The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-10-03

in-chief Of the Iowa division of the
NorthN estern railway as ''the defacto
government of Iowa.
The "literal robbery of the citizens
of this state," of which MIR. Herriott
complains, had been going on for years.
He himself had witnessed it for six
years. But for the sake Of his
parity" Reformer Herriott had kept
mighty quiet on the subject; he hadn't
told the citizens of 'shis state'' that
they were being systematically robbed
year by year by the executive council
for and on behalf of certain railroad
corporations. Reformer Herriott's love
of parity is said to be pathetically in.
tense. But he claims that he snorted
and "thundered" around like every.
thing once in while in the secret cham
bers where this gang of official hold-ups
matured their corporation conspiracies.
He says:
"Time and again in the executive
council chamber have l Numbered the
charges herein made. But my efforts,
my indignation, my appeals to honor
and to parity have availed nothing.
l have been laughed at and scorned.
What is more, have been ignored, for
most of til e assessments Gf current COS.
sip is to he credited) have been deter
mined outside the council chamber,
in the secretary of states private office,
in secret star chamber sessions, in con.
sultation with the representatives of
one, or sometimes two, railroads."
! Why didn't Reformer Herriott tell
the people of "his state" about these
robberies in 1895? Why didn't he
from the housetops proclaim the scan.
daloas facts in 1896? Why didn't he
publicly defend the people of "his
state" from these vast steals in 1897?
Why didn't he do it in 1898, or in
1899? Was it for the reason that he
loved his parity better than he loved
the taxpayers of 'his state''?
True, he says he made some sort Of a
mild kick in 1896, and again in 1897,
but that the majority of the conspira-
tors wouldn't even record his mild pro-
test on the minutes. Then why didn't
he give out the truth to the newspaper
reporters who we're begging him for the
facts 1897? He knew then that the rail.
roads were running special trains free
of cost all over the state to elect as gov
ernor Financier Shaw of Crawford
county. lie knew at that time that the
railway corporations we're turning
heaven and earth to elect the ten per
cent prodigy whom he, Herrott, infer
entially charges with being "clandes.
tine and tricky" in carrying out the
program of the railroads in the execu.
tive council.
What is the matter with Reformer
Herriott, anyway? What, in truth, has
been ailing him? What has. he been
LAUNDERING" about? Let US get under
the hide Of this sham reformer, who has
been achievinga great deal OF cheap
notoriety on the false claim that he was
honestly trying to shield the taxpayers
of 'his state" from the wholesale lar
cenies that have been carried on by the
al roads through the executive council
for years. Let us get down to facts and
see if he has been trying to prevent
these robberies of the taxpayers of
Iowa, or if he has simply been cham
pioning the Rock Island road as against
the Northwestern and the G. B. & Q. in
the wrangles and quarrels that have
been going on among the corporation
thieves about the division of the "swag"
tilched from the honest taxpayers of
the state.
In 1896 Reformer Herriott began to
| thunder" but he did MT thunder"
in pubic-that might have hurt his
p-a-r-l-y-he simply filed mild objec-
tions to the railway assessment made
by the gang OF corporation conspirators
called the executive council What
were his objections to the assessment
at that time! lie wanted to "equalize"
the assessments of the three leading
systems Of railway, viz: the e. 4 N. W.,
the q. b. Il @, and the c., Il. |. q p.
In the paper filed by him at that time
he submitted two tables. one table show.
ing "gross earnings and assessment per
mile for the past five years" IF each of
the three systems named, and the other
table showing ''ra,e of assessment to
gross earnings of the total railway mile
age of the state for the pas, five wears
From these tables Reformer Herriott
argued as follows:
This comparative statement shows
thaa the burden of taxation has not
fallen equally upon the leading railway
systems of the state. This assessment
of railway property rs here proposed
increases, am convinced, the Unequal.