Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-05-11
Whoa, There. Ananias.

To the Editor Of The Advocate.
The following, in the Western Kan.
sas World Of March 18th, and copied
from the Eldorado Republican, Senator
Murdock's paper, is going the rounds
of the republican press of Kansas. 1t
is given wide circulation by reason of
being printed on the patent side, fur
nished by the Kansas Newspaper I'm
ion, Topeka, to the county republican
papers throughout the state.
AT the late session of the legislature
the republican senate passed a bill
which provided that all railways and
other corporated property should be as
sessed at its true value in money: but
1t was killed in the house. The idea was
to have all railways and other property
assessed at its value upon a fair and
equal basis; and a further provision pre-
vented municipalities from going into
debt beyond per cent. of their assessed
value, deducting present Indebtedness;
but the whole matter died in the house
OF representatives.
Now, want to call the attention of
the people of Kansas to the following
facts:
First-No such bill was ever even in
PRODUCED into the senate.
Second-The Republican is careful
not to try to give the number of the bill,
date Of passage, or page of journal.
Third-Senator Murdoch knew, or
ought to have known, that the bills re-
ferred to originated in the house.
Fourth-The two propositions are en-
braced IN separate house bills, as fol-
lows: House bill No. 71s, by Mr.. Scott.
IAN act to compel railroad and other
assessors to assess railroad and other
property at it's true value in money, and
providing penalty for violation there
Of" This bill passed the house March
5th, 1891, by vote of 80 to 8. See house
journal, page 696. Sent to senate same
day, see senate journal, page $3.50, and
referred to committee on assessment
and taxation darkness, chairman. J and
reported by him, for reference, to the
committee of the whole, March 9th.
See senate journal, page S05, and here
the bill died.
AS can not conceive of the Senator
being so ignorant as to what took place
in the senate, must assume that he
published the above faIsehood for the
purpose Of misleading the voters of
Kansas.
He says further, that the provision in
regard to municipal indebtedness was
contained in the bill. This is false in
every particular. The provision he re-
ferred to is contained only in house bill
No. l45, by Mr.. Smith, of Neosho, as
follows: IAN act limiting the power
of counties, townships and cities, to
borrow money to create indebtedness. !"
Section l., of this bill, is as follows: mo
Indebtedness shall hereafter be con-
tracted or created against the county,
township or city, which, with other out
standing liabilities, would render the
total indebtedness of such county, town.
ship or city, in excess of per cent. of
Its assessed valuation This bill
passed the house March Bird, 1891, by
vote OF So to 0. See house journal, page
SIG. Messaged to the senate same day.
see senate journal, page 623, and refer
red to committee on assessment and tax
alton darkness, chairman) and report
ed with recommendation to refer to the
Of the whole. See senate
journal, page sos. This is as far as it
ever got in the senate.
If these bills were so good that the
republican papers now want to steal
the credit of them, why did not the SEN
ate pass themp They had an abund-
ance of time to do so during the last
eight or ten days of the session.
The peoples party is not afraid to
quote the numbers OF bills, date of pass
age, vote, page of journal, and full text
OF all bills before the house; and in the
future we would like to see the Eldora-
do Republican, Western Kansas World
and other republican papers that give
to such falsehoods, do the
same. 1t would be more manly and
more honest. BEN. G.. RICH.
Chief Clerk Of the House, Session 1891. |