The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-29

EDS. HERALD.-It may be q weakness Of mine,
but can but feel battered at the nStoriety forced
upon me by the New Sharon Star and company.
will make but one criticism out of many to
which he lays himself liable. He, like dema-
gogues and errorists always do, makes his charg-
es, assumes the very points at issue to be true,
and proceeds to the work of condemnation in de-
tail. This can afford to tolerate, a corrupt
fountain cannot send forth pure stream. But to
his effusioD of last week. He says: "He studi-
ously avoids denying but that our allegations are
true Those allegations were made in an dd
cdptGaduH1 style, and l answered them in the
same style, and no one but the editor of that
sheet is SO obtuse but could see the emphatic de-
NAL in my card which he publishes. He further
says: Ellsworth certainly knows that railroad
not My voted for the bill taxing railroads as
other property, but were overly anxious that such
bill should pass" On the passage of this bill
the vote stood ayes rs, nays IS. The large major
ity of the eighteen were recognized railroad men.
But if the allegation is to be reckoned to my coz
demnation, 1t lays with equal force against his
patron martyr McAllister, and seventy three 9TH
er members of the House. against whom not one
word of condemnation is uttered. Hence his al
legation proving too much, proves nothing. 1 de-
sire to dea! fairly with these questions hence it
is but justice to myself and majority of the
House to say that respectable number of the
members urged the railroad committee as well as
the members having the tax and tariff bills IN
charge to first press the tariff bill for the action
of the House. AS rejoinderi it was determined
that there was less apprehension for the passage
of the tax bill than the tariff bill, and the very
difficulty SO prominently arrayed lit is not orig
inally his by any means) by the Star editor would
passage of the tariff bill. This was true in the
House, but in the Senate they realized that
1.-THE best laid plans of mice and men
Gang aft agiee,"
and the criminality Of those senators who are
pledged, as well az others whose desks were COW
cred with the petitions of their constituents urg
ing them to vote for tariff and failed to do 30,
are greatly aggravated. will say here, not as an
afterthought developed by the war upon me by
the Star and company, numerous citizens of
the county with whom conversed after the ad-
journment of the regular session can testify, had
known that the tariff bill would have failed
would have voted against the tax bill on its fl nal
passage.
He proceeds: ''In regard to the O'Donnell
bill refer the reader to my article in last
weeks HERALD. As to the repeal of the town.
ship railroad tax law, have this to say, that
was absent on leave when the vote was taken !;
but had been there would have voted for its
repeal in obedience to the expressed wish of a
large portion OF my constituents. The reproduc.
ton of the old railroad arguments inducing
townships, towns, aud cities to vote said tax is
rather refreshing, coming from man pushing
me as he alleges, for my labor in the interest of
railroads.
when the question recurring on the special
order, on question to strike out section nine
which section was aimed and intended by the
railway clique to effectually prevent all further
legislation derogatory to their pet schemes. Mr.
Ellsworth refused to have it stricken out and
that too when remonstrance had been filed by
the known anti.railway men. Here is the section
entire: ~
Section 8. Every railroad company which shall
have paid all taxes or gross earning provided fol
by chapter JOG of the acts of the thirteenth gen.
eral assembly, shall be released from the payment
OF all other taxes which may have been levied
upon road bed right OF way, track, rolling stock
and necessary buildings for operating their road
and no taxes for prior years for state, county,
nicipal, or any other purpose for which any tax
can be levied under the laws fthe State, up to
the first day of January last, shall be collected
from any such railroad company ON such property
'Can Mr. Ellsworth show to the people
OF Mahaska county good reason for refusing to
nave this broad. sweeping section, which was
aimed to give railways wider field for oppres-
sing the people, stricken from the bin ="
Here again, true to the tricks of the dema-
gogue, he assumes the whole question at Issue,
and shows himself to be ignorant of the re lation
OF section nine to the pending bill. It will be
readily seen that the section Ia retained for its
retroactive effect which will be clearly seen
In the light of the following recital:
The Thirteenth General Assembly adhered to
the existing policy of taxing railroads on their
gross receipts said tax to be levied and collected
by the treasurer OF State. The only amendment
made by the Thirteenth General Assembly was
an increase Of said levy from one per cent on
the gross receipts, to per centum on the fret
$1,000 per mile. two per centum on gross receipts
over %, 900 and under 50, 600, and on the excess
of So 900 three per centum. In section five of this
chapter il lie provided 'The taxes herein provid.
ed shall be in lieu OF all taxes for any and oil pur
poses on the roadbed, right Of way track, rolling
STOCK and necessary buildings for operating their
road, except as hereinafter provided but Other
property belonging to such company, whether
personal or real shall be taxed as the property of
individuals in the respective counties in which
the same may be situated The Fourteenth
General Assembly propose to re-adjust this pol
lev and had under consideration substitute for
Home file 279, (the three first sections contain
ING the policy was printed in my reply to doctor
McAIIister, published in the HERALD, as the the
ory oftaxing this kind Of property was being rad
ically changed and, as several of the cities in
this State, acting under special Charters granted
by legislatures acting under the old constitution
OF this State; and, as these cities asserted the
doctrine that they In their corporate capacity
were not bound by the provisions Of the laws
passed by the twelfth and thirteenth general as
semblies taxing railroads, but had levied taxes