The Globe-republican., 1894-07-13

Governor Lewelling, few days since
in a studied and inflammatory interview
expressed deep sympathy for the strik.
ers contendin. with the Pullman Palace
Car Company and their sympathizers
His purpose was doubtless to make polit.
ical capital for himself. The true char
acter 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 con-
sented to give in its property for assess
ment, it gave S13 500 as the valuation of
palace car. The State Board of Rail-
way Assessors, in fixing the assessed
valuation, put it at $4,000, which was
probably in about the same proportion to
its 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 to take a nights rest, the
cost of berth being at that time only
fifty cents, was assessed at $500 per
car. The State Board of Railway Asses
sors, composed 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, reduced the asses
sed valuation of the Pullman palace cars
from $4,000 to $500, making reduce
ton Of 81 800 per car, and raised the
assessed valuation of the tourist car, in
which the poor man rides, from 81, 800
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 valuation 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 and sleep for fifty cents,
had the assessed valuation doubled. and
rs result Mr.. Pullman takes advantage
of the opportunity which the Reform
Administration gave him, and raised the
price of 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..
Lewelling and his State Administration
were given free ride in Pullman pal
ace train to the Worlds Fair and return.
The train in which they loft the Capital
City of this state was . gorgeous one.
Mr.. Lewelling was not then complaining
of Pullman's iron heel, but he did COM
plain in his recent interview most bitterly
in regard to the porter's feet, 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 Is the laborins
mans friend and the enemy of ''corpor-
ate 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 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 admins
Gation in its pretenses Of being the I
peoples friend rs against the corpora.
lions:
RIGHTNIRE's STATEMENT.
safer the State Board Of Railway As
SCISSORS Of the State Of Kansas had ssses.
sed the rolling stock Of the Pullman Carl