davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
THE FIGURES.

EDITOR NEWS: In the Emporia
Ledger of the 10th inst. / noticed
an editorial article which, in my
opinion, deserves a passing notice,
at least. The editor seems to have
very suddenly and lately discovered
a new light, going to convince him
that all the people should "vote the
bonds" Also that in the great
farmers movement there are GER
tain 'blatant domagogues" who are
already beginning to "shoot off
their mouths" and consequently he
thinks it favorable time for him TO
''shoot," and he has done so; but
unfortunately for him and his pet
swindle, he has sadly missed his
aim. In the first place he kindly
volunteers to tender this great ma
ton of farmers some fatherIy adj
vice, for which we should feel the
more grateful, as it was altogether
unsolicited and uncalled for, to-wit /:
that it will be injudicious "to in
augurate any political or CONNER
cial warfare, further than is abso.
lutely necessary to put the farmers,
az business class, on an equal foot
ing, commercially, with every
other class of business men,"
We intend making war upon
nothing unless it stands in the way
of our future prosperity and our
emancipation from cruel injusice;
but whether it be ''blatant dema-
gogue" in town or county, railroad
swindle, extortionate freights and
fares that lie in our direct path, we
say emphatically and once for all,
to them and their friends, "Clear
the trackl Look out for the loco
motiYei" We desire to connect
just so much politics, just SO much
opposition to railroad monopolies,
and any and all other species Of
evil and injustice as is necessary to
our success in attaining an equal
standing with other trades and pro-
LESSONS, and not grain more. We
are sagely informed in the article
that We always find those men who
have lands conveniently near the
proposed route of said roads ready
to aid the enterprise. The oppo-
sition invariably comes from those
residing at a distance from the
line of the railroad" etc. Is
this the case in the matter
now before the people of our coun-
ty? VIII all near the line of the
road vote for the bonds
I opine his mouth "shot OF" ct 9 )
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
RAILROAD BONDS.

Conceding that it is right to vote
bonds for private purposes upon an
unwilling minority, which by the
way is a concession that the dis
tincuon between right and wrong
has entirely vanished, for if A has a
right to take one dollar from me for
his benefit without my consent he
has q right to take all have, and if
he has the right to take the means
of sustaining life he may take life
itself. But for arguments sake con-
cede that "might makes right" is
the proposed "play worth the can
die 2"
Our $1,000 interest which we will
have to pay every year, compound
ed annually-whereas 1t is payable
semi-annually, and should be COM
pounded semi-annually to make q
true showing, at IL per cent.-and 1
expect if any OF us should go to any
one of our bankers advocating this
scheme, for money to pay our taxes
we would hardly get it at II per
cent.-will amount in thirty years
to 1881, 1902, to pay which it will
take all the farmers of this county,
cultivating every acre of improved
land in the county, and raising oats
at 1875 cents a bushel, fifteen years
to pay. Or it will take most half
of all the land in the county to pay
the same. Are the probabilities of
benefit 10 this county from a rail-
road "built from a point at or near
the city of Ottawa or from a point
on the western line of Franklin
county in the State OF Kansas,
to the city of Emporia' sufficiently
great to warrant the devoting of If
teen years of hard labor to the pay
ment of the debt incurred thereby.
We might afford it had we not al
ready so great debt, bur by multi.
plying the above figures by four it
will be seen that we have paid and
will have TO pay, on account of
bonds already issued, the handsome
sum of 81, 565, 20s, almost twice the
assessed value of all the property in
the county. OF course property
will increase in value, but the in
crease will be largely owing to the
labor put upon our land by way of
improvements. Do we want a.
mortgage not only on our entire
real estate to its full value, but also
our labor for the next thirty years
In the face of the certainty of the
immense cost of this road taken to.
Rsther with our already heavy debt,
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
READ THIS TWICE AND VOTE ONCE.

EDITOR NEWS: Permit me to re-
view the leading objections made to
the pending railroad proposition:
LIST. A railroad from Ottawa to EN-
poria is not worth paying $4,000 per
year taxes for.
Only actual trial can decide this.
But is it q reasonable assertion? If
such a road adds 81 900 per year to
our net income, it is worth'that. and
to the extent it benefits us more than
that amount it is source of present
and future prosperity. Will it not
disburse large sums of money in
the county for laboTof construction,
for ties and other material? VIII
it not bring in more banking capt.
tai and lower the rate of interest ?
Will it not cause an Influx of emf
grafton, of business and manUfaetu-
ring enterprise, of which the latter
at least will give us an additional
permanent population? Win not
the residence of its own employees
and additional travel, add to our
business receipts? Will it not most
probably lower freights, both ways,
and thus save us money on ali inn
ports and give US better prices for
oil our exports? Will it not make
better markets for produce, increase
the amount of taxable property, let
those who wish to sell at fair price
do SO, add to our reputation abroad
aud inspirit us all to renewed ener-
gy athome1 And viii these effects
be wholly Or largely transient7 We
do not thiak s5 q our present roads.
The s.Fs5h from them is over, and
they cost rs $4,000 per year taxes
Would we consent to see their tracks
transferred to other counties, to get
rid of that tax? And is it consist
ent, then, to say that road we have
always preferred to either of them.
is not worth $1,000 per Year, After
getting it,wOuld not q proposition to
remove it and its tax TO Burlington,
be laughed at all over the county /?
And il, as matters stand, the road
is good business investment Tor
any county, it Is worth to this all il
asks. We sre not in 9 condition 10
sneeI ct Sc 0fer.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
NEWS
FRIDAY, APRIL is, 1873.
OUR POSITION.

We anticipated there would be
considerable surprise at our posi-
tien last week on the bonds,
and that the article would meet
with much censure. We also ex-
pected that our motives would be
questioned; that we should be ac-
cused of selling out, of trying to
get on the popular side, of want
ing office, and so on. These
charges are always made against
an editor when questions of pub
lie interest are under discussion.
It would be useless for us to try
to convince anybody who sees fit
to thus impugn our motives, that
they are wrong. The naked truth
is, we never did anything, in al
our newspaper career, from pur
err or stronger conviction of duty
1t was not only to our interest
but It was our inclination to sup
port the bonds. We oppose then
with the greatest degree of reluc
lance, because we have Away
considered it our duty to yiel'
personal views to the wishes @
our fellow-citizens on questions c
this kind. AS we stated last week
we could not conscientiously as
voters to support the proposition
and hoped to get along withou
opposing it. But such a positio
was impossible, and the nearer tn
time came for the election, til
more strongly the convictio
forced itself upon us that "
ought to oppose the increase {
our burdensome railroad deb
Whatever may be the result o
Tuesday, whether the bonds sha
carry or not, we feel that we hay
done right in opposing them, an
that time will show this. We @,
pect to stay here, and no one coul
more thoroughly desire the growt
and prosperity of Emporia, Lyo
county, and the entire Soutl
west, than we do, and if we al
mistaken in our judgment, as
what is best for us all, it is a mi
take of the head; time alone wi
determine.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE.
San Salvador in Rains 500 Lives
and sl2, 100000 Destroyed.

The following telegram brings
news of another of those great cal
antilles to which Central and South
American cities seem subject {:
AAPINwALL April 8, via HAVANA,
April lO,-City of SAP Salvador,
Central America, has been destroy.
ed by sn earthquake. Eight hun
dred persons persisted, and SIS, O0O,-
900 of properly destroyed. The
earthquake was followed by =
confiagration, and many buildings
were burned. For 3 few days
slight shocks of an earthquake had
occurred, but no serious apprehen.
sions were entertained. It was un
the afternoon Of the 4th Of April,
about half-past four O'Clock, and
almost without warning, that q
great portion of the city was re,
duced to little more than ruins.
The ground heaved IS in q gale.
Terrible laundering burst from
under foot; walls tottsrsd and
were rent in many places with
wide crevices; roofs sank, and
tiles, ETC., were precipitated to the
ground. Lamps, pitchers, basins,
glass, ETC., were overturned and
broken. Three violent shocks fol-
lowed in quick succession, and the
inhabitants commenced to scream
piteously, and could not be pac-
flied. Wild birds few to houses
and horses grew frantic in stables.
Dogs, bowling, skunk for protection.
Every few moments shaking OF
more or less violence occurred.
The sOcne beggars description.
Ruined houses, panic-stricken peo-
pie, men, woman and children
Aesing to the fields with valuables
hastily collected. Then, the ring.
ing of bells and the beating oil
drums, calling all the soldiers un.
der arms-~for In San Salvador,
murder and piIlage accompany
earthquakes, and as the frighten'
ed citizens leave town dusky In
dams from the forest prowl for
prey into it, and are only check
ed by the bayonetG of the govern.
ments troops--these were posted
In squads, at short distances, al
over San Salvador,
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

TIE VOICE OF WIsDoM.-Judge
Dillon, of Iowa, who ranks as the
third jurist in the United States,
and who stands high as On original
thinker and political economist,
speaking of a decision in Iowa sus-
tanning the law authorizing coun-
ties to vote aid railroads, says: "a
most unfortunate mistake it was
counties and cities throughout the
State, acting under the sanction OF
that decision, incurred debts
amounting to several millions oil
dollars, and, in many cases, exceed
ing their ability to pay. Disaster,
the child Of extravaganza and debt
and dishonoy, TIE un6idden compan-
ion Of bankruptcy, are the bitter bul
legitimate consequences Of that de-
cisio,, and the end is not yet"
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

SToP AND THINK.-Taking Lyon
county as an average, and we think
1t not an unfair average, the State
of Kansas is being drained of not
less than Sl,s00O0O to pay interest
on county, township and city bonds,
alone. This is Independent of the
principal to pay the bonds, and
independent of all other taxes.
And yet we are rushing headlong
deeper into debt every day by vot-
ing bonds for railroads, wooden
mills, court houses, fails, bridges,
and SO on through the list. If this
is not stopped there is nothing left
for us in Gods world but bank
ruptcy. No wonder every other
class of community, except those
who want to force the growth of
towns, are crying aloud for rest on
the bond voting business.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

lNDIANAPoLIs.-''Look at Indian
apolis" cry the pleaders for rail-
road bonds-"Look what railroads
have done for her !" and the enihas-
iastic listener can almost imagine
himself in the middle of city of
$4,000 inhabitants. so, let rs have
an Indianapolis by all means," re-
spends the confident voter. Let us
keep voting bonds and we will soon
have an Indianapolis All it needs
is bondsi There is nothing we
need so much as to make Emporia
an Indianapolis, and bonds will do
It, if there is not mistake out
somewhere.
. Now, indianapolis is = nice, large,
prosperous city, but we apprehend
she owes not one whit Of her pres
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

WHAT DO YOU PRoPosE TO DOB
This question is asked by those
favoring the bond proposition.
They say, "You oppose these bonds,
but you don't offer anything else"
We can very soon tell what we pro-
pose as one of the opponents. We
think that by bending ecery effort in
that direction, within two years our
taxes can be reduced to 81 on the
hundred. Our State tax was sensi-
bly, reduced last winter. There is
really no need of city tax of over
two or three mills for some years
to como. Our railroad debt, we be-
lieve, can be reduced one-half. The
school taxes In many districts can
be diminished. So can the county
tax. Let us squire up, and get down
to the bed rock. Let the farmers
extend their operations, and raise
more stock. They should not de-
pend 80 much on corn and potatoes.
They should raise more cattle and
sheep. Let them raise flax, and
then some of our capitalists could
make a good thing by investing in
an oil mill. We ought to have a
wooden factory instead of sending
the wool east and shipping the
cloth back. The first settlers of
Ohio and Indiana got their start by
making their own clothing. Paper
making is a very profitable business,
and paper is cash article. Instead
of shipping our hides east and the
leather back, the leather ought to
be made here. We have an album
dance of salt in Kansas, and yet we
send our money east after every
pound of it we use. There are a
hundred things we ought to do
rather than vote ourselves p8upers
for thirty years to subsidize rail-
roads. Let us turn our attention to
developing our resources, rather
than to keeping the State strapped
all the time to fill the Golfers OF
New York bond buyers.
These are some of the things we
propose. IF we must make i'm
provements let us pay for them as
we go. Then we can say to people
who want to come here to live, here
is gOodly county. Hero is a large
area of vacant land, which can be
had at reasonable prices. Here is
a county well watered, with good
school and church facilities, with
plenty of stock range, etc. Here are
q court house and three iron bridges
all paid for; here are two railroads
which accommodate the country
well, and here is a prosperous and
financially healthy town and coun-
ty, and an intelligent, virtuous and
contented people; and best Of oil,
our taxes are only tico per cent.
Above all things we should not
do, is to vote bonds to the amount
of 100000, and thus increase our
debt for what will inevitably be but
temporary imitation.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

ought we not to be convinced be-
yond any peradventure that we are
going to get our money back ii we
vote this subsidy, because once vot-
ed, and ourselves, our children, our
lands, our labor, are held to Its pay
ment. There is no backing out, no
reconsidering our action. But we
are at liberty at any time TO vote
this aid. If next fall, next year OF
at any future time the exigences OF
the case demand the deciding of our
all to railroad companies, we can dc
it. Let rs go slow now. -
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

Capt. Randall reports an engage.
ment in which he Killed AZ warriors
and captured { women.
BLOODY RIOT AT GRANT PARISH, La.
New Orleans, April lD.-The steam.
boat southwestern which arrived this
evening, brings stirring and important
news from the Grant parish. The whites
have rstaken ColfaX, and there IL not
| negro TO be found for q mile around.
From passengers on the Southwestern
We CLEAN the following: The negroes
had strongly enfrenched themselves In
the court house and built breastworks
three or four feet high. There were.
IL is eaid, about 400 colored men arm.
ed and equipped. On Sunday at 1e o.
eolek ABOUT 100 white men, who arrived
from the surrounding parishes, made An
attack on the breastworks, and . brisk
fight was kept up until O'Clock.
The brezstworks were then stormed
and captured, the negroes taking ref.
uge In the court house the doors OF
further fighting the negroes threw out
= flag OF truce, and several men ad.
vanced on it when they were dred on
by the besieged party, woundIng sew
HOdnot, who was shot in the bowels
and it is feGrded fatally wounded
They were on the outside of the breast
works, and as the only means OF dis
tooglng tne negroes, the court house WAS
set On fire, and the bsieged were shot RI
they can e from the burning building. Fl
is reported that between 90 aud 100 ne
! gfoes were killed and there were none
70 be found for miles around.
The captain Of steamboat Southwestern
makes the following statement: "W,
arrived at Colfax on Sundy evening a
bout 8 O'Clock and found that the whit
people, aad the sheriff, l suppose, a
thter head, had captured the town eftel
having conflict with the negroes. Ii wa
reported to me that about 100 negroes wer,
killed and many wounded, We saw from
the boat about eighteen or twenty lyinI
around on the banks, dead. One whit
man was killed, whose name we did nc
learn, and two very seriously Wounds
, -Messrs. aodnot and Harris. Nr. Hod
: not was shot through the bowels, and I
: Is supposed he Is moFtally wounded. "
z brought Messrs, Harris and Hodnot dow
from the court house to AleEandriA, anl
four other white lpen who were slightl
wounded. About 100 negroes escaped
! but Il was reported that the whites wer
still pursuing them. All the leaders Q
, the riot eacaPed.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
SheriTss Sale.

DY virtue u ssnt order Of sale, issued
ID out of the District court OF the 9TH
Judicial District, sitting in and for the
cause wherein SNllie v .(hilds was Man
tin, and Isaac NJ. Earnhesrt, Job TkSeck-
morton and James II. white, defendants,
Will, on Monday, the 18th day Of May,
1873. ut IL o'clock I. M, at the front door
OF the court house. in said county, oIheE
bidder, for cash in hand, all the right,
title and interests OF the said degeBdaais,
In and to the following described real es-
tate, to-wit: The whole Of blOek No. 10,
and the north half of block No n, in the
town Of Hartford, Lyon county, Kansas.
Appraised at $500. Given under my Of
fetal hand. at Empcria, this 18th day of
April, 1879. JOHN BAY,
1870 sheriff Of Lyon county, Kan.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

ent prosperity to four or five mil
lions of debt voted upon her by
former generations. We are of the
opinion that she come up without
that, and her prosperity may be
credited to other causes than rail-
road bonds. We believe that she
''got her start" before the gentle
and popular railroad bond was in
veufed
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

WILL IT PAY.-What is the par
ticular need of railroad now to
Kansas City? Could we get to st.
Louis, Chicago or any eastern point
any quicker by railroad from here
to Kansas City, than we can over
the NJ. X. s. T, and A. T. s. S. f.
roads. Not q minute. These roads
connect with the same trains east
we should haYe to take If we went
by the proposed Kansas City road.
Could we get cast cheaper? Not a
cent. AL roads east from any
western point charge the same price
for tickets. 1t is the same with
freights, with very few exceptions.
Combination rules the railroads, ex-
cept when they get into quarrels,
which don't generally last very
long. The serious question is,
whether it will pay US. for the next
thirty years, to pay out of our
pockets nearly million OF dollars
in hard earned money, for the priv
ilege of going to Kansas City, or of
having our goods sent in that way.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

righ.t angle from straight line to
the .a.~get this round. Mr.. Esk-
ridge said at the court house, April
I'd. that tie enemies to railroads
were those Immediately upon its
route. "a house divided" etc.
Call this round first; no blood yet.
And now for the figures. He
processes to quote from the tables
of Mr.. S. 3. Riggs, ''than whom"
he remarks, "there is not a better
mathematician and better qualified
business man in the county" Grant
it; yet there seems TO be "screw
loose" somewhere. For instance, IL
the first table he is made to say that
the number of acres assessed wa
4
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
NEWS AND EDITORIAL ITEMS.

ENORMOUS DEBT.-It is estimated
by accurate statisticians, that from
$9O0OO0,OO0 to sl,O0O,OO0,OOO OF
American railroad bonds are own
ed in Germany alone. If this be true,
the country is drained of $40, 0O0,-
600 annually to pay the interest on
this Indebtedness. 1t is true these
are probably not county bonds, but
it is also true that the money to pay
this enormous drain upon the re-
sources of the country comes from
the productive industries of
America.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18


The following sentence, which
occurred in our article last week,
on the bond question, seems to
have been misconstrued by some:
''If man has 81, 900 worth of prop
erty it costs him, in Kansas, $40 to
$50 year to pay the taxes on If"
OF course we meant $1,000 worth of
taxable property; and we think it
requires q considerable stretch of
tho imagination to make capital
against our article on the statement
quoted. Every tax payer under
stands that property is taxed at
from one third to- one half It's value
in this State at one-half, in some
others at one-third. From $40 to
SEQ on the thousand Is the medium.
Ia many places the tax Is $50 to
5000 on the $1,000; but then, on
the other hand, we can go to places
inside of day where the taxes are
SIS 10 Sll0 on the 81 900, If we are
not misinformed, Rnt it is though
imprudent by some to publish these
things, and send them east. They
are rather frightfnl, but unfortu
nately we cannot conceal them
One of the first things man o
business or ordinary shFewdnes
finds out, when he comes here Is
what our taxes arc, and we max
nothing at all by concealing tn
real facts. We are no alarmis'
Our faith in Emporia and Lyol
county is not shaken In The least
The point we arc after is to unde
ceive ourselves, and to face the fact
fairly and squarely, and our notiol
is the sooner ace do 10 The better! ]
. is, in our view, the most utter foil
to increase our bonded indebted
ness in order to Tighten taxation.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18
Notice to Contractors.

CEALED bids will be received by the
- school board Of distTiss No. 81, Lyon
county, Kansas, for the construction Of q
school house FER said district. Bids TO be-
lett At ONCE OF county superintendent. IN
court house, where plan and speciaca--
tions can be seen. All bids must be in
BY 12 o'clock m. Of Friday, May Sd. Con-
tract will be let 10 the lowest resp0RsIbSe
bidder. Work to be completed by August
1st, 1879. Half OF the cash on SAID con.
tract will be paid when the building 10
enclosed; balance when completed. The
board reserve the right TO reject any or
all bids. 4. II. CHITTENDEN,
16-lI District Clerk.
The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-04-18

The only Congressman who are
so far recorded as refusing to take
their share of the "back pay" steal
are Messrs. Wilson and Schurz. A
number of others haYe ostensibly
refused, but the only refusal that
amounts to anything is to do as
Vice-President Wilson did, draw
the pay and Immediately turn 1t
back again into the public treasury.
A member may refuse to draw it
now, in which case it will simply
await the claim of himself or heirs,
no matter how long a time elapses.
To put the pay out of their reach
the Congressman must draw it and
then return It. That's the only way
of refusing" that is really bona
tide thing. Letting it lay in the
treasury now means simply that in
u few months or years it is to be
quietly drawn and pocketed.