Mexico Missouri message., 1902-04-03
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COOKS HANDBOOK.
How Democratic Legislation
Gets the Corporations.


book on Missouri politics between
Democratic Missouri and the adjoin
ing Republican States as to the man
ner of assessing railroads, as follows:
The charge is made i'll each cam
paign by hired Republican stump
speakers that the State Board of
Equalization, which is composed of
the Governor, Secretary of State,
Auditor, Treasurer and Attorney Gen
eral, in discharge of their sworn duty
discriminate in favor of corporations
in fixing assessments.
This is n serious accusation, and if
true should drive from public life
every man who is thus faithloss to
public trust.
Let us look Mt the records and see
if the charge is true. The Democratic
party challenges n comparison of rec
ords on tins important subject, as we'll
rs in other matters PERTAINING to the
conduct of State affairs,
What are the facts?
The records show that during the
six years the Republicans were in
power in Missouri, the railroads were
permitted to escape taxation alto
gether.
Taxes were high in those days. The
people were sorely embarrassed to
meet the demands of the State, but
these great corporations were permit.
ted to go scot free.
Not Republican newspaper nor a
Republican orator has over had the
fairness to mention this chapter III the
history of their part nor the courage
to attempt an explanation of such
gross official favoritism.
Now let us look at the Democratic
record.
The assessment of railroad property
in Missouri has steadily increased
reached last year total of $50, 165-
1889. This is exclusive of street
railways and railroad bridges, which
swell the total to $40, 60l, 1881.
Il rum luIt
to over $50, 900, 600 under Democratic
manage ment is tho record the Repub-
lican party managers must face.
The railroads of Missouri, including
all branch lines, now bear an average
assessment of si1 ,43O per mile. Ger
tainly if Missouri's Democratic of
ficials have been faithless in assess
ing railroads, our intelligent and So
licitous Republican friends can point
to some Republican State which would
serve as an object lesson in well -op
ing.
Missouri is bounded on the east,
north and west by Republican States.
Many of our railway systems traverse
all four of these great States. Mis-
souri, certainly has none the best of
either in railroad development y
comparison of the four States, there
fore, gives the relative merits of their
respective assessments.
The official figures for 1900 make
the following showing;
Illinois, per mile. ...........Si,i 26
Kansas, per mile. ........... $50
Iowa, per mile. ............... 4,9Sl
Missouri, per mile. ........... ,A3O
SO if Democratic Missouri has been
faithless in tho assessment of rail
roads, what is to bo said of Republican
Illinois, where the valuation per mile
is So, T0i less, or of Republican Kansas,
where the valuation per mile is 800
less, or of stalwart Republican Iowa,
where tho valuation per mile is &,ii9
less?
But this is not all while the aver
age assessed value per milo, including
all branch lines in Missouri is Sll ,i30
the assessment of the main lines, such
as the Missouri Pacific, Wabash, Bur
lngton, Rock Island, Frisco, NJ. X,
& T., Santa Fe and Chicago q Alton,
range all the way from $l3, 600 to $40,
600 per mile.
If our Republican friends are sin
cere and want to be fair, let us com,
pare the assessment of these main
lines in Missouri with the valuation
fixed by the Republican States il
which the roads are operated.
The Burlington, for instance. oper
ates in all four of tho States. TIL,
following table tells its own story;
Illinois, value per mile. .."S9, 90
Kansas, value per mile. ....,... ZOO
10
Missouri, value per mile .......l5,29
Nearly twice rs much in Missouri
as in Illinois; more than twice a
much in Missouri rs in Kansas, and
third more in Missouri than in Iowa
The Wabash does not operate i
Kansas, so we will have to omit tina
State from this table:
Illinois, value per mile. ........Sh35
Iowa, value per mile. ........... 80!
Missouri, value per mile. S,As
But this comparison, bad rs it
for the Republicans, 10 not all. TIL
Missouri Pacific operates in Missou'
and Kansas, and here are the figures
Kansas, value per mile, ..,,.....$7,4!
Missouri, value per mile. ...... 1870
And then here is another compar
son which tolls the same story. I'll
Chicago g. Alton operates in Nilsson
and Illinois. It's lines i'll the latp