and forked tailed, just as the mine owners
have been pictured, more recently. Some men rode into county
office on advocacy of raising the railroads in counties wherein
the roads paid all the taxes but the poll tax.
SO we raised the railroads. They had it coming, 81 we raised
them again, and again-and again. As a revenue raising PROPOSE.
ton it was great. 1t seemed to have no limit but the sky and ii,
New Mexico the sky hangs high.
And just as the raising was getting into its stride that buga-
boo of railroad traffic officials, the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, was ordered to make a physical valuation of all the rail
roads in the United States. Having by that time got our state Of
foaly into the United States, the valuation reached New Mexico
and it was found that our New Mexico assessed valuations of
railroads were somewhat higher than those found by the / c. G.,
by actual physical appraisal. Curses
W. quit raising the railroads because it wasn't any Use They
had only to go into court and introduce the federal government
official physical valuation, and that was that.
Then our hopeful and aspiring politicians, reformers, prophets
and soothsayers turred to the mines and pictured in tragic colors
a people robbed, not of nckels or dollars IT any kind of chicken
feed. but of millions even unto the hundreds thereof. Tax the
burglars acclaimed the company prunefed politicians; Let
us have justice and a square deal and ad valorem value taxes on
the mines, jobs for us and roads and schools fer everybody and not
a cent of taxes for anybody but the enemies of the people
Remembering what happened in the matter of the railroads,
the people didn't vote for that program. Somehow it didn't sound
Just like a business proposition. But it made an awful clamor and
the legislature heard it and provided for a physical valuation OF
the mines an appraisal of all mines for taxation on an adj valorem
basis.
OF this action Mr.. Herbert J Hagerman, president of the state
taxpayers association said in his annual report to that organiza-
ton:
The employment of Nj. r. R. Finlay by the State Tax
Commission to value the mines Of New Mexico, resulting
from the law enacted by the recent legislature, is an event
of outstanding Importance. There is no better equipped
man than he is anvvher fr his ash and his findings are
bound to be accepted as a controlling basis for mines val.
autions for some years. " " " We have arrived at a real
method of adjusting a long standing controversy which has
for years been the source of bitter feeling and much in
harmony.