People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-08-18

purpOSely made so because it belong
ed to the Santa Fe. or that the
Missouri Pacific assessment wa,
lowered because Of any desire to cater
to that system is absurd. The facts
are that the d. NJ. & A. road belong.
ing to the Missouri Pacific system was
raised $500 per mile in this county
and while the assessment of the Fl
Scott line was lowered in this county
it was raised from $500 to $500 pei
mile in Harper and Barber counties,
thus showing that the board thought
that there was a necessity for an
evening up" on that system. The
Increase on the Missouri Pacific roads
in the state aggregates a large sum,
so much so that Attorney Richards,
the roads chief attorney In Kansas,
said in an interview at Topeka Tues
day that the road would undoubtedly
fight the payment Of the taxes. The
increase in Sedgwick, Sumner, Har-
per and Barber counties on the Fl,
Scott line THE line that was lowered
in Sumner county, alone amounts to
sl4, 1898. The increase on the d. NJ.
& A. in COwley, Sumner, Kingman,
Reno, Stafford and Pawnee counties
aggregates $50, 9O7.09 and in Sumner
county alone sl5,S65.6O. So the
charge that the Missouri Pacific road
has been favored at the expense OF
the Santa Fe is wholly unfOunded.
No one denies the fact of the Santa
Fe increase being larger than other
roads. In the first place the Santa
F'e is the best system Of road in the
state. 1t is better equipped and has
better connections for business than
any other line and its road bed is
better. And it is a known fact
that the Santa Fe never had here
tofore paid her just proportion OF
taxes. Therefore the valuations
must in justice bear a larger increase
than the other roads which have been
paying something nearer the true
value.
To those who are bowling against
the increased railroad assessment the
following from Tuesdays Kansas
City Star IA paper that opposes the
Populists at almost every turn will
be cOnSOling:
The new administration in Kansas
went in pledged to readjuSt the rail-
road assessment which the retiring
administration had materially reduc.
ed. The new administration redeem.
ed its pledges and now the railroads
are fighting the collection of the
increased taxes, claiming that it is a
political move" OF course it is a
political move; but it is backed by an
expressed demand of the people.
And if the people have not the right
to say what the the taxes Of corpora.
lions that they permit to exist Shall
be, who has that right? The rail-
roads in Kansas are a queer lot.
When the farmers talk about buying
the railroads, they send a lot OF
fellows over the state to prove that
the roads are worth 100000 a mile.
when 1T comes time for the assess.
ment Of taxes the following spring
this figure disseminates itself into
thin air and the railroad managers
swear that the roads aren't worth a
fourth of it. There is mistake
somewhere. In the meantime the
railroads have not paid their taxes.
they don't propose to; they have
smart lawyers who are willing to
assist in depriving the state treasury
OF its dues for the sake of being
thought "shrewd" in their profession.
But the poor man who finds his little
tax increased 10 or Is per cent.
though it may mean actual physical
want for him to meet the increase.
has to raise the money some how or
give up his property. And this
action of the railroads in refusing to
pay the taxes assessed will make il
harder on the other taxpayers, the
majority Of whom are poor. The
money to run Kansas must come
from somewhere and the poor man
must make up the railroads deficit.
1t is no wonder that the railroads
cal the increased assessment a
political move. For that is what il
is; with the people on one side of the
line, and the railroads on the other.