The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1877-08-23
A Centre Shot

"A CeutFe SnOts
We hit the BaI'siiH, last week, right where il
lived, ON its course heating o:, The bond Question
We knuw it, by tile way It sttueals, and tries to
prove that it is the triie friend Of the dear peo-
ple, and endedtors to create the impression that
the Chief is no, sound the goose.
Now, everything We stated in our last weeks
article for faet, prove from the col umns
of the Bulletin; and our inference that 1t was IN
the interest of the l,r,rsli,oIders reasonable.
Let the reader refer to very first issue OF the
Rulletfn. Nav 5ih. hen the boHd question was
in discussiou. Read IFS comments the "Bond
ouestiopn-its non -cornnlitta, no-sided, this way
and that-way remarks; boil them down to their
essence. and this is their substance: ave sym
pathize with the people; but we had no hand in
voting the bonds, aud we are opposed to repudia-
tion, unless the debt is wholly unjust, and without
consideration; but this is not the with rail-
roads" If that is not telling the people of pon-
iphan County that they are trying " repudiate
their honest debts what can yos make out Of i'll
The people, IN Convention assembled, resolved
that they were Not able longer to pay the tax
Tor interest on those bonds, OF the principal
when il became due. The Bnlietix- week after
week, ever since it started, has been boastipg
what q good fx the farmers were in, aud has
singled opt particular farmers, giving the amount
Of wheat and corn that they had on hand. 1t
called this talking up the County; hut il was
virtually notice to the holders Of County
Bonds that they were all right; that the people
were lying when they said they were no longer
able to pay the interest on the bonds Look at
the delinquent tax list. Scores Of the hest farm
srs IN the County are not able to pay their tax
es There is not one farmer in twenty in the
County but what is deeply involved in debt,
many of them having their farms mortgaged at
q high rate of interest. If they have good crops
for the next three years, it will take all to place
them on their feet again. Perhaps the very
men who were being published to the world as
having such heaps of grain, were holding that
grain to pay debts that were fast becoming d ne.
What better encouragement do the bond-bolders
want to refuse to compromise, with such false
statsmeuts of the wonderful prosperity Of our
people constantly appearing in the Balletisf
For proof of another statement, see the col
umns of the Bulletin. We said that it had slob-
bered over w. W. Guthrie, and lamented that he
was not the member of Congress from this Dis
trict, and had given him fulsome puffs, week af
ter week. Mr.. Guthrie seldom visits our County,
(when not running for ofice,) except on Court
matters, consisting almost wholly of efforts to
prevent the County from collecting the just tax
es due the County from the railroad Of which he
is the attorney, or to swindle farmers and Others
out of just claims for cattle and horses killed by
the railroad, or for limbs crushed off through the
carelessness and recklessness Of railroad employ
ees; and to quibble and put off cases from year
to year, until he wears out the claimants, who
are not able to keep up their suits. This is what
Mr. Guthrie does for Donipban County; and the
Bulletin, the great friend of the people, laments
that he is not representing us in Congress- and
filings the insult into the faces of the people Of
the County, large majority Of whom favored
Col. Phillips that they sent fool and knave to
Congress, and used outrage and fraud to. defeat
this talented railroad attorney. Yes, watch the
Bulletin.
The Bulletin has never said, word in commen-
dation of the County Commissioners, in comply
ing with the will of the people, although at .
great risk to themselves-fpr the Commissioners,
in refusing to levy the bond tax, have run
great risk; and they are the only ones who have
done so, for the people run no risk at all. The
Bulletin has not even limited to the people that
the present Board has freed the County from n
load of floating debt, has brought County war
rants to par, has built bridges, has a handsome
surplus in the Treasury. and has, after dong all
this, reduced the tax, in one year, orer one cent
and quarter on the dollar! The Bulletin, the
"best local paper in the State" has not told its
readers word of this but after the Commits
sioners had levied the tax effecting this saving,
and had sent the bond tax adrift, the Ballstin,
with its great big heart, remarked that any
other set OF men could have done the same thing,
and they deserved no plaudit of well done, good
and faithful servants, and it did not signify that
they should be reelected. Right here is where
the essence of the whole thing occurs. Even be-
fore the frat number of the BulletiR was issued,
the editor was scheming to defeat the reelection
of the present members of the County Board,
and has put in full time at it ever since. He
does not propose to spoil his own work by Civ
ing the Board credit for the good they do, or
even by letting bis readers know the good they
have done. But as it happens, the people of the
County are not dependent upon his sheet for
enlightenment, But he cannot get through with
his article in the last issue, without letting the
cat out of the bag.
Inc whole story IL told IN tins remark: I'VE
fear You have greater interest in the 8, 500 ap-
Propriated for printing, than you have in the
Bond question" That's. what ails him. The
Chief was advocating the question long before
the editor of the BHlleti# thought of buying tks
Wathena Reporter. The Commissioners thsm-
selves were agitating the matter early Last Win
ter; and in filling the vacancy in the Board, they
had an eye to unanimity ON the bond question.
The issue of County printing never once entered
into the question; for Mr. Larzelcre, WHO always
opposed the Chief in this, was one of the fore
most in urging ps TO stir up the bond business,
and in cowmending our way Of doing it. Yet
here steps in g .pompous individual, and says:
"You are after the County printing, and don't
care anything about the bonds. Any other set
of men will do as we'll as these, if they only give
me the County printing"
The cloak 10 off at last. "Watch the BHlletia.'
Hereafter, you may know just how te value any
course it may adopt. 1t has put out its sign
81 want the County printing"
n The Hayes papers are boosting that sew
ersl Haysa men have been elected to the Ken
tucky Legislature, over the regular Demo-
cratic nominees They forget to say that those
uaraa man are also nemocrats They will tol-