I I III! Ill I 1 II I II I ' ' m. X. 1 I I V I E II
WW
Vol.19. No. 971.
TERMINAL TAXATION
The Taxation of Railroad Terminals for City purposes
will not disturb the present plan of mileage tax
ation for State, County and School purposes.
Quite a number of taxpayers in the
state have written me during the past
few months asking my opinion con
cerning terminal taxation, and espe
cially wanting to know if the termi
nals of the railroads are taxed whether
it will increase the taxes of the peo
ple in the counties where there are
no railroad terminals. Quite a num
ber of these inquiries have come from
the central and western portions of
the state. It is manifest that many
of the taxpayers over the state have
a fear of what is called terminal tax
ation of tlie railroads. However, when
they come to understand the facts in
the matter their fears will all be dis
pelled. .
In the first place it must be borne
in mind that all the railroads in the
state are assessed by the state board
of equalization and assessment. The
county and precinct assessors have
nothing to do with the assessment of
the railroads. Under the law the state
board first finds the total value of
each railroad in the state. In making
up this total valuation the state board
is supposed to take into account,
among other things, the value of the
terminals of the railroads in all the
cities in the state. When the state
board has once arrived at the total
value of a certain railroad, then it
divides this total valuation by the total
number of miles of this railroad in
the entire state. This will give "the
assessed value of one mile. When
the state board once finds the assessed
value of one mile, then it is only a
question after that of the number of
miles in each county and city. The
reader will see that by this method
a mile of railroad in the sandhills is
worth as much for assessing purposes
as a inilo In Omaha or Lincoln. In
other words all the terminals and im
provements of the railroads in all the
citlM are taken Into account in the
total mileage assessment throughout
the state and every county for state,
school ami county taxes shares equally
according to the miles of railroad in
the county.
Tin above theory of assessment for
county, school and sum? purposes Is
riht. .Nobody nvvlt to disturb or
A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO
POLITICS, AGRICULTURE AND HOME
Lincoln, Nebraska,
change it in any way. This plan is
proper for county, school and state
taxes.
But how are the railroads assessed
in the cities? The law as it now is
provides that the city authorities shall
take the assessed value of the rail
roads in each city or village as made
by the state board, which assessment
is a mileage assessment and' does not
include the railroad property in the
city or village, except as taken into
account and shared in the total assess
ment. Terminal taxation means that the
plan of assessment for county, school
and sU e purposes shall not be dis
turbed bv,that in tho cities for city
purposes alone the railroads shall be
assessed on all the property .actually
in the cities. In doing this it will not
increase the taxes of people in . the
western counties one cent. It will
simply make the railroads pay more
taxes in the cities and villages. It will
make the railroads pay taxes for city
purposes on the actual property they
have in the cities and villages. All
the railroads in the state last year
were assessed in round numbers at
$47,000,000. If we had a law provid
ing for the taxation of railroad ter
minals in the cities for city purposes
this $47,000,000 assessment would have
been made just the same. Terminal
taxation therefore "is right and such
a law should be passed.
As it is now all of the railroads to
gether in Lincoln do not pay as much
taxes as some of our single business
houses. The same thing is true in
Omaha and other cities in the state.
Take for instance, in Lincoln, the rail
roads have valuable depots and other
valuable improvements. They own
hundreds of acres of land. On all of
this property they pay no taxes for city
purposes, except only as valued by the
state board, which is but very little.
That the railroads should pay taxes
in the cities on the actual property
they own in the cliies Is obvious for
mauy reasons. They use the streets
of tho cities; they have police protec
tion; they have fire protection. Quite
frequently the lire departments in the
larger cities put In all night protect
In1 the railroads from los-4 by lire. A
law projutly drawn t;i!ji th, ter
minals of i Ik rnllnveM for thy pur
January 17, 1907
peses will not increase the taxes of
the people anywhere in the state one
cent, but will make the railroads pay
just that much more in the cities for
city purposes alone. It in no way
effects other taxes.
Either terminal taxation is not un
derstood or else there has been much
demagoguery in connection with it.
Two years ago in my campaign I ad
vocated terminal taxation. All over
the western portions of the state in
nearly every republican paper I found
that republicans were appealing to the
people to vote against me because I
was in favor of giving Omaha and Lin
coln more taxes from the railroads
and thereby compeling the people in
the western part of the state to pay
just that much more. I had hard
work in combating this appeal to
prejudice and self-interest. This year
the tables were somewhat reversed.
There were some democrats who made
the argument that the republicans
made two years ago.- What the people
want is to know the : truth ' about it
and when they come to understand
the question fully they will know that
terminal taxation does not mean more
taxes for the people, but it does mean
that the railroads shall pay their just
share of taxes in the cities. Any bill
drawn along these lines, in my judg
men, should receive the hearty sup
port of the taxpayers of the state.
GEORGE W. BERGEf
RESENT APPOINTMENT OF BRYCE
English Politicians Made Jealous by
Selection of Ambassador
London Never surely has . there
been so much heart burning over the
appointment of any ambassador as
that of James Bryce to Washington.
It' is now learned it is severely re
sented and fiercely commented on at
the St. James club, for it takes away
a plum from the civil service, includ
ing n, first class pension, and almost
certain knighthood. To give it to an
outsider in consequence, checks pro
motion among the higher branches.
There was heart burning enough
when Sir Philip Currie and Sir Julian
Pauncefoto were given embassies over
the heads of some half dozen minis
ters who thought the iy had claims, but
at any rate Sir Philip and Sir Julian
were not exactly outsiders.
Mr. Uryce's only connection with
foreign affairs, however, Is that twenty-yearn
aio In1 was under secretary
In Mr. Gladstone's short minbtry, He
I not even a member of the St, .Iruiei
tlub.
LIFE
Subscription $1.00
U. S.
Norris Brown s Elected United States
Senator, Receiving the Full Vote
of His Party in Legislature
The house and senate met in joint
session at 12 m. on Wednesday the
16th and ratified the ballot cast in
separate branches of the legislature
on Tuesday, 'electing Norris Brown to
the United States senate from the
state of Nebraska to succeed Hon J.
H. Millard. The full republican vote
was cast for Senator Brown, it beng
nnety-five as there were two absentees.
The fuson vote3, thirty-six in number,
was cast for Hon. W. II. Thompson
of Grand Island.
The ratification of Mr. Brown's elec
tion in the joint session Wednesday
marks the secon event of this nature
"in the history of the state, the elec
tion of a senator nominated by a state
convention, Mr. Burkett being elected
in the same manner two years ago.
WILL ASSEMBLE BIGGEST FLEET
England Will Hold Greatest Naval
Maneuvers Ever Witnessed
London The largest number of bat
tleships and cruisers ever brought to
gether at one time will assemble at
Lagos next month for the combined
British maneuvers, which are to take
place off the coasts of Portugal and
Spain. - The channel, Atlantic and Med
iterranean fleets, with attendant cruis
er squadrons, will take part in the
evolutions.
The assembly at Lagos will provide
one of the most gigantic object lessons
possible as to Great Britain's naval
Strength under present conditions. The
total number of ships which will be
assembled at Lagos will be sixty di
vided as follows:
Battleships, 30.
Cruisers, 1G,
Seouts. etc., 11. ,
When it Is pointed out that the total
of the effective fleets of Germany and
France combined number only seventy
seven ships, the power of the com
bined British Ik et wilt be renltl. At
the same time It must le remembered
that Great Britain has other ships at
home and In ditYerent puts of the
vei!d. which are ret ly, if culled, for
net ive service.