The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1902-04-03
THE SECOND BR0ADSIDE
SHOT By SEC'Y. COOK.
Taxation Of Corporations Under DOmO.
cratic aud Republican Admin
iS.ratiOnS.
BY SAM II. COON.

the board of equalization, which il
composed OF the governor secretary
of state, auditor, treasurer and at
torney general, in the discharge OF
their sworn duty discriminate in fa'
vor of corporations in fixing assess
ments.
This is IA serious accusation and il
true should drive from public life
every man who is thus faithless to
public trust.
Let us look at the records and see
ifthe charge is true The democratic
party challenges Il comparison OF
records on this important subject as
well as in all other matters pertain
ing to the conduct OF state affairs.
What are the facts?
The records show that during the
six years the republicans We're in
power in Missouri, the railroads were
permitted to escape taxation alto
get her,
Taxes were high in those days, The
people We're sorely embarrassed to
meet the demands of the state. but
these great corporations werepermit-
ted To go scot-iree.
Not republican newspaper nor IA
republican, orator has even had the
fairness to mention this chapter in
the history OF their party, nor the
courage to attempt an explanation
of such gross official iavOritism,
Now let Us look at the democratic
record.
The assessment Of railroad prop
erty in Missouri has steadily increas-
ed under democratic control until it
re0chelIaS year "A total ofSS2, I6',-
1920. This is exclusive Of street
railways and railroad bridges which
swell the total to $110,G71,l7S,9l.
From nothing under the republi-
can rule to over $4,000, 10000 I'M
der democratic management is the
record the republican managers must
face.
The railroads Of Missouri, includ-
ing all branch lines, now bear an
average assessment of Sl1 ,E3O per
mile. Certainly il Missouri'S demo.
cratic officials have been iaithlesS in
assessing railroads, our intelligent
and solicitous republican friends can
point to some republican state which
would serve as an object lesson in
well doing.
Missouri is bound on the east,
north and west-by republican states.
Many of our railway systems trav-
erse all four OF these great states.
Missouri certainly has none the best
Of either in railroad development, \
comparison Of the four states. there
fore, gives the relative merits other
respective assessments.
The official figures for 1909 make
the following showing;
Illinois, per mile = 1926
Kansas, per mile 6,S70
Iowa. per mile 1881
Missouri, per mile l1,430
SO il democratic Missouri has been
faithless in the assessment of rail
roads, what is to be said of republi-
can Illinois, where the valuation per
mile is So, 704 less, -or- of republican
Kansas, where the valuation per mile
is S4, $50 less, or OF stalwart republi-
can Iowa, where the valuation per
mile is SO, 449 less?
But this is not all. While the aver
age assessed value per mile, including
all branch lines, in Missouri is SILL
430, the assessment of the main lines,
such as the Missouri Pacific, Wabash,
Burlington, Rock Island, Frisco, NJ.
X. & t., Santa Fe, and Chicago &
Alton, range all the way from $13,.
900 to $500 per mile.
II our republican friends are sincere
and want to be fair, let us compare
the assessment OF these main lines il
Missouri with the valuation fixed by
the republican states in which thu
roads are operated.
The Burlington, for instance, oper
ates in all four of the states. Thu
following table tells it's own story:
Illinois, value per mile 900.
Kansas, value per mile 7,O0t
Iowa, value per mile 1925
Missouri, value per mile 1925
Nearly twice as much in Missouri
as in Illinois; more than twice a
much in Missouri as in Kansas, an,
athird morein Missouri than in Iowa