Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-09-01
SOME PULLMAN HISTORY

with the Pullman Palace Car COM
pany and their sympathizers. His
purpose was doubtless to make po-
litical capital for himself The true
character of the Governor is plainly
manifest when you compare his late
interview with his course in the
spring of 1898. in connection with
the action of the State Board of
Railway Assessors.
After years of litigation, when the
Pullman Palace Car company,
having been defeated in the courts,
first consented to give in it's proper
ty for assessment, it gave $13, 500 as
the valuation of a palace car. The
State Board of Railway Assessors, in
fixing the assessed valuation, put it
at $4,000 which was probably in
about the same proportion to it's cost
or value as other property in the
state is assessed. What is known
as the tourists car, which is very
plain car, and a car in which the
laboring man could afford 20 take
nights rest, the cost of a berth be-
ing at that time only fifty cents, was
assessed at 1,500 per car. The State
Board Of Railway Assessors. COM
posed of the present populist state
officers, whose actions were passed
upon and approved by the Governor
in his capacity as member of the
State Board of Equalization, re-
duced the assessed valuation Of the
Pullman palace cars from $4,000 to
] $4,000, making a reduction of $1,000
per car, and raised the assessed val
uation of the tourist car, in which
the poor man rides, from 81 500 to
$4,000. There are many more palace
cars that run through Kansas than
tourist cars, so the result was that
the sum total of the assessed val
uation of Pullman's property was
reduced nearly 25 per cent. The
tourist car, with the plain, comfort
able bed in which the laborer and
poor man could ride for fifty
cents, had the assessed valuation
doubled, and as result Mr.. Pull
man takes advantage of the oppor-
tunity which the reform admins
tration gave him, and raised the
price of berth to one dollar,
A very short time after this re-
duction the assessed valuation of
the property of the Pullman Palace
Car Company, Mr.. dwelling and
his state administration were given
free ride in Pullman palace train
to the Worlds Fair and return. The
train in which they left the capital
city of this state was q gorgeous one.
planning of Pullman's iron heel, but
he did complain in his recent inter
view most bitterly in regard to the
porter's fees, from which we judge
that the service of the porters were
not donated.
And in the face of these facts Gov
ernor Lewelling is now posing as
the laboring mans friend and the
enemy of corporate greed"
| Hon. w. F. Rightmire, who was
the candidate of the populist party
four years ago for Chief Justice, and
who is still member of that party,
on June 9Th. wrote an open letter 10
the Hutchinson News, of this state,
and over his own signature made
the following exposition of the hy-
pocrisy of the present administra-
ton in it's pretenses of being the
peoples friend as aginst the corpor-
atoms:
RIGHTMIRE's STATEMENT.
"After the State Board of Railway
Assessors of the state of Kansas had
assessed the rolling stock of the
Pullman Car Company, operated in
the state of Kansas In 1887, and had
refused TO reconsider it's action. as
the time approached when the taxes
levied upon the said assessment
were about to be collected, the Pull
man Company brought an action in
the Circuit Court of the United
Sta les in and for the first division of
the district of Kansas against all of
| the counties in the state through
which its cars were run, and against
the county treasurers of such coun-
ties, case Nc, 57773, asking for an in
] junction restraining the collection
of the taxes assessed against the
said company.
"The Injunction was granted on
the LIST day of February, 1888, and on
final hearing in said court the de-
cree of the court was for dissolu-
ton of the injunction, and the val
| idity of the assessment and the levy
of the taxes was affirmed by the cir
cult court.
1.-THE Pullman company gave bond
and carried the case to the supreme
| court of the United States. While
preme court of the United States, in
| 1888, q new case was filed by the said
company against the said defend
No R11Q and an Aho 18th dau