The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
I'd. It wont be built If we do vote the

y Worded that the parties concerned
make a cent unless and until
he road is built. Their ability to
10 the work satisfies the local COM
oany, which has no chance to profit
before the road is built. As voting
he III. X. & T. and a. T. & S. F.
bonds brought those roads here, il
Is only fair to insist that voting the |
Ottawa railroad proposition will |
bring that road here. And If it
wont come for the bonds, il wont |
come without them. Nor have any
facts been stated to show any Proba-
bility of its coming without bonds.
I'd. The machine shop clause Is I'M
fair, inasmuch as It gives $2O0, 900 of
our railroad stock for offices and ma
chine shops, of no specified size, which
may in time be large, and may never
amount to much.
What value has the stock, now or
prospecfively? Even small Offices
and shops are of value to us, and
they will enlarge as surely as the
road lengthens, and that is just as
probable as was the growth of our
present roads when we voted them
bonds. Had we then traded their
stock for their shops, En- poria
would now be the most prosperous
city and the best market for farmers
in Kansas,
Sth.-It Is unjust that townships re-
mote from the railroad should assist in
paying the tax.
This admits that railroads benefit
lands near them. Where is the line
to be drawn, any more than for q
court housee While distant town
ships are benefited the least, their
added assessment is proportionateiy
small, and our county records prove
that railroad bonds do not increase
the rate of tax per dollar of valua-
ton. In 81 it was 3.15. and in ~
$40, for county purposes. And do
not improved prices for products
and land benefit our remote town
ships some2 To wholly relieve them
of expense In the matter, would be
as unjust toward the city as they
claim the city is toward them. Yet
this Is asked, SIS a matter of pTinci-
pie. The int erest is more evident
than the principle.
9th. Retrenchment and reduced tax
alton is the great necessity.
True. But fiye-sixths of our taxes
are not for railroad bonds. The one
sixth is fixed, but the five-sixths are
to a great extent within our control
It is on them we can and must econ
omize. They can easily be cut down
$1,000 per year should be Topped of
officers salaries alone. Let Us tall
about the five-sixths.
9Th. Our bonds, at compound inter
est, will amount to-
Just figure what the paper collars
hoop skirts, and extra length O
coat tails used in Lyon county every
year, will amount to at compound
interest of u per cent. for thirt!
years, and their total disusc will ev
identity be the only safety from banl
ruptcy. Their aggregate compound
expense is appalling-over $4,000,
coo! And worse yet, the ad
: ditional use of such articles conse
quent upon the coming of anothe
, railroad, will surely ruin US, even j
we never find il out. For God
sake. let us stop this terrible con-
pounding, dry our tobacco quid
for relieving, and retrench strict,
on the one-siIth plan.
9Th. The railroad bond system is
bad public policy, unjust in principl
and operation, and beyond certain lin
its, rrinous. And the eXtOrtions o
railroads are unbearable.
This is so. The entire bond sys
TEN should have been prohibite'
by our State constitution. The mex
legislature should repeal all law
. which provide for issuing bonds
| and should submit a constitutions
. amendment to prohibit the State, o
, any county, township, municipalit,
or district, from mourning any pub
, lie debt for any purpose whatever
Taxes should be levied to meet al
, expenses as fast as incurred. n
> railroad bonds, no court house, jail
, bridge, school, public improvement
? or any other bonds, is the constitu
tional amendment 1 shall vote 70
every time ! get chance. And
, shall also vote every time such
, question is at issue, to curb railroad
, national bank, and all monopolies-
to force all corporations to become
the useful servants of the people
; to summarily restrain all their at
tempts at extortion and oppression
But can these reforms be secured
by destroying railroads and locomo
! tives, or trying to prevent the con
struction of mere2 One railroad j
5 more exorbitant than two, and twt
more exorbitant than three. The!
} are skiiful at combining, but tn
more lines the more difficult combi
) nation is, and the better the publi'
is served. When railroad extortionl
become so severely felt by the grea
majority of the people that furthel
endurance is impossible, that major
iLy will elect q legislature and judic
larry honest and courageous enough
to apply the remedies. This good day
is dawning. It's first beams giim'
mer on and from the farms of rail
road counties. But the battle is mo-
fought. the victory may be long
delayed. Meantime other equally
important interests press upon u,
so heavily that they. must be now
attended to. We must keep up il
the race between counties and cities
for progress. We must recognize
things as they are. We are living
under the bond system, and must
work under it the best we can, until
we can abolish it. We must keep
going ahead, or before the entire
State has agreed with us to adopt Z
better system, we will be financially
wrecked in drifting backwards. The
farmer who gets only 20 cents per
| bushel for corn, will vote for legis-
lation that will raise corn to forty
cents, will vote with him. But
vnaanv1hiIeyF1a vaast sell nj the mar.