Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-04

MES could give no monopoly fran
chises.
But national questions are not for
us to deal with in this state conven-
ton. Great as is Ohio in territory
and population and wealth; important
as she is in the sisterhood of states,
influential as her democracy is capa-
BILE of being in the counsels of the ma
tional party. she is not great enough,
nor important enough, nor is her de-
mocracy influential enough, to war
rant this convention in debating ma
tional policies or remodeling national
platforms. We have not been elected
for that purpose. The function of re-
vising national platforms belongs with
conventions chosen for national pur-
poses Our function, so far as nation
al questions are concerned, begins
and ends with an unmistakable identi-
tication of the democratic party of
Ohio with the democratic party of the
republic. That can be done in good
faith only by acknowledging the au-
thority of the latest national express
sion of party doctrine on national
questions. In my Judgment, there
fore, this convention ought to recog-
nize the Kansas City platform. 1t
ought also to pay the tribute of its re-
spect to the great democrat who has
in two national campaigns brilliantly
led us against the republican party
and its allied hosts of non-partisan
monopolists.
State Questions.
Having done that, it is our duty to
n hn nff -
Let us be fair to our adversaries.
They are in the minority in the legis-
lature and at the last session of that
body they passed the Longworth bill
which makes it easier in the future to
amend the state constitution Under
the law we of Ohio shall no longer be
tied down by the ideas of half cen
tury ago. The dead hand has been
| lifted. This is probably the best law
that has been put on the statute books
in the last thirty years.
But on the whole the same repub-
lican legislature has lent itself to the
service of the monopoly corporations
Nose of it's members carried railroad
passes in their pockets while they bur-
| led the bill to reduce railroad fares to
the people; and they suppressed the
bill TO tax steam railroads on the same
| basis of valuation as homes am
| farms. The board of equalization for
! railroads, all republicans, had decided
| that the present laws are so defective
| that steam railroads cannot be assess,
| ed for taxation as high as homes and
| farms. The supreme court had sus-
! tanned them in that decision. Every
| supreme court judge is republican
and some of them were railroad at
torneys. Respect for the court pre-.
cludes our suggesting that it was in
| fenced by these facts though we all
! know how difficult it is for any man
i even though he be a Judge, to escape
the influences Of association. But not
withstanding the defect in the tax
| laws, the legislative committee gave
but scant consideration to the propos
ed remedy and the measure was not
allowed to come to vote.
Nov note that this republican leg,
islature did not cover it's tracks, 1t re.
duced state taxes on real and personal
property more than one-half. But
how did it make up most of the conse-
| quent loss to the state revenues? BY
taxing monopolies? No. BY taxing
other interests that We're paying less
than their share? No. 1t did it prin
cipally by taxing the stock of corpora
tons that have no monopoly privileges
but do competitive business. This
stock is owned almost entirely within
/ the state. At the same time the legis
lature exempted corporations owning
rich monopoly franchises in Ohio, the
stock of which is held almost entirely
outside of the state. The Ohio stock
holders in a saw mill company, doing
business in Ohio, are to pay taxes
called license fees, on their capita
stock; but stockholders in monopoly
! corporations, who live in New York
are exempted from that form of taxa
ton, Nor is that all, There are gross
Determinations between the owners OF
stock in Ohio business corporations
And these Determinations favor tbs
rich. Whether stock is worth $40 .
share or $500 a share, 1t must pay the
same tax per share. So the former