The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1879-02-06
THE OLD BACHELORS Of KANSAS.

the superior western statesmen. The
thoroughbred Kansas statesman Can
beat Beaconsfield, Bismarck or Gorts
chakoff all to pieces. He knows how
to orate about Liberty, Freedom anc
Equal Rights. He knows how to make
the American Eagle spread itself, and
when to wrap the star-spangled banner
about him, and shout "Give me Liberty
or give me Death. He knows how te
allude to his forefathers who marched
to Concord, knee deep in blood, and Fl,
and bled-got fits and bled at the nose
for liberty. 1t IL fearful to hear the
Kansas statesman talk about the down
trodden Negro and the downtrodders
to see him comfort his features and dis
perse buttons when no speaks of bloat
ed tax-free bond-holders and wormy
tax-eaten paupers. 1t is awful to see
the immense sadness with which be
speaks of grinding monopolies, comb.
nations of capitalists, plundering the
starved and penniless labor. The Kan.
sas statesman always has the Declare.
ton of Independence in one breeches.
pocket Magma Cbarta in the other, the
Constitution of Kansas in his at-tail,
and . bottle of ardent patriotism in bis
breast-pocket. Talk 10 cheap. Equal
Rights is good on public occasions, just
Is religion is the proper thing at funer-
ais. But whom the Kansas statesman
gets down to business, he means busl.
ness. For instance, Kansas law, in
theory, makes no distinction between
classes: rich and poor, high and low,
stand alike before the law. In practice,
the married man, who admits that he is
married, has an exemption from taxes
to the amount of $500. As property is
assessed at much less than its actual
value, and as assessors are nearly al
ways married men, he is allowed to ex.
emp. $500 to $500. The great majority
of married mon are not worth that
much. Bachelors arc allowed no exemp.
ton, and their taxes are moro than they
and their property are worth. This
kind of q boom lets the great raft of
married logs out, and catches all the
bachelor sticks. If a married man owes
Gall of them do, some of them
more, be is allowed 81, 900 worth of OF.
emption from debt. Tho bachelor is
allowed no exemption. A married man
may owe tho whltest kind of o man
81 900; the Law says he needn't pay it.
II bachelor owes . black Ethiopian
Negro, of the African persuasion, five
cents, the law says he shall pay tho col.
ored person Eve cents worth Of nickel,
even if it is the last no has. This kind
Of q not lets the great shoal of married
feh out and catches the great bachelors
by the gills- Many years ago when In
dams, buffalOes, cayotes, prairie dogs
and married mon were largo majority
of tho population, the married men re-
solved that Kansas children must be
or they wouldn't be worth
shucks. They resolved that somebody
must pay the fiddler-the sch oolmaster
land build school-houses, so they voted
bonds and levied taxes. As the great
of married men lived on IN
decided, untaxed land and we're allowed
to exempt moro personal property than
they had, it was clear open and shut
they had dead sure thing on the old
bachelors. The result is the hard work
ing, saving old bachelor, who has no
children and wouldn't have any if be |
could, pays school taxes and bonds,
while his neighbor, with ten children,
and who is supposed to be married, is q
school director and votes for bonds and
evies taxes for the childless bachelor to |
pay. This kind of fence lets the mar
RED hogs out and holds the bachelor
steers. We arc informed that the bache-
ors of Saline county have made despe-
rate efforts to burst the married mems |
'ring." We are told that they met Sc
,retly at midnight, in subterranean
,aves, in the ground, and in whispers
md in darkness pledged their united
support to old bachelors for the offices
If county commissioner, and that Buell.
md Champlin and Carhn, all regular
I'D bachelors, in good standing, pledged |
.helr honor, their fortunes and their
,acred lives, to relieve the bachelors
burdens or die a-trying. They were
elected BY bachelor votes. DID they
Justify the sublime confidence lavished |
On theml
But they never did it you may de-
pend upon It. II may be they were
.fraid If they interfered with married
nen's legal rights, the married men
would lift their hair. Il may be the
,ther commissioner, . married man,
kept one eye on the Palladium of the
married mans privilege, and watched
hem with the otner. 1t may be that in
sal,ns society bachelor 10 apt to forget
hat be 10 . bachelor. We cannot say.
We simply Say the old bachelors are de-
noralixed. We recently saw . married
nan pay his taxss-Sl.20. At the same
ime an old bachelor paid his taxes
ll.2O on exactly the Same valuation.
The married man laughed . blood curd-
ing laugh. Tho bachelor bad blood in
10 eye. But The day Of reckoning will
ono. There is 10 the wide Universe,
'othing 90 dreadful, 90 deadly, % dee
ructivc, - the explosion Of tho long
,ens mp old bachelors wrath. There 10
anger, great danger. that the bachelors
sili rally from their dug outs and cab
10, with rusty dint locks on their sAosl-
ers, tomahswks in one hand and hog
enksrs in the other, and Just slaughter
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