St. Louis & East St. Louis Electric Railway Co. v. Missouri Ex Rel. Hagerman

Citations

• 256 U.S. 314
• 41 S. Ct. 488
• 65 L. Ed. 946
• 1921 U.S. LEXIS 1634

Syllabus

<p>A street railroad company whose tracks crossed and were confined to a bridge between Missouri and Illinois, was taxed, under Missouri Laws of 1901, p. 232, by valuing its rolling-stock, poles, wires, cash, road-bed and superstructure as such, adding a reasonable valuation of “all other property,” and assigning due proportions to Missouri as the basis of the tax. Held, that the tax could not be regarded as a direct burden upon the company’s franchise to conduct its interstate traffic over the bridge, upon the ground that the “other property ” valued consisted solely of that franchise, since it appeared that much of the value of the railway as a going con* cern was due to exclusive rights on the bridge and lucrative traffic arrangements resulting from private contracts with. other companies, which must have been considered by the taxing authorities in making the valuation. P. 316.</p> <p>279 Missouri, 616, affirmed.</p>