The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-10

as above stated, or S3l ,l07 1880. In
other words, the municipal indebted
ness of Kansas has been doubled since.
in January, 1885, 1 called the attention
of the legislature to this subject, and
urged that the most stringent restric-
tions and limitations be put upon the
debt-creating and tax-leYying powers
of all municipalities.
It seems to me, in view of the facts
and figures presented, that if is the
imperative duty of the legislature to at
once repeal every law authorizing the
creation of municipal debts for any
purpose whatever. except, perhaps, the
building of school houses. Pay as
you go" ought to be, henceforth, the
motto OF every municipality of the
state.
RAILROAD BOND VOTING.
Fully four-fifths of all the county,
township and city bonds issued have
been voted to aid in building railroads.
1t is reasonably certain that three
fourths of the railway mileage con-
structed during the past four years
would have been built if not single
dollar of municipal aid had been voted.
And it is an unquestionable fact that
every mile of railway built in Kansas
| during the past four years, for which
there was any legitimate demand. or
that has been of real benefit or sub
stantial value either to the business of
the state, the prosperity of the people,
or the pecuniary welfare of the rail-
ways or their stockholders. would have
been constructed without the stimulus
of dollar of municipal bonds.
Kansas long ago passed the period
| whenthe fictitious stimulus of NUM-
cipal bonds WAS necessary to secure the
| building of legitimate railway lines.
The decade of war ended in 1865, and
that of doubt or experiment closed in
1875. From that year to the present
time no intelligent citizen of the
United States has fever questioned the
resources or doubted the prosperous
development of Kansas. Every dol
lar of municipal bonds voted during
the past eight years, to stimulate the
building of railroads, has been a use
less and unnecessary public burden.
Sagacious railway managers and build
ers understood, perfectly, what an in
viting field Kansas offered to common
carriers, and they would have occupied
this field promptly and systematically,
| as the rapidly increasing commerce of
| the state demande railways for its
transportation. And, if the recon-
mendation made to the legislature of
1885, touching municipal Indebtedness,
| had been favOrably acted upon, Kan
sas would have had, to-day, all the
| railway lines necessary or important
in transporting her commerce, while
on the other hand her municipalities
would have been burdened with fully
Sl6,OO 600 less of bonded indebted
ness.
1t is fact capable of exact demon
stration, that railway building in eX-
cess of the legitimate demands of state
commerce is a curse. instead of a bene-
fit. to every interesting party-to the
state as well as to railway stOckhold-
ers, to the people as well as to railway
managers. What all classes of the
people are most interested in and bene
fitted by is steady and rapid reduc-
tion of freights and fares to the lowest
possible minimum. But this result is
inevitably prevented or delayed by
railway building in excess of the legit-
innate carrying trade of country. The
transportation rates of all railways are
largely regulated by the volume of
their business. Public sentiment OF
law will soon force reduction of rates
when it can be shown that the
business of a railway is earning
for it large profits. But when
two railroad lines traverse a cOun-
try whose carrying trade is sufficient to
maintain only one, transportation rates
will inevitably be high. The operating
expenses of the two roads are double
those of one; the capital invested in
them is doubled; and, at the same time
the transportation business of the cUun-
try they traverse is divided. The nat
ural results are combinations or agree
ments to maintain high rates, and &
long pOstponement of those conditions
which invite and make possible a re
duction of freights and fares. COmpe
tition in railway building, when it goes
beyond the volume of the carrying trade
of any section of the country, does MOI
and cannot effect reduction of trans
pOrtation charges. On the contrary, i
retards or prevents such reduction.
RAILWAY BUILDING IN KANSAS.
l do not, for these reasons, REGARD
the extraordinary era of railway build
ing that has characterized the pas
four years, as an unmixed blessing
Many of the new lines, it is true, art
J legitimate and necessary. They Wert
demanded by the marvellous develop
ment of the state and the enormous in
crease OF its carrying trade. But it il
not an exaggeratlon to say that of thu
/, 5.135 miles of railway constructed il
Kansas during the last four years, a
least 1.500 miles were not demanded b,
either the growth of the state or tn
increase of it's trade; that they ar
hindrance rather than help to pros
peritv, and that they will not earl
: enough, for many years to come. to pa,
their operating expenses. Their con
: struction has entailed upon the peopl
/. of many of our counties. townships an,
cities enormous municipal debts, which
: will be a burden, if not a curse, to thei
populations for generation.
tits often said that these muEicipa
: debts were voluntarily contracted b.
the people. But this statement is not
: in all cases. based on fact. In man,
Instances, indeed, the votes authoriZ
ing them have been secured by com
pulsory processes. Directly or indirect
ly the people have been informed tina
failure to vote bonds would result il
D the location of railway lines by sue
= routes as would seriously injure O
t utterly destroy existing communities
] in which were conferred all the hopes
e the efforts, and the accumulations @
/: years of labor and enterprise. In thi
: age, railways make or unmake cite
/; and towns, and when a community
e knowing this fact, has a railway bon
!, proposition submitted to it, the alterI
alive is well understood. and the free
dom of action allowed its people is nc
9 very clearly apparent.
I DETERMINATIONS AGAINST KANSAS
q TOWNS AND INTERESTS.
' Many communities. too, have bee
deluded by hopes or defrauded b
= promises of local advantage that hav
: not been, and never will be, iealiZed
= And worse than all, and of state as we
= as local concern, several of the railwa
t lines of Kansas are so operated as I
= build up and foster alien communitie.
g to the detriment or destruction of OF
Y own towns and cities. ExtravagaI
|, and burdensome as is the volume {
y municipal Indebtedness our people hay
voted to aid in building railways,
n would not be disastrous if these CO
II porationS, the creatures of our Law
It and the recipients of the prOdigal bouI
o ties of our municipalities, were S
; managed as to build up, promote az
, foster Kansas interests and Kanss
4 communities. But several, il. not mos
of the railroads traversing our state al
# so operated as to retard the growth an
v damage the prosperity of communitiC