The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-06-02
Had You Thought OF THIS !?
Chatham, Record.

AuV 4Vu 4AVu6hp Va AhAsS
Chatham Record.
When the government buys the rail-
roads, as demanded by the third party
people, to whom will the purchase money
be paid? Why of course, to the owners
of the railroads.&c. Jay Gould, the Van
derbilts and "plutocrats and monopolists"
who have been so bitterly denounced.
Had you thought Of that?
If not, just stop moment and think
oft.
Does it not seem little travesty on
common sense and bitter mockery on
reform and relief, for a political party to
propose taxing the farmers of the coun-
try in order to pay countless millions to
the "plutocrats" who now own the rail-
roads And yet that is exactly what is
meant by the demand for the govern.
ment to own the railic !ds. If not, Why
not7
Of course the only way by which the
government can own the railroads is by
buying them. Even if any anarchists
should wish them con6scated, that will
not be seriously considered. In order to
own the railroads the government must,
therefore, buy them. The retain-owners,
then, must be paid for them. These
owners, 1t is said, are few in number.
Yes, it is continually alleged that the
railroads in the United States are owned
by a few millionaires. And now it is
gravely proposed for the government to
issue to these few millionaires countless
millions of greenbacks in payment for
their railroads. Would not that be CEN
tralizing and consolidating the money
power 10 most dangerous degree?
Would it not be giving to these million
aires far greater power than they now
have?
Had you thought of this?
limo. think of it. Think of what an
immense sum of money the government
would have to pay to Gould, Vanderbilt
and other "plutosrats," and what dan
gerous influence 30 much money would
give to them. With all these countless
millions of dollars they could and would
buy not only Congress but every State
Legislature-eyen if composed of only
Third party patriots
What then would become of the liber.
ties Of the people?
Men and brethren, think of these
things
AbbeviAe Press and Banner.
1t seems that some old fool will always
urge objection to any good proposition
which the Alliance makes.
The railroad wreckers in South Caro-
lima are trying to confscate the railroads
for State, County and School taxes, but
there are few people in the Third party
or Alliance ranks who want the Govern
ment to own the railroads.
A North Carolina gold bug and pluto
crat, being opposed to the people and
friendly to the corporations, makes the
following idiotic objection to placing the
railroads into the hands of the Govern
ment:
When the government owns the rail.
roads, as demanded by the Third party
people, no taxes will be collected from
them.
Had you thought Of that?
If not, just stop and think for mo-
ment. Of course everybody knows that
government property is not taxed at ell,
and therefore when the railroads become
the property of the government they will
not be taxed. The railroads now pay
many millions of dollars every year as
taxes to the States, Counties and towns
through which they run. But when the
government owns them, no State, County
or town will get one cent of tax from
them
Now isn't this Financial reform and
relief" with vengeance?
In order to give relief to the farmers,
in order to tighten their taxes, the Third
party people propose to exempt the rail-
roads from all taxation. And in order
to do this Democrats are urged to desert
and disrupt their old party!
Of course the more property that is
exempt from taxation, the higher must
be the rate of taxation on the property
that is taxed. And therefore when rail-
roads are owned by the government and
are exempt from taxation, of course a
higher rate raust be levied on land and
personal property.
What sort of relief will this give our
noon1e2