The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-10-23

age book you receive two-cent fare.
This is the best argument in favor of
two-cent fare. In all public service
corporations, good wages should be
paid and the investment should bring
fair sum, but the cheapest and best
service consistent with these conditions
should be given the people. Our plat
form declares that men can ride at the
same cost, If they have $50 or 80 cents.
One Republican candidate for the leg
islature, Mr.. Chapman, has declared
for two-cent railroad fare, and | be-
lieve that until election a good many
more Republican candidates will do
likewise. We do not want two-cent
fare in order to obtain credit for the
Democratic party, but we want two
cent fare for the good of the people.
The poor, old, blind Cleveland Leader
has declared in favor of two-cent fare,
but this is not found in the Republican
platform"
FREE PASSES.
Switching from two-cent railroad
fare, Mr. johnson talked on free passes
and, to illustrate his point told, a
story of BILLY" Radcliffe of Youngs-
town. Radcliffe is a patent medicine
vender, but spends most of his time
talking politics. The yarn runs some
thing like this. The ordinary man pays
SIS to ride tU San Francisco, the
preacher half that amount, but the
hog is shipped for S.. The auditor,
however, rides on pass aud beats the
hog.
This story" said Mr.. Johnson,
points moral. Who pays for the man
who rides on pass? Who pays for
the trips Of auditors in buffet cars,
stored with wines? You people pay
for it, yourself These auditors, when
they ask railroads for passes, forget
the people who elected them, my
friends. The railroads Of this state
alone are not paying by s4,0O0,O0O
their just share of taxes. This pays
for buffet cars and passes and leaves
several million dollars for the rail-
ioou oNhCios "ho lOl lut Sh-
penses of maintaining lobbies at the
Columbus legislature by the railroads."
Reverting to the two-cent fare issue,
Mr.. Johnson stated that the railroads
had seen to it that this question should
not be incorporated in the platform of
either party in past years. The speak
er said that at the last Democratic
convention delegates stated publicly
that if that plank would be placed in
the platform, the railroads would spend
100000 to defeat the Democratic tick
ct. Il told them,' said Mr.. Johnson,
that the railroad would spend 100000
to defeat us at any rate
Over at Kilbuck, Mr.. johnson stated
that a Republican candidate for the
legislature declared for two-cent fare,
but would not promise to vote for it.
"The railroads" said Mr.. Johnson, "in
Democratic counties contribute to the
Democratic funds; in Republican coun-
ties to the Republican fund, and in
close counties to both, so that which
ever way the election goes, the rail-
road
is ON TOP.
"Then we have the proposition of
home rule. We believe that each coun-
ty and each city should decide purely
local questions for itself Local ques-
tions, | mean, in which the state has
no interest whatever. The present code
adds several thousand dollars more to
the current expenses of city. The
question of home rule Is simply the
question of whether we are fit for self
government. If we must admit that
we must have boss or dictator to rule
us, then we admit a principle which
may lose our liberty.
But, passing to taxation. Our plat
form declares in favor of an equitable
system of taxation. Now, to show you
more plainly. | will show you few
bad cases in Cleveland, which exist in
your city. We are fighting to keep the
poor from paying the taxes which the
capitalists should bear. In Cleveland,
under the supervision of tax experts,
the taxes on 10000 pieces of property
were investigated We found that small
properties were assessed for more than
the selling price displayed upon the
front of the properties. There are two
properties in Cleveland, valued at s1O,-
100000, which are assessed for
LESS THAN SIX PER CENT.
The beneficiaries of this unjust system
applied for an injunction and wiped
out the tax department, enjoining any
further examination. The assessor re-
ceiving 81 day, my friends, can place
a value upon a small home within $50
of the real cost of erecting it. But
put him on Euclid avenue, where we
dudes lives, and he cannot guess with
in $4,000 the value of single pic
ture hanging on the wall. The asses
sor when he places value on a man