The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-10-30

regret to feel that | ought to turn
aside for moment from the discus
sion of the vital questions made by GER
tain opposition journals about me. l
have in my hand copy of the Farm
ers' Friend, journal published by one
K. II. Thomas, a republican politician.
In 1t l find a letter from Leonard
Rhone, advising farmers to vote against
ne because, as he declares, my ''re-
cord shows me to be opposed to the
farmers demand for an equal distribu-
ton of the necessary burdens of gov
eminent" In an editorial on this
letter the editor declares that appear
ed before the house and senate com.
mittee as counsel for the Pennsylvania
Railroad company and other corpora
tons, and that l was perhaps the ablest
of the opponents of and did more than
any other man to defeat the "1aggart
BILL" 1t is remarkable coincidence
that the articles appeared in the Farm
ers' Friend within a week after Quay's
boast that SO far as these SO called lead.
ers Of the grange were able to control
1t, the farmer vote should be cast
against me. l want to say to these
two gentlemen that very important as
sertion or insinuation in this statement
is untrue.
l did appear before the committees
named on behalf of one client, the
Lehigh Valley r. r. Co., to present
an argument against certain provi-
sions OF the bill as unwise and uncon-
stitutional. l did not appear for the
Pennsylvania Railroad company, fer l
have never been counsel for it in any
matter. That company wasrepresent-
ed before the committee by Republi-
can eX.Attorney General Palmer, while
another railroad company was repres-
ented by Republican ex-Attorney Gen
eral Kirkpatrick. 1t is not true, as
declared by Messrs. Rhone and Thom-
as, that / argued against tax eGualiza-
ton.
Before l appeared before the COM
mittee frankly declared to my client
that my Investigations had satisfied me
that the owners of real estate, especial
ly the farmers, were bearing more than
their share of the burdens of taxation
and that as compared with real estate
owners, the corporations were paying
too little that l had confirmed this
opinion by statistics collected by myself
and that must SO state in my plea |
might make for the amendment of the
Taggart bill.
Before the committees l emphasized
these views. l gave my reasons for
believing that the equalization demand
ed by the farmers was just and ought
to be conceded. When my argument
was interrupted by a representative
asking whether l thought that corpora
tons were paying their fair share of
taxation. answered that in my judg-
ment, as compared with farmers, they
We're not. / outlined the principles of
a bill, which, if adopted, would have
given to the farmers and all people Of
Pennsylvania tax equalization. When
| had concluded my argument was
congratulated on my views by the true
taxreformers on the committee
mean by those members of the COM
mittee who stood for tax equalization
even after professional Farmer Taggart
had bowed to the order of the bosses
and deserted his own bill.
Tax equalization was defeated, not
because argued for the amendment
Of the Taggart bill, but because the
Republican bosses applied the whip
and by an almost strictly party vote
set it aside The charge of these men
that opposed tax equalization is con-
tradicted and refuted by every private
and public utterance l have ever made
on the subject.
say to Mr.. Thomas that if he will
print in the next issue of the Farmers
Friend my entire ungarbled argument
before the senate or house committee
l will beTglad to pay for such insertion
at the usual advertising rates.
1t is also charged that l am a cor
poration lawyer. l happen in my own
county to be the local counsel for the
few railroads that pass through it
try theii cases there as do other law
yers in other counties. endeavor in
these cases to give them honest SER
vice for honest compensation, as ! do
to any other client l may have. They
have never asked more, and l assume
they never will. The auditor generals
Office has charge of the settlement of
accounts against corporations. / de-
sire now to give notice to all corpora
tions that if l am chosen to that office
will expect every one of them to
make prompt settlement and payment
of all their taxes, but at the same time
| assure them that the Office shall not
be used as the Matching place for bo-
gus claims and suits devised for levy
Al