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About The Nebraska independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1896-1902 | View Entire Issue (July 24, 1902)
2 v. THE NEBRASKA IIIDEPEIIDEIIT July 24, 1902 For over sixty years Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup has been used by mothers for their children while teeth ing. Are you disturbed at night and broken.-of your rest by a sick child suffering and crying with pain of Cut- Cling Teeth? If so send at once and rget a bottle of "Mrs. Winslow's Sooth ing Syrup" for Children Teething. Its rvalue is incalculable. It will relieve the poor little sufferer immediately. Depend upon it, mothers, there is no mistake about it. It cures diarrhoea. regulateaf the stomach and bowels. cures wind colic, softens the gums, re duces Inflammation, and gives tone and energy to the whole system. "Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup" for 'chll--dren teething' is pleasant to the taste and is the prescription of one of tha roldest and best female physicians and nurses in the United States, and is for sale by all druggists throughout the world. Price, 25 cents a bottle. Be sure and ask for "Mrs. Winslows Soothing Syrup." ROY'S DRUG STORE 104 M 10111 SI. We say "Roy's" drug store as a matter- of fact it is EVERYBODY'S drug store almost. Roy only con ducts It, buys and keeps to sell ;he goods, and meet and force competition. Our patrons do the rest. We want U. remind you of seasonable goods, viz: Garden Seeds, Conditi .- Powders, Lice Killers, B. B. Poison, Kalsomine, ; Paints, Oils, Varnishes, etc. ' We make a specialty of all kinds of Stock and Poultry Poods, etc. Don't miss us. Roys' 104 No I Oth oney Prudent ptople buy their drugs and patents here and save money. Here are a few prices: ;i.00 Peruna 65c $1.00 Miles' Nervine 65c $1.00 Pierce's Remedies 65c $1.00 Hood's Sarsaparllla ....65c $1.00 Paine's Celery Compound. .. .65c $1.00 Wine of Cardui .....65c $1.00 Stuart's Dyspeptic Tablets.. C5c $1.00 Pinkham's Compound 65c $1.00 Kilmer's Swamp Root 65c $1.00 Scott's Emulsion tt5c $1 .00 S. S. S. 6oc Syrup of Figs iyc Meadows Malted Milk S3c Castoria, Dr. Pitcher's Formula.... 13c To each purchaser of $1 worth of goods we give a substantial present there is no prescription too difficult for us to 311 and we'll save you money. Come in and get acquainted. Add 25c for boxing where goods are sr ped. Put Data am uui uuio Riir 12th and O STS., Lincoln, Neb. Your Summer Ouiingc Unit health, rest, pleasure and comfort on the handsome, luxurious Steel Steamship MANITOO riKST-CLASS ONLY.) Excliistoeiy for Passenger Service Thres Sailings Each Week. Between Chicago, Frankfort, Charlevoix. Y,tofty Harbcr Springs, Bay View. Mackinac Island, etc., connecting with all Staumshlp Line foi Eaatern. Canadian aad Lake ftaperior Point. Daaortptlve read in a matter, alina particular a boot the TOraae. tarma and rwwratXon can ba aacured bl asking looal Railroad auxnr. or addremina JO. BKKOLZriKIM. . P A. Maaltou ftttainthlp Company. CHICAGO. COOL COLORADO THE PLACE TO GO. Think of a round-trip rate of only $15.00 to Denver, Colorado Springs (Manitou) and Pueblo. On certain dates in June. July, Aug ust and September, via the Write for books entitled "Camping in Colorado," "Fishing in Colorado," and "Under the Turquoise Sky." The Camping book tells how, where and at what cost parties of two, four and six can enjoy an inexpensive vaca tion in that delightful climate. -E. W. THOMPSON. A. G. P. A., Topeka, Kas. JNO. SEBASTIAN. G. P. A., , - ... - Chicago. I1L NOTICE Annual Statement. At the annual meeting of the stock holders of The Lincoln Supply Co., a corporation duly organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska, the books 'of the 3a id corporation closed to June 21 were examined and the as sets were found to be J23.500 and the. current accounts and bills payable $8,252.87. Personal accounts. $5,376.43. P. F. ZIMMER, President and Secretary. M. HOWL AND, ClerK. State of Nebraska, Lancaster Coun ty -ss. Subscribed and sworn to before tr.e ibis 2Uh dav of July, 1902. ETTA SAFFER. (Seal) - Notary Public. . If they refuse to make a record of their failure to do these things? mat stronger proof is needed of fraud ana collusion between them and the trans portation company wnose property they have exempted simply because they have refused to find the value? I want to say to tne court that tha first thing and the most important thing, in my judgment, that should be . contained In .this writ, if your honors should conclude to grant it, is this: first fix the value per mile of every railroad in Nebraska. That is the first proposition. Yon never will; get a just assessment In this state until the state board first fixes the value per mile. After that they can equalize and assess it in the same ratio as other property is assessed In the stata. But the first basis, the first thing and the first prerequisite to be exercised by an Intelligent judgment in the matter of an assessment is to first ascertain the value per mile or every railroad in the state. ' The Missouri Pacific, In the same way, is worth at least $50,000 a mila. The Rock Island can be sold In th market for $53,000 a mile, and yet both of these roads are assessed at 133 than 10 per cent of their value. The Omaha is earning Interest upon mora than $50,000 a mile. The preliminary reports for this year ending on June 30 Indicate that it is worth $60,000 a mile, and yet it is assessed for $5,200 a mile. The entire purpose from be ginning to end has been simply to let these people practically fix their own assessment without rererence to their value, without any consideration for what the value of the property was bo cause this board now admits that it does not know, that it never did know, that it never tried to know what the.o railroads were worth per mile. That Is just the kind of a state board of equalization that will satisfy thesi transportation corporations. The kind of a fellow they want is a 'man tnat doesn't know and doesn't want to know. And that is the kind of a boaid we are arraigning here. . What I have said of these roads ap plies also, though with less force, to the smaller roads. Because there is no question even when you get among railroads that the bigger the road the bigger the sinner. Now you take the Burlington. They have arranged thU thing in such a way that if a man didn't want to know he easily couldn't know" the earnings that they have made. The only earnings of the Bur lington that we had were the earnings back a couple of years ago when they separated the B. & M. from Kearney down to Plattsmouth from the balance of the road. 4 Now do you know how they fixed that in order to get these valuations? Why, they showed that that road from Kearney down earned $12,000 a mile net each year. Why did they do that? Why, they knew there wasn't much danger that any railroad In Nebraska would be assessed for more than $10,000 a mile, they were not afraid It would be pushed up higher If any, than the Union Pacific, so they practically shoved the whole net earnings of the state into that 191 miles from Kearney to Plattsmouth and said if they do stick us up there a thousand or two we will get off for three or four thousand a mile' for every other mile of the 2,400. We can stand that on 191 if the other can be assessed on the theory that It doesn't earn any money. And you take It right though that is what it shows. Why, you would almost have sympathy for these railroads if you would read that re port and you would wonder why it was and what jealousy there must te in order to let this road earn over $12,000 a mile while the balance of tho system in the state was practically bankrupt. Now there was a purpose in that and the purpose was to evade taxation. And . so they have taken in the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. which earns all of this money, whose treasury it . finally reacnes. whose stockholders finally get the dividends and who make the profit upon the road; Its franchise that collects this tribute and tolls from. the people, its franchise is not assessed, its property Is not assessed, it is simply fifteen dead corporations that not one man out of fifty in Nebraska ever heard ot one of them except the B. & M. Who knows where the Oxford & Kansas 1 of the ordinary citizen? Why, you take up these corporations that they have assessed here, nobody knows anything about them, they have got no railroad, they run no railroad, they exercise no franchise, they couldn't assess the franchises of these fifteen corporations because they are dead. They are in the same condition that the old Union Pacific was, they hav passed out of existence, and that !s why their franchise was not assessed, because there is none there to assess, they have ceased to exercise their i rrancnise in this state, and in place of these fifteen subsidiary corpora tions they have organized so they might exercise the right of eminent domain in this state, and turned over the entire property, as the Burlington report says, to the great parent cor poration, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and that is the road whose franchise should have been assessed and not one dollar of property, fran chise, tangible or intangible, Is as sessed against the C, B. & Q. So that when they come to reassess here, if your honors shall see fit to award thg writ, it will be their duty not simply to assess these dead corporations, but to assess this entire property as a live, going concern with a valuable franchise, as a dividend paying road, not these fifteen dead corporations but the C, B. & Q. Something has been said here of as sessments in other states and I be lieve we have the assessment hers from Missouri, which was offered in evidence. The assessment In Missouri at any event is about $12,200 a mile. I don't know as that amounts to very much here one way or the other, or proves very much, because in the end the test is whether these people are paying thir fair share or the tales in proportion to the value of their prop erty when compared with other prop erty in the state. The Union Paclft has a half mile In Missouri and for that half mile they are assessed $190, 000. Why that one-half mile is as sessed at as much in Missouri, in fact more than all the terminals in Omaha and for twenty miles west of It on the Union Pacific although it Is only a branch. Some of tne smaller roads it may be- said, that they earn on a smaller basis. -.Well, now-that-is true, but when you get the net earnings and when, as counsel say, or seem to claim, that the franchise was considered, , have you considered the franchise and net earnings? Not at all, the net earn ings are simply one guide to the value of the property, bur. as pointed out by Judge Miller in the T. B. & W. case in Illinois a road may lose money for two or three years, but it may have a bright future, it may be in a terri tory which is developing and growing and in the future it may pay large dividends and be profitable to the own ers, and when that condition exists the franchise has a value that should be taxed. And so it is with some of these roads here, as I have Illustrated in the case of the Union Pacific Sup pose the Union Pacific charter was to expire on the first day of next Jan uary. Why, the Union Pacific railroad would earn just as much money this year as ever. The earnings would be just as large, but what would tho stock of the Union Pacific be worth, it would be worth just what it would cost to duplicate the property because of the known fact that the franchise was about to expire, just as it expired before. And the stock would go as it did before, down to $4 or $5 a share where some fellows thought they ought to take it in for the purpose of getting on the inside In the new or ganization. That is all it would be worth. So the fact that it earns mon ey, while that is one guide, and a very important guide, in the determining of a going, live concern, yet It is not the only guide. But the capital stock, the fair value plus the bonded debt that capitalizes the whole thing and you get the value of the entire property in cluding the perpetual franchise. One more thought that I wish to urge, and then I will leave the bal ance of the time to my associates, and that is the question of the assessment, of property within the cities of Omaha, South Omaha and Lincoln, if in the judgment of the court It properly arises in this case. I think with one view of the case it might arise; in an other view of the case It might be de termined to have that case left for ar gument in a subsequent case, I think, however, it could be disposed of 'n the case here. The constitution provides in the rev enue section for ordinary taxation and then by Sec. 6, Art. 9, it provides for municipal taxation and is as fol lows: "The legislature may invest the cor porate authorities of cities, towns and villages with power to make local improvements by special assessment, or by special taxation of property benefitted. For all other corporate purposes, all municipal corporations may be vested with authority to as sess and collect taxes, but such taxes shall be uniform in resnect to ner- sons, and property within the jurisdic tion or tne body imposing the same. The court will notice that the pro vision relative to municinal taxation Is very different from that relative to general taxation whicn refers to state ana county taxation, where the con stitution by its express terms leaves the manner of determining that entire ly to the legislature. And under that power the legislature nas the right and it is proper that it should for county and state purposes because the counties are only portions of the state carrying on the same general busi ness, that is. having to heln bear some of the expenses, such as looking after tne insane and unfortunate, uphold ing the criminal laws, maintaining peace throughout the state. It Is th county that does all these things, it is not tne municipalities, so for all these purposes all the counties are mere subdivisions of the state subdivided for tha convenience of the people. But as to these municipalities there is a different rule, they do not exercise these powers of the state, thev do not enforce the criminal laws, that burden is not placed upon them, but they have burdens of a more serious character, and the framers of tne , constitution having that in mind provided that for property within the municipality au thority might be given to the cities to assess the same, but it must be done in such a way as to insure absolute unuormity as to all property within the limits of that corporation. You take the citv of Omaha for pr. ample, here are, these companies with property which it is evident here that all of them combined, not one of thir but all of them combined, It is evident tnat tneir property there is worth millions of dollars. Here is this Union" Pacific bridge that transport not onltr the -persons and property in conne.3- nun wun me union Pacific railroad, bllt that Of five other arear trdnsnr. tation corporations, a property, I sup pose, worth at least a couple of mil lions of dollars, and perhaps more; and yet the west half of that bridge within the city of Omaha which navs city taxes for the support of that mu nicipal government, then the home of the man who has got a $5,000 place that is not uniformity, that Is, it is not taxed in uniformity with the prop erty within that corporation, that city has got nothing In common so far as municipal purposes are concerned, it has got nothing in common with the balance of Douglas county, it has noth ing In common with the balance of the counties in the state. The powers that are exercised are absolutely separate and distinct, its duties are different from those of the state or the counties that are carrying out the policies and purposes of the state so that our con tention is that all of this property, that it is fair to the people of Omaha and it is not unfair to the people liv ing in the country counties In Ne braska at all, it makes no difference to them and it is fair to the other property owners in Omaha, South Omaha and Lincoln that all of these" immense properties that get protec tion from the city government that they should have to bear their share cf municipal taxation, bear their share of municipal burden the same as any other property there. If they need police protection the police furnish and paid for by public taxation on the property within the city of Omaha is at their beck and call. If they need protection from fire the whole fire de partment of Omaha, which is sup ported not at the expense of the state, not at the expense or any county, nut at the expense of the taxpayers of Omaha, that whole fire department 's at the service of these corporations. If water is needed, as it would be for the purpose of suppressing that fire, the water s furnished, and It is paid for, the whole department Is kept sup and j the charges are paid by taxation with in the city of Omaha for . municipal purposes. So that we contend that this property getting tne same protec tion in every respect as all other prop erty within the state; this property getting that which Is Known as mu nicipal protection as distinguished from state protection carried out by the county, that al of this property while it should be assessed and. distri buted over the lines for state and county purposes and treated as a unit, yet, under the rule of the constitu tion which says that ail of It shall be assessed uniformly, that provision o! the constitution requires that thi property shall be assessed in the city of Omaha for municipal purposes at the same ratio as other taxpayers of that city pay on property within the corporate limits, is the language of the constitution. If that be true, it is the duty of ther.ft assessors to assess it In that way. , If that provision be unconstitutional then the city assessor can take it up and assess it in that way. Whether t be finally determined In this case or not or whether it be left for some sub sequent time. But it seems to me it can be determined in this caser I think it is within the plain mandate of the constitution. So plain that there is no room to read between the lines, that all property must be taxed with uni formity for municipal purposes. I thank your honors. -Snap itb iCq piog aittoq add oqi 'aoi-t 'vahsAe eqj jo saorjans snoonta pun pooiq aq; uodn Xnoaaip Snov 'Auvxi O 'opaiox 's?si32nja ls -aioujyi 'ui-UBH .y utmarH 'SujppjAl v "O 'opatoj, sjsjS3n.ro: IBsaiouAV 'xtm-ix V JsA! uiju jidq q Qpvm uorjHSnqo Xub no Asneo oj ajq XHSPUBUU- PUB SUOlpBSTIBJ ssdufsuq n uj eiqttaouoq jCnoajjad tajq AQjidq pu 'siBajf gx st Joj jfauaqo r uaiou2 9At?q 'pauSjsjapun eqj 'a 0 'opaiojc sdoJi "OO V A3N3HO T eino qjJBBO bjibh Xq painD aq ?ou -UB3 JBTTJ IJJJBJBO JO Xutt 40J pjA -en sjHocr pajpunn no Jajjo ai aSIHX S.AiOH Senatorial Courtesy A. Jeremiah Beveridge, the youthful prodigy. Absorbed in contemplation of his own profundity, Sat, wondering if Earth before had ever seen his like, If such a wonder hitherto had ever struck the pike; And as he sat and as he thought his brow it swelled and swelled So ponderous and mighty were the tnougnts that in him welled; And when you hear the subject unto which these thoughts inclined, You will no longer wonder at the bulging of his mind. 'Twas not the money question held this intellect rerfowned- Nor yet was It the tariff, but a sub ject more profound; 'Twas not the Filipinos,' or expansion, be it said; f .vg ; Which caused the said expansion in me region or his head. 'Twas not the isthmian canal, or mat ters such as that, w Which made the young man's caput J?row too manv for tia ha 'Twas something greater, grander, if tue iruxn i must divulge; The "ego of his cosmos" caused his cranium to bulge. A. Jeremiah Beveridge, a youthful proaigy, Sat, wrapped In admiration of his own precocity: When on his vision hove a bulk that made his svstem weaw A wild and woolly Texan, with an Overgrown nhvstmie So sudden was the onslaught that the young man ceased to think, In consequence of which his head, of course, began to shrink. The wild and woolly Texan gave a fierce, blood-curdling yell But let us -draw the curtain, 'tis too terrible to tell. , J. A. EDGERTON. THE IOWA SITUATION iy aa'W' tfyqiai For Sals Good farm. 1 miles to station ttiti- more county, good 8-room house, barn, granaries, hoe house, isn cultivation; price till August 1, 1902, wo per acre. Another nearby, in York county, at $31.25 per acre. Sev eral very eood farms in Harlan Fur nas and Gosper counties at $12.50 io i& per acre. Lancaster county, $30 fo $67.50. Gage county, $42.50 to $45, near Firth. Four hundred aerefl near Endicott, Jefferson county, $16.50. Two very rair farms In Hall at $22.50. Sev eral In Buffalo. $10 to $25. Rannhen all sizes, some for trade, in Holt, Rock Brown, Cherry, Sheridan, Keith, Blaine, Custer and other Nebraska counties. Also some very cheap prop erty in Colorado. When wrltlnir atr what you want and how you want to pay ror it. LAWS & DOLAN, Lincoln, Neb. John S. Roblns&a The renominatlon of John S. Rob inson for congress in this district by the fusionlsts Is not only well re celved by the parties that placed him in- the field, but hv a fnirm?r.Wi men of the district who do not nappen iu pe politically Hide-bound. Mr. Robinson has made an excellent rep resentative and although of the mt- uunty ne nas at an times been a prom inent member Of the western rnnrln. gent In congress that has accom- pnsnei so much for the trans-Mississippi territory. Mr. good speaker, a man of wide legisla- uyi? experience, a ., trusted and true friend of the people on all public ques tions oi ine oay, and wm certainly be re-elected to the next congress. That body Will CftrtAinlv contain a cratic majority--even wert posted re publicans acknowledge that and our leprweuwuve win oe able to accom plish much more than utit -no -a. n. tried ' Inexperienced man. Tn tha wnniii of Mr. McCarthy's home organ, the re- yuuucan jronca journal, "Leave well enough alone" keen honest John Robinson in congress. Mark Murray In Pender Times. I , . "" -A ....... (..ML. . xeutlT 'Council and Railroad Tax . Buraau Harlaff a Saanea - Wandar fully . I4ka That Xaactad . Soma Waalca , Ago la Nebraska Over in Iowa the railroads are hav ing all kinds of trouble with the "ex ecutive council," which corresponds to our state board of equalization in the matter of assessing railroads. The Iowa revenue law requires property to be "valued" at actual value, and It li taxed on one-fourth of that valuation. Governor Cummins, who is" a member of the executive council, seems to favor a raise in the assessment, just a Governor Savage did m Nebraska, and it remains to be seen whether he will be overruled, as Savage was, by the ether members. In a discussion of the railway as sessment question a few days ago, Governor Cummins said: "When coming to the direct ques tion of what value shall be placed upon Iowa railroads, it seems to me that the proper inquiry is what these roads will sell for. If they will sell for the more than the cost of repro duction they are worlh that much. If they will sell for the amount of cap italization they are worth that much. Inasmuch as this is not a class of property which can be sold on tne market, we must put ourselves in the position that a man coming to buy a railroad would do. He would look at the physical condition, the location, the conditions of the cjuntry through which the road passes, the history of the property ard its earning capacity in the past. "This lecision is clearly in keeping with the Iowa statue which provides, in part: " 'The said (railway) property shall be valued at its actual value. In as sessing eaid railway and its equip ments said executive council shall take into consideration the gross earnings per mile and any and all other mat ters necessary to enable said council to make a just and equitable assess ment of said railway property.' "The meaning of this section is made perfectly . clear when it is read in connection with the general statute on valuation of property, which pro vides: " 'All property subject to taxation shall be valued at its actual value. Actual value of property as used in this chapter shall mean Its value in the market in the ordinary course of trade. " A meeting of the executive councP was held last week and Frank T. Campbell, of Des Moines, former state ' railroad commissioner, appeared be- fore it in behalf of the people. His address will interest Nebraska people at this time, especially as the bulletins ! "issued under, authority of the rail roads of Nebraska' use xowa as j basis of comparison to show how j badly the railroads are overtaxed in this state. Over in Iowa the people have a lurking suspicion that the rail roads are doing wholesale tax-shirking. Mr. Campbell said: "The executive council has before it the task of assessing the railroad prop erty of the state. This magnificent property has paid larger earnings, p larger, dividend to the corporations owning it than any other property in the state. It Is the duty of the council to fix this not as a burden, but as arbiters to give a fair and Just valua tion. I have been somewhat con versant with the questions pertaining to railroads since 1867. -I was in the senate In 1872, when the law requiring taxation on gross earnings was changed to the law as it has stood since, save for the slight modification made last winter, which In no way af fected the method or assessment. In 1870 the policy of the state was to assess on gross earmngs and noth ing else. This policy is the main the ory of the Iowa law today. That the ory never has been departed from in the state of Iowa While an attempt is being made to sidetrack the gross earnings theory, I say that gross earn ings in the main is tne basis of the law now. I do not wonder, In view of the great earning?, that the railroads are seeking to lead us on to some other method of determining valuations. "What is the proper basis on. which assessments should be made? Why, primarily, consideration should be given to actual returns on investment. It matters little anyhow how lands in Iowa are assessed. If they are too low, then the executive council as an equalization board has a duty to per form. But that is no reason why the great corporations should not come up and pay taxes on a fair assessment What is the real basis in this state? Why, gross earnings. The large re turns from these farms In Iowa Is one of the reasons why land values have soared. That is another reason why these corporations should walk up to the captain's office and settle. Let ub consider the Crocker building here fn Des Moines. Why is that property so valuable? Because the gross and net earnings of the building nave so In creased that the site is worth $1,000 per front foot. That is the theory of taxation in Iowa on all property. "The local freight rates in Iowa are higher than any of the interstate rates. To illustrate, the Iowa rate on grain to the Mississippi is 6.4 cents, yet che rate through to New York is but 13 cents. The local freight rates In Iowa are too high. They have shut up our packing houses and compelled our manufacturing industries to leave us one by one and go to the greater cen ters to the east. It is true the local rates in Iowa are lower than in some of the surrounding states. But In some of these states the local rates are mere figureheads. That is not the casj in Iowa. Here we have fixed rates, no rate wars, the roads have a steady, paying revenue. I don't believe they want their rates disturbed. They should by reason of the tremendous improvements m facilities for handling freight be reduced 25 to 40 per cent. We are tied down by superannuated rates." . .-.',- ' :$-.: -r: Mr. Campbell took up the subject of the high operating expenses in Iowa and cited several lines, showing the operating expenses for the system were lower than the expenses for Iowa. For instance, the North western's op erating expenses per mile on the sys tem wore $4,706, while the expenses In. Iowa last year were $5,525. I will tell you why this is so." con tinued Mr. CampbelL "It Is because charged up as part of the operating ex penses. The Northwestern has put In to Iowa over a million dollars in bet terments every year and charged these to operating expenses.' "Iowa railroad taxes are 60 per cent lower than the average In. the United States," said Mr. Campbell. "In Iowa the average tax per mile is $159. In the United Statea it. Is $260." ) "In the matter of taxes the state of Iowa stands at. the bottom. It Is up with New York and Pennsylvania in earnings and down with Arkansas, Florida and Georgia in taxes. Thirty states of the forty-four receive hlgner taxes per mile from railroads than Iowa. In California the tax per mile is $247, In Iowa $159. In Colorado $245.20, in Delaware $228, In Idaho $216.82, in Illinois $373 and In Indiana $402. Even bleeding Kansas, with the western half of her territory a desert, taxes her railroads $255 per mile against $159 In Iowa. Kentucky re ceives $240, Louisiana $285 and Mary land ?23C. ' And in Massachusetts, that rock-ribbed home of the corpora tions, which, with the possible excep tion of New Jersey, no state is more friendly to corporate Influences, the tax on railroads per mile Is $1,411.93. And in Iowa it is $159. Think if that, gentlemen. In the other end of th capitol the exertions of .the railroads are put forth to secure increased rates, and at this end of the building they want assessments lowered. There Is more property invested In railroads in some other states, Dut there Is no place in the United States where the wealth of the return on the Invest ment is so great. You have here in Iowa, gentlemen, a cmch. It is the freight, not the passenger business that pays a railroad. Here the freight business by reason or the vast agri cultural resources of the state i3 enormous. Why, we stand on 'the tracks and wave our hands and watch the trains of cattle and nogs go ny. We may not be able to get a passenger train, but we have the ; pleasure of watching the long processions of hog and cattle cars rolling over the prai ries of the east." The tax bureau over in Iowa seems to be a more industrious body than their fellow laborers In Nebraska. The following from the Iowa State Register will show part of the work they are doing: " It is already apparent that some very Interesting facts about the as sessment of ..Iowa farm lands during the past year are going to be present ed to the executive council when ' it begins the consideration of railway as sessments next week. The railway companies have had the officials of many counties, if not. of all, prepare and certify to statements showing the amount of lands sold, the selling price, arid the assessed valuation. A sam ple of what these statements will dis close is given by the Nevada Repre sentative, which publishes the results of the investigation in Story county. Ihese show that during the past year 10 per cent of the real estate of the county has changed hands, which is most remarkable in an old and we'.! settled county like Story, and that the average selling price has been more than $20 an acre above the valuation put upon the land by the assessor. The county auditor's footings for Story arc worth looking over In detail: Number of acres assessed In the county in 1901. .. Average assessed value per acre ...................... Number of transfers of land in thb county for valuable consideration, December 1, 1901, to June 26, 1902...... Number of acres included.. Total consideration ........ $2,290,01 6 Av. sale value per acre $61.76 lotal assessed value of same property $1,499,60 Average assessed value per acre Average taxable value (one fourth of assessed value). Ratio of assessed value to sale value ....65 P.C. Ratio of taxable value to sale value .............16 P.C. In Webster county the auditor's fig ures, as given by the Messenger, show a sale of $1,325,388 of land and $340,118 of town lots, the assessed valuation of each being $850,890 and $182,000 re spectively. Here the assessed value of the land is 64.2 per cent of the selling value, while in Story county It is 65.5 per cent But lots in Webster county are assessed at only 53.5 per cent of what they have actually sold fcr. It is entirely likely that in the north ern part of the state, where the rise in prices has been greatest and where there have been the greatest number of sales, the discrepancy between as sessed and selling varues will be still more marked. Thus, In Kossuth coun ty the average assessed value is les3 than $28 an acre, and in Palo Alto is still lower than in Kossuth. Assum ing that the average' for the entire state may not be far from the Story county figure, it is probable that this investigation I3 going to prove that land in Iowa is taxed upon about 16 per cent of Its values. When the result of this Investigation In all the counties Is published it Is going to furnish an interesting chapter of the history of land sales lu Iowa. It will read like a fairy tale, and it will make the year 1901 for ever memorable. We doubt if in any one year in any state In the union 60 much land was ever sold before, for so mucn money, or attended by so rap id a rise in prices. HMasavaaaaaaaawaaamaBHawaMMaMMaawawwaMaMMaaaavMM LINO 0 L ONE DAY ONLY FRIDAY, AUG. IS adieu k-w; TaiE NEXT YEAR EUROPE Will be rtelted by th DARING HORSEMEN? by whom arery phaaa and feature o! brotc horsemanship la aptly lllurtrated. HIG YEAR BETTER THAN EVER It. HEW FEATURES JUST ADDED From ail parts of the world. Msktof It Richer la Educathmil Value. Ik II ft a. IU1B I I ti fc . 1LII Hit fl. h IB S n .STILL, GREATER An exhibition of extraot dlnary Interest, and , FULL OF COW- VMJrW . icrcr MEXICANS, Bucking BRONCOS, and AMERICAN INDIANS 351,313 I40.9S 386 37,078 $40.44 10.11 Tha World's Mounted Warriors AMERICANS, BRITONS, GERMANS, a ARAR5. mtm mm m m m Rk. w H1LU WEST GIRLS, CUBAN PATRIOTS, ROOSEVELT ROUGH RIDERS. Bfaa. 'UJU U 1 to. IS LV Ml a, 11 lj H v. k. u art m ia tjsmt S. COAST GUARD Life-Saving Service Presenting for the flraf time the actsal if III and use of the Brcectita STREET CAVALCADE Led by Co!. W. F. Cody, Buffalo Bill, And the ffi-eat military epectarlo. THE BA.TXI SAN JUAN HILL Two Performances Daily, 2 and 8 P.M. Rain or Shine. Admission 50c. Children Under 9 Years 25c Reserved Seats (including admission) $1.00 On Sale at Rigg's Pharmacy, 12th ani O Streets. Why?. : As a rule republican papers seem to believe It the height of political wisdom to pretend that Mr. Bryan is a "back number," a "dead leader," etc., and it is really refreshing to find one with Independence V and fairness enough to make an honest statement regarding him. The Iowa State Reg ister (under George E.1 Roberts' man agement) said last week: "William J. Bryan is to be one of the attractions at the Woodmen's pic nic at, Iowa City, August 5. Why 1 it if Bryan is such a back number that Hill or Olney or Cleveland , are :not getting some of these Invitations? i. EXCURSIONS ABANDONED Excursions to New "York city. At lantic City and Montreal advertised by the: WABASH for July 31. Ausr. 7 smd the - ct of toproyea ; Typewriting robbed of fatigue by the New Century REASON Nicely balanced mechanical construction. RESULT Less labor and more work. American Writing Machine Go. 415 South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska. THROUGH YELLOWSTONE PARK. The Burlington Route is organizing a personally conducted excursion to and through Yellowstone Park to leave Nebraska points Tuesday, Aug ust 5. Uncommonly low rates have bea made for this excursion. The total expense of the trip will bo less thaa $100. If you're interested, write for a copy of illustrated itinerary to J. Francis, General Passenger Agent, Omaha. When writing to advertisers do net fail to mention. The Independent. If our advertisers don't treat you rlgh$ 1 no triM
