The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-10-10

old returns. The gas companies and
the other public service corporations
were putting on very low per cent
s and 10 per cent of their stock, of the
selling price. The steam railroads OF
this state pay 20 per cent out of every
hundred dollars of the selling price,
and so there is $105,000 in this county.
Your part Of the $4,000,000 every year
is $105,000. That would build a
whole lot of pixies and have yet to
see the first pike while l have been
travelling through the county in my
automobile.
WOULD CUT DOWN TAXES.
1T would go long ways to pay for
school purposes, or 1t would cut down
your own taxes $105,000 every year,
and you would still have as much
money to spend. Twenty dollars out
OF every hundred dollars Is what the
steam railroads pay. Farms and
homes pay on basis Of so or 60 per
cent Banking capital is assessed at
66 2-3 on every one hundred dollars;
but my friends, every dollar belonging
to widow and orphans in the hands
of executors and administrators and
guardians that has to be accounted
for at the courthouse of all the eighty
eight county seats that have to be re-
turned in your probate court, every
dollar pays at one hundred cents on
the dollar
I'VE do not ask that steam railroads
be made to pay as much as the widows
and orphans. We do not ask that they
be made to pay as much as the bank
ers even. We only ask that they be
made to pay at the same valuation
that homes and farms are to be down
on the tax duplicate. They should
come up to that point, and IL they did,
they would pay $4,000000 every year
more than they are now paying, and
this county would get $105,000 year.
Your auditor, Mr. Reed | believe his
name Is. who helped by every vote |
heard him cast, to keep down the taxes
on the railroads and by 1t he was vot-
ing to keep up the taxes on the people
of his own county.
Il do not know whether he rides on
pass or not. l think he did. He
did not deny it when / charged him
with 1t. / do not know whether he
goes on the annual excursions or not.
All the railroads of this state have
what they call a land agent. The
land agent is a man in the first place
that has not anything to do with land.
When he comes they expect him to
land the auditor, and usually he does.
His principal mission in life is to fur
nish passes to auditors and their
friends and sometimes subscribe to
their campaign fund, and IL it is a
close county they subscribe to the
funds OF both parties.
ENCOUNTERED PASSES.
when we went before the auditors
and showed them that there was $4,-
100000 due for steam railroads on tax
tation, we encountered the pass diff
Guilty right away. These $4,000, 900 di-
vided up between the eighty-eight
auditors amounted to $45,000 an audi
tor. That is the average, and yet they
say all they get out of it is a pass.
Now If the auditors only get a pass
for giving $4,000 year on the aver
| age to the railroads, / must say they
are cheap lot of men,.
1--WE went higher and Jared worse
We went before four state officers, the
state treasurer, the state auditor tha
railroad commissioner and the attor-
ney general, The attorney general
/ can never speak his name without
some sort of contempt getting on
my lips-Auditor Sheets.
1--WE are told that they not only rode
on passes and accepted favors, but
when they were first elected they were
invited to trip to California, and Of
| fered everything their hearts could
wish for, and to all the principal cities
coast and return without it costing
them one penny If they had done
that on their own private account, ii
would have cost them more than the
combined salaries of the four men fol
! the year. Three accepted the invita-
tion; the other did not because he was
sick.
And we told them that we thought
probably even that would have some
influence on that august body. 1t did
They voted like jury would vote. II
you have q case against railroad
and you lost your case, you would
not be surprised If you heard that the
jurors each had a pass in his pocket
"The Republican has gotten down to
the position today that the leaders
of the party should all follow the
example of Lincoln. They have come
down to the position that they have
today lined up that party in favor of
monopoly and privilege and the pro-
lection of men in the management of
unjust privileges, and we would ap-
peal to you today to do with them
as we proposed to do with our rene
gade Democrats-turn them out of Of
fec.
NONE HAVE ANSWERED.
Nov my friends we have invited
people to come on the platform or
to ask questions. We have extended
that invitation to other men from
United States senator's to county audi
tors and none accepted the Invitation.
Do yon think anybody could go into
Cleveland with tent and make
charges against the Cleveland admin
istration, and keep me out? If l did
not appear l would feel that / was
pleading guilty Now that Is exactly
their position. The best proof that
we are saying is the truth is that they
do not deny it. They cannot deny 1t.
"We address these questions to you