River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-03
ssvorER'sp COMPLIMENTS TO ssTAx
PAYER"
OAK Grove, June Goth, 1879.

4 VAN phOfEs -oths 1919
EDS. JoURNAL:-When writing my
first communication, it was not my in
tention to make the railroad question
personal issue between 'srax Payer
and myself. | simply wished to ex-
press my opinion as a voter of the coun-
ty. but .'Tax Payers" reply demands
from me at least y passing notice. In
stances of self-sacrificing devotion and
pure unselfish dIsinterestedness are so
rare in these exceedingly selfish and
degenerate days of this 10th century,
that when one presents itself it chal-
| lenges my admiration. Here is my
very erudite friend "Tax Payer" be-
| fore the splcndor of whose diction the
genius of Il Webster or Il Clay would
| sink into oblivion, who has no wild
lands to speculate on, no corner lots
| that would be enhanced IN value should
a railroad be built, no private interests
| TO promote, in short would not be BEN
| Gifted to the value of one poor farth-
ing by the building of the prospected
road, and yet he is willing, nay even
anxious to be lakeland he is an ay-
| erage tax payer too,--to aid an impe-
| cunious company to build road
through the county for the benefit of
whoms Why the people of Pierce Coun-
| ty, to be sure. o such devotion to the
interests of his fellow men! Such total
disregard of self interest is indeed
sublime, and ''rax Payer" deserves to
take high place among the philan-
thropists of the earth.
The gentleman prides himself in
not being one of those improvident,
and impecunious individuals using
the gentleman own words-who,
while they pay little or no tax, are
continually bowling about high taxes.
This is the true answer to the asser-
ton with regard to forty acres and
mule, though the gentleman would
wish to convey the idea that only by
slang can true conception of the
amount of property he is possessed of
he impressed upon the mind of the
average reader; in fact that the aver
age reader is incapable of understand
ing any thing but slang. Poor average
readeri The gentleman affects not to
understand the meaning of my eX-
preston of pity, as he is pleased to
term it, and endeavors to pervert and
misconstrue it; infers that l am in
favor of DISTINGUISHING all those who
have not the requisite eighty acres
and two mules, and tells me that the
ballot of the so-called tramp is as
powerful as that of the millionaire.
Truly we are never to old to learn. l
will only say that | trust that those
bowling little or no tax payers of
whom "Tax Payer" is not one, may
the power by the Divine right of Suf-
frage to oppose all such schemes as
the one proposed by ''TaX Payer" He
entirely ignores my proposition to bond
the county for the purpose of aiding
those of our farmers who are embar
raised by mortgages, and the like, and
evidently thinks it not worth consider
ing. He expresses his satisfaction at
my concessions as to the advantages
to be derived from railroad, and con-
siders it unnecessary to. enlarge upon
them which shows that he is easily
satisfied, to say the least. He finally
ends by making the assertion that rail-
road competition is not purely an inn
aginary vision. Will he please cite
me one instance where one railroad
line has been. and still continues to be
in active competition with another.
The question as to the amount of
wealth ''Tax Payer" may or may not
possess, or the amount of taxes he
may OF may not pay, is wholly imma-
terial, and is to me a matter of little
or no Importance. The question serl-
ously is: Will we as voters of Pierce
county voluntarily take upon ourselves
this bonded Indebtedness, and there
by become the bond slaves of a rail-
road corporation for an indefinite num-
Der of years! or, shall we by the ex
ercise of that right which "Tax Pay
err very kindly tells us we are vested
with, leave this corporation to build
its road or not as may suit its fancy?
VOTER