The Topeka state journal., 1899-08-23
COST IS I5 CENTS
Truth About Amount of City
Hall Tax.
Is Welfare of Topeka Worth
That Much to You
VOTE FOR THE BONDS.
Don't Neglect Such an I'M
pOrtant Duty.
Maj. T. j. Anderson Replies to
Personalities.
Registration Books Will Close
Next Wednesday.
VOTE FOR THE BONDS.

A few people in their efforts to stop
the progress of Topeka have been in
dustriously circulating reports among
the laboring men and others about the
great amount of taxes the city hall
proposition will pile on to them. AS
a matter of fact the average Iaboring
man will not know that there is any
increase at all when he comes to pay
his taxes
Sixty thousand dollars in bonds at
4 per cent interest for twenty years
the other issue sold at 3s4 per cent
means 100000 principal and $4,000 in
terest, a total of $1OSOOO. There are
SO, 1886 people in the six wards of Topeka
proper. 1t will therefore cost each in
habitant of the city, based on the pres
ent population, $2.97 in twenty years. or
a fraction less than 10 cents a year.
The building will be worth that much
to every man, woman and child in To-
pel1a just to look at, even if the doors
were never opened.
The natural increase in population
will reduce this to less than 10 cents a
year. yet there are some people who
never pay taxes and others whose
taxes amount to very little who are
complaining about increased taxes. 1t
is the old wall of the grumbler who
never does anything for the public good
and who tries to keep anything from
being done that will benefit anyone ex-
cept him. The same cry was set up
when the city voted bonds in aid of
railroads and to bring the Santa F'e
shops here, and made special leYieS for
the, public improvements, that have
made Topeka what it is today, the
handsOmest, hveliest, and altogether
the best city in the west.
The registration books close on We'd
In discussing the subject today
Major Anderson said:
The opponents of the city hall lose
sight of the fact that Topeka owes
something to the state. All over Kan
sas the press is insisting that Topeka
should do something in return for the
princely appropriations made by the
state at large for the public institutions
located at Topeka. Three and a half
millions have been expended on the
state house and $1S0,00O additional was
appropriated by the last legislature to
be expended in the next two years. The
insane asylum has cost $668, 600 and the
reform school $170,0 900, and a new build
ing for each was provided for last VIM
ter.
"The state at large demands that To-
peka should do something in return for
these large expenditures and provide a
cOmmOdious, up-tO-date hall where the
state conventions can be held and be
comfortable without cost to the party
holding them.
4 understand that the opponents of
progress find much fault with me be-
cause am not a rich man, and there
fore, by inference, any organization
with which 1 am connected must nee
essarily be eXtraVagant and not in the
interest of the tax payers. Well, have
spent my own money and paid my own
bills and have the satisfaction of hav
ing done my whole duty by the city of
my adoption for nearly 35 years. AS to
what 1 would do with the money of the
public, that is quite another question.
The best answer / can make to that is
my record as mayor of the city.
THE ObstructiOnists are invited to go
to the books and ascertain the financial
condition of the city when 1 assumed
the office of mayor and when 1 turned
the office over to my successor after
serving two years for the princely sum
of $50 per. 1 might have saved my COM
pressed air to fight a much needed pub
lie Improvement, but 1 have not, neith-
er have I sought to use the Commercial
club, composed as it is of many of the
most progressive citizens of the city,
to stop my neighbOrS chimney from
smoking and injuring my property.
When a man has no argument to
offer he becomes personal, and person
alities have nothing to do with a great
public Improvement. If men are 50
small that even compressed air would
not reduce their proportions, they ought
not to inf1ict themselves upon grow
ing community. AS to the city park
site, I did more hard work to secure q
fund to build an auditorium in the park
than all the ObStructiOniStS.'