The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-10-22

urge the fact that although this is re-
garded as an on-year in politics, yet it
is really one of the most important
elections ever held in the state. Pop
ulists at the very inception of the
peoples party movement saw that the
courts are the great bulwark behind
which hide the exploiters of man
kind; and during the early years of
the party, every effort was made to
Wrest the courts from the republican
party. In recent years, especially the
last three, many populist farmers have
hearkened to the "let well enough
alone lullabies of Mark Hanna; few
Of them have actually voted the re-
publican ticket, but many of them
have stayed at home election day and
thought to earn 81 or So by shucking
corn.
This practice bas proven expensive.
Last year several thousand populist
farmers said: There is nothing to
vote for in this campaign; we'll stay
at home today and shuck corn" And
they did so. The result is that the in
creased state taxes alone, this year
over last (and last year was none too
light), would eat up all the corn that
ten thousand men shucked on election
day, 1902. Figure it out for yourself:
Farmers pay more than half the taxes.
The increase this year over last year
is $4,000; that would make $4,000
fall on the farmers; as a matter OF
fact, it is more than this. Counting
corn at 80 1-3 cents bushel, it would
take $4,000 bushels to pay the bill
and that is fair days work for lO,-
coo men.
Please remember, too, that it is not
their earnings alone that was eaten
up by republican extravaganza. 1t took
all the corn that ten thousand men
picked on election day last year. sim
ply to pay for the additional extrava-
gance piled up on an already extrava-
CANT republican administration. It
will take about two and One-half mil
lion bushels OF corn at 33 1-3 cents this
year to pay the farmers share of the
state taxes.
And this is not ALL The state tax is
the lightest of all. County. township,
road district, and school district taxes
will probably run five to eight or ten
times as much as the state levy. Saw
six times for an average. Then 1t
will require something like 18.0OO,O00
bushels of corn to pay the taxes OF the
Nebraska farmers for the year 1903
or four million bushels more than the
total visible supply Of corn on Sep
tember 26 in the entire region east OF
the Rocky mountains.
Bit what has that to do with the
election of Judge Sullivan. the populist
regents, the populist candidates for
district Judge. the popnlist candidates
for county office-especially the new
county assessor? Very. very much.
Suppose we see what populist admin
istration did In the past and compare
It with the present republican extrav-
agance:
Take the total appropriations. Get
the auditors statement which Is
printed shortly after Adjournment OF
each legislature. Note the total
amount appropriated:
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS.
Ses- Amount
sion. Politics. Appropriated.
19o5-Republican ....... ~ 7S4 .6S4 .60
1sq7-Ponulist 2.325 843 40
7Soq-Republican .... 2,591 .2726 60
1oO1-Republican ...... 2275 2S9. 81
1on3-Renublican 3,740, ,280. 20
Only six short years after pop
ulist legislature had made ample ap-
propriations to last for two years.
state expenses. to be handled by pop
ulist state officers. a republican legis-
lature adds more than 81 .4000 0nO to the
appropriations in order to indulge re-
publican state officers in their extrav-
agant wavs Under Governor HOl-
combs conservative administration.
state government was conducted SO
economically that over S212,000 of the
1897 appropriation was not used and
lapsed back into the state treasury.
That accounts for the fact that the
ponulist administration in four years
paid off over s6Snon0 of the state debt
bonds and warrants. ct us also
looh at the state debt. That is a fair
index to the wav business is haing
conducted. Debts must be paid Off bv
living within ones income. Republi-
cans never do that-when they are