The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-14

1T is, not so much a question of the
amount of money assessed as that it
be honestly used, and while I nave no
extreme promises to make which I can
not fulfill, but if elected governor I will
use all of my power as the chief ex-
ecutive of Kansas. to. adjust the bur-
denS of government on rich and poor
alike, and to build up the institutions OF
Kansas 0c.aif
Mr.. Bailey then took up the subject
of railroad taxation and quoted Mr.
Craddock's statement that the Burling-
ton is assessed $4,000 a mile in Mis-
souri, but only $1,000 mile in Kansas.
This" said Mr.. Bailey. lis literally true
If you take the Hannibal & St. Joe Ii.
Missouri, which is a great trunk line
How many of you people know where
the Burlington runs in Kansas? 1t has
four little branch roads-one running
up from Atchison. another from Con
cordia. and two others in the extreme
northwestern part of the state-roads
which can scarcely pay their expenses
compares with the great Hannibal
st. Joe, road which runs twenty great
trains over its road every day. 4
Mr.. Bailey then quoted figures on 1he
taxation of the main line of the Santa
Fe to show that. it pays nearly twice as
much tax per mile in Kansas on the
same grade. of road as 1t does in Mis-
souri,. He also quoted figures to show
that the property of farmers IS not
assessed nearly so high in Kansas as i'll
Missouri, and then drew the deduction
that the farmers of Missouri pay Two
and a half times as much taxes as thosc
of Kansas. compared to what the rail-
roads pay
Next Bailey took up the charge made
by Craddock that the Republicans do
not enforce the old soldier law. the pro-
hibition law. the gambling law. and
other statutes. He said such criticism
came with bad grace from man who
turned an old soldier out of an office in
Kansas City, Kan. to make room for
an ex-cOnvict of the Denitentiary.
II don't know" continued Mr.. Bailey.
that it is ID to the mayor of Kansas
City, Kan, what is done in Topeka or
Wichita about prohibition but it is up
to him what is done in Kansas City,
Kan. 1t takes a good deal of nerve for
man TO ask the people of Kansas to
elect him governor to enforce the laws
of the state when he does not enforce
them in his own town where he is may
OF. 1t is no excuse for him to lay the
blame on to the county attorney. You
people in Topeka know that with the
right kind of a mayor, if his heart is
right, he can enforce the law regardless
of politics."
This statement brought out the most
vigorous applause of any statement
made by Mr.. Bailey, although he was
frequently interrupted by vigorous APP
plause.
Bailey reiterated part of his Wichita
speech, which is included in his regular
campaign speech, touching on national
issues, and then submitted to Mr.. Grad
dock the following questions for him to
answer:
MIR. BAILEY'S QUESTIONS.
l. Are you in favor of free trade and
a return to the business and commercial
conditions as we had them from 1898 to
1887?
,. Are you il favor of the free and
unlimited coinage of the worlds silver
and thereby jeopardize our business and
commercial Dr0SnRrifV2
8. Do YOU believe with the Kansas
City platform that Imperialism is
burning issue and that the very exist
ence of the Republic is threatened
thereby?
4. Are you in favor of withdrawing
American sovereigntyrrin, the Archipe-'
lago and taking down our flag in the
Philippines?
s. Are you in favor of an amendment
to the federal constitution giving to
congress the power to regulate and con-
troll by just legislation all trusts and
combines?
benefit by excessive railroad assess
ment, the school districts. the town
ships and the counties that have no
railroads within their borders7
The Bailey applause apparently came
from all over tie house and seemed to
indicate that the audience was largely
Republican. When Craddock came for
ward the APPLAUSE was not nearly so
general but it was more enthusiastic.
Mr.. CraddOck took an opportunity to
reply to Bailey's charge about the an
pointment of the ex-convict early in
his speech. He said it was news to him,
but he remembered that an ex-convict
had once applied to him for place and
that the convict had been pardoned by
a Republican governor.
MR.. CRADDOCK'S REPLY.
Taking up Mr.. Bailey's comparison of
the taxes paid by the Santa Fe in Kan
sas and Missouri, Craddock said the
comparison was not fair for the reason
that much of the Kansas line is a dou-
BILE track while that in Missouri is not
He then stated that the railroads of
Kansas are capitalized for $500. 900. 900
but are assessed at only $50 220. 600. or
about ten cents on the dollar while
property is assessed at from 80 to so
per cent of its value 1t requires, he as
serted, about $14 100000 to run the state
of Kansas each year. The total assessed
value at present is about $500, 900, 000
and rate of taxation is q little less than
per cent. Then he demonstrated this
problem in mental arithmetic: Five per
cent tax on tie present valuation would
raise s1a.000.0G0. one million more than
enough to run the state a year If the
railroads were assessed at 50 per cent
their value it would add $500. 900 900 to
the total assessed valua ton, making it
| $500, 0c0 COO On this amount the rate
would have to be only 211 per cent to
raise S15, 600 GOO. The assessment of the
leverage citizen would not have been
raised at all and he would have to pay
only half as big rate, which would cut
his taxes in two.
Referring to the proposed tax law
which will come before the next legisla-
ture, Mr.. Craddock said:
THE present law is all right-all you
need is an honest enforcement of the
law. If the present law is not right
il is the fault OF the Republican party;
/ and if they have not got 1t right in n II
the years they have been in power it
comes with bad grace for them to ask
! for another chance at it.
"A railroad attorney went to Chairman
Farrelly of the Democratic committee
some time ago and told him to call his
blankety- blank man of, wouldn't
dare to repeat that conversatio in the
presence of ladies. but he threatene@