The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1902-01-16
CORPORATIONS MUST
PAY IuSTTAXES.
Governor DoCkerv Saws Thew
Can Well Stand a Little
More.
DEMOCRACYS FUTURE POLICY.
(. C. Worlds stan Correspondence.

DEM0CRACY'S FUTURE POLICY.
X, c. Worlds StaG Correspondence.
Jefferson City, Jan. THE future
policy ofthe democratic party in Mis-
souri, was tersely outlined by Gov
ernor Dockery n few days ago when
he said; ~
missouri stands to-day a, great.
monument to democratic Guardian
ship. The state, with its sound cred
its and grand educational institution
is the result of thirty years OF demo-
cratic management, democratic
guidance, democratic honesty and
legislation, Still the democratic
party is not satisfied. THERE'S much
more to he done, the scope is almost
limitless, While we have built great
schools and lifted the burdens of tax
tUtf0H, Spending money for pubiir- mr.
prOvements comparatively generous
ly, yet the state has been too penu-
riOuS.
We are living in the twentieth CEN
fury and must keep pace with it, We
must spend more. We want, and
will have, the greatest university in
the world, the best normal and pri-
mary schools. In order to have them
we must spend more money, money
raised by levying more taxes on cor
porations, While we are opposed to
burdensome taxation, we believe the
beer and whisky will stand a heavier
tax. 1t is the consumer. anyway,
and not the brewer, who pays it in
| the end.
TAN THE CORPORATIONS.
1t is the established policy of the
democratic party to reduce the bur-
den OF taxation on the people at
large g and place it where it praperlHp
heIongs-on the corporations. The
people have had no cause for muir
mer nor complaint during the thirty
years democracy has held the reins
Of government in Missouri. Nor will
they have. Theinprovementsi in the
school system and other public insti-
buttons, as well as the cancellation
OF the bonded debt, have been made
under constantly decreasing tax
levy, This has been possible because
every dollar paid by taxpayers has
been honestly expended and honestly
accounted for. There is but $153.33
unaccounted for in our stewardship
OF over thirty years, and am trying
to run that down now"
When the democratic party took
hold of the pillow handles in 1872 it
found the people discouraged, dis
heartened and debt-ridden. The re-
publican legislators, executive and
judiciary lights rolled their self dis
tended forms out of the offices they
had debased and surrendered COM
monwealth we'll deserving the appel
lation. poor old Missouri"
A ruinous-for the taxpayers-sys-
TEN of fees was in vogue by which
the state officers became immensely
wealthy. Under republican rule the
fees of the secretary ofstate amount
ed as high as S65, 900 a year. $751;
600 above the salary Of the presi-
dent of the United States. The fee
system was abolished and the wis
dom of the law will be at once appar-
ent when it becomes known that the
fees of the Secretary of States office
in 1901 were sufficient to pay all the
expenses of the several departments
of state, governors salary and all.
CREDIT WAS DEBAsED.
No attempt was made by the repub-
licans to tax public service corpora.
tions. Railroads purchased immunity
from taxation by parceling out an
nual passes over their lines among
the legislators. The school fund. set
aside for the sacred purpose OF educa-
ting the youth ofthe state, was look
ed upon with covetous eyes. To
covet is the tenets of the republican
party in Missouri is to take. This