The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-09-04

INK luiS IndlltI, Indhlnk IL a. Dtudi VI
fense to influence Legislators in the
manner now practiced at Harrisburg.
The very best members of the legisla-
ture are at times powerless to carry out
the will of their constituents, unless
they consent, in violence of their con-
sciences. to arrangements and deals
with corrupt men who are nothing less
than public pirates. During the past
20 years reform measures have only
been enacted by the courageous union
of independent Republicans and Demo-
Gratis, after desperate conflicts with the
powers of evil.
The Battle For An Honest Ballot.
My distinguished colleague, our
worthy candidate Tor the Office of lieu
tenant governor, Mr.. Guthrie, will
doubtless speak to you with clearness
and effectiveness upon the subject with
which his name has been long and hon
orably identified. He has been host
in himself in the battles for honest
elections, and in the present contest
classes of our people in favor of the
complete carrying out OF this long need
| ed reform. | merely desire to call your
| attention to the fact that in 1891, in my
| official capacity as the state executive,
| | addressed the law-making body as
| follows:
THE constitution requires that all
| elections shall be free and equal, but
such elections are not secured by ex-
/ isting laws. Nor is our ballot secret.
| Fierce political conflicts between par
ties have given birth, here as else
where. to many phases of corruption,
| to the use of money by rich candidates,
! to fraudulent registration, to intimida-
| ton by corporations and by large em-
ployers of labor, to false counting, and
to marked, altered and suppressed bal
! lots These contests have revealed the
| existence of a purchasable element in
our midst subject to all forms of po-
litical debauChery. A great popular
movement for ballot reform has set in,
: and 10 states of the Union have al
ready responded to 1t. All political
parties in Pennsylvania have made
open profession in favor of securing the
most perfect attainable expression OF
| the public will, and the only question
that we now deal with concerns the
most expeditions and efficient method
of its accomplishment. The Australian
system is the best agency yet devised
for purifying elections 1t is neither an
untested election experiment nor a
questionable expedient. Upward of 85,-
600, 600 of people conduct their elections
by its machinery. 1t is not the method
OF any one country or people, but finds
a home wherever free and accurate
expression of the public will is de-
sired Ballot reform offers not only
free and pure elections, but free nomi-
nations. / will heartily favor any well
considered legislation which will Sc
cure these or any portion of these re-
suits"
The Australian system was not
adopted. In its stead an imperfect bal
, lot law was passed and accepted by the
friends of ballot reform as at least Civ
ing the advantages of a uniform and
official ballot. II was believed that per-
fected legislation would be promptly
enacted, but the political machine has
! A.,l. nd hn11 NJ 20
form and rendered all appeals for a
more perfect system fuele. Yet, al
though the senior senator from Penn
sylvania, to whose autocratic Will legis-
lators have been subservient, little
while ago publicly declared that If the
organization of his party failed to full
fill its own repeated promise to secure
honest and effective ballot reform, II
would sink finally into merited in
fanny" the pledge was deliberately
broken, by command of the organiza-
tion itself.
How the Farmer Is Oppressed.
Upon no class of our citizens has the
evil OF political machine domination
borne more OppresSively than upon the
, importance of other pursuits and occu
pations, we may observe that the tillel
of the soil always stands at the front
the ever faithful mainstay of the in
| uuSlTldl NOTlu. II Is SlBLlICdnl lac
that in our state the general course
of legislation, under the direction o
) the baleful influences to which we have
referred has been towards building vi
. all forms OF monopoly at the expense
of agriculture. The farmer has beei
, taxed greatly in excess of his just pro
. portion for the support of govci nment
|, In some localities the possession o
land has become burden instead of {
! source of profit. The demand for relic
has been denied. The appeals of th'
agricultural interests through the for
mers' Alliances, and the earnest repre-
l sentation of facts in the columns o
rural journals, have all been in vain
| Permit me to repeat and emphaslZ
I what | said upon this subject to th'
5 law-making- body in my annual mes
sage in 1859:
= THE inequality of our tax laws still
5 continues. | have suggested on two oc
casions more equal distribution o
4 the burdens of taxation. Taxation Z
= be Just should be distributed as nearl,
e as possible on all alike, and should b.
: even as practicable upon all classes o
@ property In our state, values chief,
constitute the basis of taxation, tn
: value of real estate and the value o
d personal property. Nearly all the rev
g enues of cities, towns, boroughs an
: counties, school and road tax, are de
s rived from values as q basis OF taxa
y tion. If the two forms of property
y real and personal, are equal in value
v under a just system they should equal
e bear the burdens of taxation. Rea
g property, comprising the farms an
Il homes of our fellow citizens, is apprais
: ed at two billions of dollars for ta
: purposes, and personal property, il
which is classed all property not rea
: is in excess of this appraised value 0
Z, real estate The whole amount real
|, lied for all purposes is approXimatel
:, 0000, 900, of which real property pay
= about $50 100000 and personal propert
) $10,000000 Appreciating the principl
= that taxation should be laid with som
: regard to the encouragement and diver
IS sification of industry, and believin
Il that in our state this idea has bee
5, kept constantly to the front, neverthe
l. less, | am of the opinion that real es
d tate has undoubtedly borne the burde
o of the day in taxation. In order TO pre-
d mote and encourage the industries c
e the commonwealth and to invite cap
)t tai and enterprise, real estate, especi
% ally in the form of farms, has becom
, so depressed as to need relief in NOR
" equal distribution of taxation. Their
IS ic M diSnOSitiOn nor desire to DurSu