The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-10-22
WHY POPULISTS SHOULD
STRAIN EVERY NERVE TO
81 EcT THEID CANDIDATE

crease OIL only ZJ.4 per cent.
Cass county farmers and business
men find their state taxes 81 per
cent higher this year; the railroads
escape with raise of 42.9 per cent.
Polk county farmers must pay 1874
per cent more state taxes because one
OF her citizens was selected eight days
before the republican convention by
John N. Baldwin & Co: but Johns
railroads will pay only 20 per cent
more.
And SO with nearly every county in
the state. These figures apply only to
the state levy; but as the differences
in per cent of increase between the
farmers and the railroads come about
through the way Baldwin's railroad
state board of equalization kept down
the railroad assessment, while the
precinct assessors raised the valua
ton of farmers and business mems
property nearly eight millions, an in
sIectiOn of the county tax records will
show that the railroads have big
advantage in county and other local
taxes as compared to last year.
SALINE COUNTY.
This week The Independent will use
Saline county as an illustration, show
ing the Importance of having the pop
Ulist county assessor elected.
In 1902 the grand assessment roll of
Saline county was:
Railroad property ........$ 29,375.75
Other property ........... 2,21l,l474S
The state levy was ~ mills, which
made the state tax as follows:
Railroads ........ 5,olU.5z
Others 16,683.60
This year the precinct assessors
raised the assessed valuation SILL
40S.7S; but the state board cut down
the railroad assessment 81, 478.54, maxi
ing the roll for 1908:
Railroads ........ ........$ 52bS97.2l
Others NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2,422, 556.26
The state levy was 91A mills, MAX
| ing the state tax as follows:
Railroads ...................$ o,Ol5Ol
Others ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 23.O14.28
Which means that the farmers and
business men of Saline county must
pay 37.9 per cent more state taxes
than last year, while the railroads es-
cape with an increase of only 1916 per
cent. A similar disparity will be
| found in the county levy. Go to the
records and find out for yourselves.
Down in Saline county the populist
candidate for county, assessor is A. j.
Storms, of Western He is making
the fight of his life, although the Office
pays but $500 year, because he has
found that his opponents are using
plenty of money to carry the day. No
body but the railroads could afford to
spend money to carry a $500 Office.
But every dollar SO spent will later
be collected from the farmers of Sa-
line county by some advantage in rail-
road taxes.
It would be folly for Mr. Storms to
meet his opponents by also spending
money. If the farmers of Saline eoun-
ty care so little about being gouged by
railroad tax-shirking and freight rate
robberies, that they will not turn out
election day and elect Mr.. Storms
| who has no railroad strings tied to
him-then let them suffer the in
creased robbery.
What is true regarding Mr.. Storms
and Saline county is true of the pop
ulist candidates in every county, as
far as The Independent knows. But
| II the railroads own any populist can
| dsdate anywhere. The Independent
hopes he will be beaten. If 1t must be
q railroad assessor, let it be a re-
publican and let the republicans bear
the blame.