Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-07-06
Railroad Assessment.

The Topeka Capital in its article of
June 18th, speaks as follows:
THAT the peoples party was ready to cruci-
fy the one member their party had elected
without hearing and that not one in twenty
eff the delegates knew a single fact entering
into the problem their officers had to deal
with, will not be disputed
The Topeka Capital seems to be la
boring under the same delusion that
has blinded the whole republican par
tY for the past few years-the idea that
because the people have been sleeping
so long IN the arms of fancied security,
like Samson IN the arms of Deborah,
that therefore they will never awake;
that they will ever be guided merely by
passion and prejudice. But the facts
are otherwise. Thepeople are reading
studyingI and thinking. They have
read over and over the pros and cons of
Mr.. Ives case in public print, and
when at Wichita they met In conven-
ton, they had already concluded that
Mr.. Ives had make mistakes; whether
of the head or the heart is another
question. And whether he made mis-
take or not, the people are under no
obligation to endorse any man for Sec
| Ond term, as long as there are others
competent to fill the place. In fact, the
majority sentiment of the peoples par
ty is decidedly the other way.
Again the Capital says:
I'm 1891 after the reduction complained of
had been made the railroads Of Kansas paid
$196.4S per mile in taxes, which is SIS above the
average rate for the entire country in 1889, and
| still above the erage rate in any state west
| of New York"
| Now this method of comparison is
entirely misleading. While the tax paid
IS slightly above the averge, yet at the
same time, the taxes of Kansas are con.
siderably above the average. The Ques-
ton is not, as intimated whether the
tax in Kansas is higher or lower than
in other states, but whether or not the
ratio to other taxes is higher or lower.
The Capital gives table showing that
the taxation in Louisiana, Texas and a
part of New Mexico is only $95.2S per
mile, but the taxation in those states
as compared with Kansas on all pro-
perty is exceedingly light.
Slur the intelligence and judgment of
the people as you will, the fact remains
that the criterion chosen by them is a
truer one than the sophistries of the
plutocratic press. It is hard for the
people of Barber county to understand
why, when the railroad assessment of
our county was S28s, OOl in 1890 and the
assessment of our personal property
was 1914, $50, the railroad assessment
should be decreased in 81 to $3.50, $40
and the personal property should be in
creased to $41O,3 $50. In the year 1880
the board of assessors thought they had
valued the railroads at reasonably low
figures; yet in 1891 in the space of one
year the railroad assessment was de-
creased over q per cent and the person
al property assessment was increased
| 10 per cent-a difference In valuation
| Of 81 per cent wrought III one year.
Con. inuing the Capital says:
THE railroads are assessed with the proper
!. n each county as fixed by the local assessor
and the state board OF equalization in order to
deal out exact justice to all parts of the
state raised the valuation mss counties s., 7S0-
Ass % and reduced ii in - counties SO. I29 340OO
The board was compelled to do this owing to
the low valuation pIaced upon the property in