Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-03
Board Lost Its Nerve.

deal al Topeka reducing taxation $4,000
on corporations and more than doubling it
on individuals.
Board Lost Its Nerve.
The deal through. the howl was kept up
according to arrangement" But some
thing happened with the board at Topeka.
OF course, they were not like the dishOn-
est who would not stay bought. No mat
ter what caused it. they changed. After
passing on the subject a week ago, and
acting on the line to save the corporations
and after going ahead in their organs and
giving out their figures with the false and
misleading conclusions. they get frightened
a. the game and simply make a raise of
per cent on all. They do not favor the
corporations. but simply treat all alike.
This is certainly terrible. Absolutely treat
ed all alike, did not carry out the corpora
tion plan which has had the frantic in
dorsement of the arranged organs. but
dropped the organs cold in the garbage
cans and forced the corporations 10 stand
just the same raise visited upon the com
mon people. OF course, if the valuation as
turned i'm by the assessor is fraudulent, as
IL relates TO the work of the assessor, the
horizontal raise does not wipe out this ter
rlble crime. A horizontal change corrects
no errors.
Thus it is that the corporation deal so
securely made and so frantiCally backed up
in detail has fallen through, and horizon
tai per cent increase on all is ordered.
This means in taxes the enormous amount
OF S2.3G TO Wyandotte county. All this
noise TO cover a deal that failed. and
roundup Of q horizontal increase Of S2,30i
in taxes in Wyandotte county,
The cOwardce of somebody saved the
people OF Wyandotte county from paying
more than double taxes and prevented the
corporations from getting of with Slj0O00
less. Well they may shout. All hail the
coward But the organs, where were they
when the panel game was finished2
AGPer Cent Reduction
The board of county commissioners met
taxes on WyandOtte county property.
The board had figured on levying the
cent on the personal property and the re-
duCtion Of q per cent on acre property
made by the state board of equalization.
The official certificate was received from
the state auditor just before the meeting
was called to order and to the great sur
prise of the board the certificate from the
state only called for raise of per cent
on all property in WyandOtte county. The
levy was made in line with the instructions
of the state board. After being lauded to
the skies by party papers for the noble
stand taken against WyandOtte corpora
tions the state board OF equalization weak
ems and without A moments notice re-
scinds its former action and without the
slightest explanation orders a general in
crease OF per cent on all property situat-
board may offer TO the many enthusiasts.
made such by the board sending out a
statement Of its actions in raising the per-
sOnal property valuation OF Wyandotte
county l25 per cent and reducing the land
valuation q per cent, can at present only
be guessed at. When the news reached
Kansas City. Kas. to the effect that the
board had failed to make the change IL
had advertised, the greatest excitement
prevailed and little knots OF people as
sembled on the streets and offered solutions
OF the zroblem. 1t was the general opin-
last moment and showed its Italian hand.
Few people know that had the board
stood by its first action in raising the per-
sOnal property Of WyandOtte county 12j per
cent and reducing the acre property q per
cent the corporations of that section Of
Kansas would have been benefited in the
neighborhood Of S150.0G0 However. this IS
a fact and il IS thought by many that the
board well realized this when II made the
change in the valuation. Had the board
stood firm in its actions the Door people of
Wyaudotte county would have suffered one
OF the greatest iniUstiCes ever inflicted up
on them by any political party. As the act
WAS so cruel and bold. the only thing left
for the board to do was to back out the
best way IT could In so doing il raised
the general valuation per cent and by its
second play the poor man will be put on
an equal footing with the corporation but
of it.
Action Is Ridiculous.
The conduct of the state board is ridicu-
several would-be reformers will be occupy
ing graves in the POpulst graveyard. IT is |
probable that an official investigation will |
follow the boards queer actions In this |
event something OF highly sensational |
nature will follow.
This is what the state board did first:
When the returns of the assessors were re-
ceived by the board a great howl was made |
to the effect that the corporations in |
Wyandotte county were not paving enough |
taxes and that the poor people were paving !
too much. of course. in line with Popu- |
listic reform. the state board Of equaliza- |
tion set to work. or so pretended TO |
remedy this unjust condition of affairs. 1t |
was very easy for such wise men the |
state board is composed of to eqUalize the |
taxes of Wyandotte.
The board served notice on the people |
would be raised almost $1,000 TIGsea This ac-
uon was taken Tor no other purpose than |
TO get in telling blow on the corporations |
That Is what the membe s OF the board |
claimed. A delegation from WyandOtte |
waited on the board before Il had raised |
ei the board that IL IL L - raissd iq the 1Gr vslua
toGch ii The but would Nc TpTsG Work %G
hardship on the VHg~ people. It was shown |
now the corporations were taxed by acre |
property, and that to reduce the valuation |
on lands would mean a reduction on the /
valuation assessed against these corpora
tiCns. The board refused to listen to in |
tellCent arguments. ard proceeded to in |
crease the valuation of personal property
lo5 per cent. and reduced the valuation Of |
land property p per cent According to this /
the poor people who happened TO own a |
little personal property were buried with
taxation. and the large corporations own
ing hundreds OF acres of land were given
a reduction Of p per cent. meaning a saw
ing 10 twenty corporations of more than
flO0 600.
The board evidently was given the "tip"
that trouble was in the air and that the
entire depth of the gigantic scheme had |
been explored and that TO stick to its first |
action would mean disgrace and forever |
Few Interesting Figures.
Now that the rottenness Of the state |
board has been thoroughly exhibited n |
might he well TO show just how much |
the state will be benefited by the raise az |
the corporations alone as the corporations
will fare just the same as the farmer and |