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

EDS. HERALD.-It may be a weakness of mine,
but can but feel battered at the nstorety 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 errorisis 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, as a corrupt
fountain cannot send forth pure stream. But to
his effusion of last week. He says: "He studi-
ously avoids denying but that our allegations are
true" Those allegations were made in an al
cdptdadlt1 style, and / answered them in the
same style, and no one but the editor of that
sheet is obtuse but could see the emphatic de-
NAL in my card which he publishes. He further
says: Ellsworth certainly knows that railroad
men 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 IS, nays IS. The large major
ity of the eighteen were recognized railroad men.
But if the allegation is to be reckoned to my coz
demnaton, 1t lays with equal force against his
patron martyr McAllieter, and seventy three 9TH
members of the House. against whom not one
word of condemnation is uttered Hence his al
legation proving too much, proves nothing. de-
sire to dea fairly with these questions, hence it
is but justice to myself and majority of the
House to say that a 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 il 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 lie not orig
inally his by any means) by the Star editor would
secure strength and in their opinions assure the
passage of the tariff bill. This was true in the
House, but in the Senate they realized that
'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
after-thOught developed by the war upon me by
the Star and company, as numerous citizens of
the county with whom conversed after the ad-
journment Of the regular session can testify, had
1 known that the tariff bill would have failed l
would have voted against the tax bill its 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 q
large portion OF my cons tituents The reproduc.
ton of the old railroad arguments inducing
| townships, towns, aud cities to vote Faid tax IL
rather refreshing, coming from man pursuing
me as he alleges, for my labor in the interest oil
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, anC
that too when remonstrance had been filed BY
the known anti-railway men. Here is the section
! entire: -
Section g. Every railroad company which shal
have paid ali taxes or gross earning provided fol
by chapter 106 OF the acts of the thirteenth gen
eral assembly, shall be released from the paymen
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, mu
can be levied under the laws of the State, up L
the first day of January last, shall be collected
nom any such railroad company on such property
Can Mr.. Ellsworth show to the peop
OF Mahaska county good reason for refusing t
have this broad, sweeping section, which wa
aimed to give railways wider field for oppres
sing the people, stricken from the billf"
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 latiol
OF section nine to the pending bill. 1t will b
readily seen that the section is retained for it
retroactive effect which will be more clearly seel
in the light of the following recital:
The Thirteenth General Assembly adhered t
the existing policy of taxing railroads on thei
gross receipts said tax TO be levied and COLLECTED
by the treasurer of State. The only amendmen
made by the Thirteenth General Assembly wa
an increase OF said levy from one per cent OF
the gross receipts, to one per centum on the frs
$4,000 per mile, two per centum on gross receipt
over $4,000 and under SO, 600, and on the excet
of s. 900 three per centum. In section i've of thi
chapter il is provided: 1.-THE taxes herein provid
ed shall be in lieu OF all taxes for any and all pur
poses on the roadbed, right of way, track, roiin
stocE and necessary buildings for operating thei
road, except as hereinafter provided; but otht
property belonging to such company, whetbe
personal or real shall be taxed as the property q
individuals in the respective counties in .whic
the same may be situated" The Fourteen,
General Assembly propose d TO re-adjust this po
lev and had under consideration substitute 70
J House file 279, (the three first sections contain
, ing the policy was printed in my reply to docto
McAlIister, published in the HERALD), as the tn,
. ory oftaxing this kind of property was being rae
ically changed and, as several of the cities Il
this State, acting under special charters granite
by legislatures acting under the old constitutio
OF this State; and, as these cities asserted th
4 doctrine that they In their corporate capacii
a were not bound by the provisions Of the Law
/. passed by the twelfth and thirteenth general q
semblies taxing railroads, but had levied tax
Ill. A.