Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 February 1893 — TAX LAW VALID. [ARTICLE]

TAX LAW VALID.

State Tax Board Sustained at AD Points. Supreme Court Decision In the Marlon County Test Case, < The Big Four railway, nearly a year ago, brought suit in the Circuit Court of Marion county toenjoin County Treasurer Backus from collecting the taxes assessed upon It by the State Board, before Judge Brown. The constitutionality of the law under which the tax board was operating was attacked. The State won, and the ease was carried through all the usual stages to the court of last resort, where oral argument was completed two weeks ago. Friday afternoon the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in the case affirming the decision of the lower court. The right to collect taxes, State and local, on (100,000,000 of railroad property, is involved. That tax amounts to (1,500,000 each year. The railroad companies, which have been fighting the law, agreed to pay taxes on (69,000,000 of valuation, as assessed under the law. butdeclined to pay on the (100,000,000 additional, levied by the State Board of Tax Commissioners, created two years ago. Some of the railroads which have been resisting the law have paid the tax under protest; but the others have declined to pay, and many hundreds of thousands of dollars await -this decision. Every railroad in every county in the State has been watching this case for six months with uncommon interest. The Big Four case, dr the one decided Friday, of course, will determine all the other suite pending. Over it the battle was fougbt, aud the grandest array of legal talent that ever contended in an Hot wrestled fur the supremacy In this suit