The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1894-04-13
Failed to Run q Bluff.


the fact that we have a board of com
missiOners that can not be bluffed. Las
January the Santa Fe road sent one o
its most imposing looking strikers on
over Kansas to see how much he cOul(
rake off the people in the way of rebatet
taxes. This emissary wears a cOnnte'
nance that would be worth its weight il
gold to IA poker player. 1t has mild
pure, ethereal look; venerable, digniied
placid and serene. The forehead is high
and full of Intellectual beauty, merging
into badness as it gently undulates back.
ward to the base of most ma estic bump
of venel alton. '.Silver threads among
the gold'' further adds to reverence with
which this man can inspire the I'M
sophisticated heart. This urbane count
enance and venerable head was mounted
upon Il tall, slender frame. clothed in the
smooth, dark raiment of well paid
clergyman.
How many Of our readers, looking
upon this man, transformed as it were,
into an angel of light. could believe him
capable of deception; that he could
deliberately make false statements for
the purpose of gaining few thousand
dollars to fill the Golfers of a soulless
corporation? We venture to say they are
very few.
In his pilgrimage over this western
plains this sanity looking man wac ac-
companied by one Of the sleekest corpO-
ration lawyers of western Kansas, who
assumed his most magisterial air and
sternly warned the coyote scalpers that
they had better accede to the strangers
proposition; that he could surely carry
out his threat of keeping the counties
from use of much needed funds, for
number of years, and pictured in awful
words the desolation which would result
to the cause of education by being
deprived of the use of this money so
long.
1t is not surprising that most of the
boards weakened and the pair of railroad
emissaries went in triumph from county
to county carrying everything before
them until old Ford was reached. Here
they were stayed in their victorious
career Our commissioners were made
of different stuff from any they had yet
encountered. They listened respectfully
to the tall, thin, clerical looking gentle
man, but his seraphic cOuntenance and
gray hairs failed to warp their judgment.
The pOrtly lawyer poured his legal lore
into their ears, but they were not awed
into submission by his magisterial air,
nor abashed by the terrors of his judicial
warnings.
Promise to carefully look into the
merits of the case, and do whatever was
right and proper, they gave, but this is
just what the railroad lobby did not
want, as the sequel proved.
Investigation showed that the railroad
people not only had no right to the re-
bate, but could not even carry out their
threats of keeping the counties out of the
use of the money. The court ordered
it paid, and paid Immediately.
They paid their taxes just the same as
the poor farmer has to do or lose his
home.
Other counties heard of Ford county's
nerve. aud the whole superstructure of
guile and intrigue fell to pieces.
Now comes the final chapter in this
narrative. At the meeting of commits
this week, the following letter
was received:
"AtchisOn, Topeka & Santa Fe r. r. Co.
Law Department, Tax Division.
Topeka, Kansas. April 9Th, 1894.
10 the commissioners of Ford county,
Kansas.
Gentlemen:
In payment of 1893 taxes on the prop
erty of the A. I. & S. F. r. K. in your
we paid under protest the sum of
S4,5l3.76, which our company claims
was illegal and excessive, and which we
propose to bring suit to recover. A por.
ton of this tax is 5 per cent penalty
to S942 81. In order to avoid
any i'll feeling on the part of your citi-
zens, and to avoid the expense of litiga-
ton, make this proposition: If your
county will refund to US the above penalty
of s942.6l, with legal interest from date
of payment, we will withdraw our protest
as to any further amount, and bring no
suit to recover the same.
An early reply is requested.
Yours truly
E. T. CARTRIDGE,
Tax Commissioner"
Yesterday afternoon the above letter
was taken up and considered by the
board. The commissioners called on
the county attorney for advice as to the