The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-07-10

| assessed valuation or Pullman property
was reduced nearly % per cent. The
| tourist Car, with the plain, comfortable
bed in which the laborer and poor man
could ride aud sleep for fifty cents. had
the assessed valuation doubled, and as a
result Mr.. Pullman takes advantage of
| the opportunity which the Reform AG-
ministration gave him. aud raised the price
Of a berth to one dollar.
a very short time after this reduction Of
the assessed valuation of the property Of
the Pullman Palace Car company, Mr. Lew
! ling and his state administration were
| given a free ride in a Pullman palace
| train to the worlds fair and return. The
train in which thew left the capital city Of
this state was gorgeous one. Mr.. Lew
elling was not then complaining of Pull
mans iron heel, but he did complain in
his recent interview most bitterly in re-
gard to the porter's fees. from which we
! Judge that the services of the porters were
not donated.
And in the face of these facts Governor
| Lewelling is now posing as the laboring
! mans friend and the enemy OF corporate
greed"
Hon. W. T. Rightmire, who was the
! candidate of the Populist party four years
| ago for chief justice, and who is still Il
| member OF that party, on june Sth wrote
| an open letter to the Hutchinson News, of
| this state, and over his own signature
made the following exposition of the
| hypocrisy of the present administration in
| Its pretenses of being the peoples friend
as against the corporations:
RIGHTAfIRE's STATEMENT.
AFTER the state board of railway assess
ors of the state of Kansas had assessed the
| rolling stock of the Pullman Car COM
| pany, operated in the state Of Kansas in
| 1887, and had refused to reconsider its ac-
| tIon, as the time approached when the
| taxes levied upon the said assessment were
! about to be collected, the Pullman COM
| pany brought an action in the circuit
court of the United States in and for the
| first division of tle district of Kansas
| against all of the counties in the state
| through which its cars were ran, aud
! against the county treasurers of such coun-
| ties, case No. 5773, asking for an injunc-
| tiOn restraining the collection of the taxes
! assessed against the said company.
| The injunction was granted on the 1st
| day of February, 1883 and on final hear
| ing in said court the decree of the court
| WAS for a dissolution of the Injunction.
| and the validity of the assessment and the
levy of the taxes was affirmed by the cir
| cult court.
Tine Pullman company gave bond, and
| carried the case to the supreme court of
| the United States. While this case was
! pending IN the supreme court of the
| United States. in 1883, a new case was filed
! by the said company against the SAID de-
! fendants, No. 6llS, and on the j. n day OF
Decembe leSS. an injunction was granted
/ restraining the collection of the taxes of
lSSS, subject TO the decision of the supreme
| court IN the case peudib. therein, No.
% al,~., III
/ case No. CHS, and an injunction was
| granted restraining the collection of the
| taxes of 1889, on the l2tn day of December,
| 1889 Another supplementary bill was
! filed in case No. CHS aud an injunction
granted on the same conditions. restrain
/ ing the collection OF the taxes of 1890 on
/ tine l1Un day of December, 1899. Tns case
! in the supreme court was decided in 1891
and On che 1lth day OF December. 1891, the
mandate Of the supreme court OF the
| United States was filed in the said circuit
! court, affirming the decree of the circuit
! court, and establishing the validity of the
assessment and levy Of taxes thereon.
! in all OF these cases the attorney-gen-
! eral OF Kansas appeared as the attorney Of
| record ot the counties defendant. and
| when the mandate was filed IN the circuit
/ court, the attention OF the attorney gen
! eyal was called to the matter by the clerk
! OF said circuit court, but nothing has been
/ done IN the matter up 10 the present time.
/ In 1898, in February, l called tae atten-
I tlon Of the governor and the attorney gen.
/ eral personally 10 the matter at different
/ times and informed them that the Pull
J man company was taking advantage Of the
state OF adalTs in the circuit court, aud
/ compromising the claims of the counties in
! which its taxes were large amounts and
escaping the legal penalties for non-pay-
I ment, aud asked that such action be taken
: 4 VNQn.l save rnR COMMITTEES ta uana1r5.s
/ and the full amounts OF the taxes, and was
/ promised by both that action would be
I taken at once.
! Two months afterwards, on iaQuirinC
/ of Clerk ShargItt | learned that nothing
/ had been done, and at once went to tie
1 capitol 10 see the governor and attorney
general TO learn why nothing had been
/ done, aGd l was plainly told that it was
4 none OF my business: that they were run
I ming the state and would run il in their
I own way. returned To my Office with a
/ determination 10 watch for results: and
what were they: First, g reduction Of the
t assessment OF Pullman cars ). so per car
! in the assessment of 1875 10y tie board Of
/ railway assessors. Second. a free Pullman
/ train TO take the state officers and :beir iu-
l y.ted guests to Chicago and return for Kan
: sas week at the worlds fair: and not hing
doue vet IN the matter IN court. On tie
I calling Of the docket OF the -u5ted States
/
l leAvsuwOrtb. while john =. Little. attor-
{ Dey general Of Kansas. was present 10 pro
/ lect the interests OF his private clients in
! the case Of the Black Boo Indian lands. he
I sat in the court room aud looked yyi se when
J case Ne. 6ItS, Of the Paliman Palace Car
/ company " Allen county. et al, was
Z called, 10 the words of The prophet Isaiah.
/ As sheep before her shesrer : duanb. %
/ he opened nos his mouth. aGGtse case was
/ continued 10 the November term CT the
I court; and probably Jv that time tle Pail
/ man company will have its dsliaQueut taxes
+ al settled ia the different counties by L,
! pretended generosity Cf paying the same
! before The Injunction cases are decided. II
s, the counties VIII threw OF the penalties
| aud interest.
/ Knowing that the true P0puIiSts Of
/ kEusas only need 10 know the truth 70 re-
/ tire the present state officers TO the obscuv-
/ lty from which they Arose rest my cause
/ IL their honesty and Justice.
Nv. Z. RIGHDUEE"
1 Do the people Of han>as believe, IN the
( face Of these facts. that Governor Level
/ liGg and the present state administration
ars honest and worthy OF their ia3o.ss-
/ usut: