Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1905-01-19

tricts, and I earnestly hora the this Leg.
islature will not neglect this duty.
Good Koaos.
Perhaps no modern movement is OF
wider Significance or of more general IN
terest than that which is commonly
known as the Good Roads Movement"
Widespread interest in better public thor
oughfares Is everywhere manifest Con-
gress has taken definite action In the
ing substantial aid; the public prints are
full of discussions on the subject, while
state legislatures are crystalizing these
advanced ideas into law. The subject is
one of great Importance, especially to the
farmers Good roads are not only mat
ter OF convenience but of practical fl
nancial value. This matter should re-
ceive your most careful and favorable at
tention.
Civil Service.
The platform upon which a majority Of
the members of this legislature were
elected favored the application of reason
able civil service rules to the employees
of state institutions, With the principle
involved / am in hearty accord, and Will
be glad to cooperate with the legislature
in any reasonable enactment along this
line.
The subject of irrigation Is constantly
looming into greater Importance. The
presluent has dignified the subject with
the influence of his great name, andy
frequent expressions of his interest In 1t,
while the national government has taken
advanced steps and Is now lending pow
erful aid to its practical promotion. TINS
state, particularly the western third OF
IT, Is vitality concerned In this matter,
and whatever aid you can render to the
advancement of the irrigation cause,
either Directly through state legislation
or indirectly by influence upon congress
and our delegates in that body, should be
promptly rendered
reform has long been needed In ref
erence to the commercial printing done
for this state. 1t needs reform.
State Fishery.
think the fish and game interests
should be consolidated and one man en-
powered to look after both of them. The
destruction of game is an evil that should
be remedied as far as the law can con-
troll IT. The practice of non-residents
coming into the state and killing our
game for market purposes is one that can
not be too speedily stopped and as
means to this reform | recommend the
enactment of a law imposing a heavy
license upon nonresident sportsmen who
ply their vocation within our borders.
School Lands.
The attention of the legislature Is par
ticularly called to matter of great i'm
portance concerning our school land pos
sessions. There are yet unsold school
lands approximating one million acres,
located chiefly in the western half of
the state. Under the law these lands
are on the market at the minimum price
of 81 % per acre. 1t Is matter of COM
mon noteriety that lands in that part
of the state as well as in other sections
Of the state have greatly enhanced In
value during the last four or five years,
and especially during the last two or
three years. These school lands shour
either be withdrawn from the market
or the price at which they will be sold
increased commensurate with the growth
and development of that county.
Tax Revision.
Every session of the Kansas legisla-
ture for many years has been called
upon to wrestle with propositions for the
revision of our system of assessment
and taxation. The imperfections are uni
versally recognized and its inadequacy
to the needs of the state generally con-
coded.
The Inequalities under the present sys-
TEN in the various sections of the state,
even in counties adjacent to each other
and even in townships in the same coun-
ty. are fragrant and ridiculous, while the
RnOle state suffers III reputation obA ~
as well as in practical effect at home by
this imperfect system of assessment ana
taxation. For instance, while the law as
1t now exists provides for the assessment
of property at it's full value, the entire
assessed value of all the personal prop
erty of the state only aggregates siXty-siX
million dollars, while the bank commits
soner reports over one hundred million
dollars in the banks alone, and the sec
rotary of the state board of agriculture
reports the value Of farm products ana
live stock for the year at S36I,Ol .OD'
and there are many other forms OF per-
sonal property not included in these fig
ures. Not only does this assessment make
our aggregate statistics look insignifl-
cant abroad but it makes our rate OF
taxation appear so enormously high as to
brighten homeseekers, and to deter IN
Vestments by those unfamiliar with the
facts. | think II no eXaggeratton 10 say
that the real value of the personal prop
erty of the state is at least six times It's
assessed value. Such statistics do the
state great injustice abroad, and give the
outside world no proper conception OF
financial conditions here In addition TO
these absurd valuations, purposely MADE
by the various assessors which Denttle
the state, many millions of dollars worth
of personal property escapes taxation al
together. II this legislature can devise
some method by which to accomplish
two results, namely: The honest listing
of personal property for the purpose OF
taxation, and the taxation of 1t at its
real value when listed 1t will have done
that which its predecessors have tried In
vain to do.
Labor.
There are few, If any better indices
to the progress of the people in civiliza-
ton and good government than the es-
| TEEN in which labor Is held ana the
| code of laws enacted for its protection
| After all. in the last analysis, nearly all
values resolve themselves into the value
of labor. The laws upon our statute
| books primarily in the interest or oul
laborers. If compiled. would make quite
| a large book. In 1898 the legislature
| added to these enactments Il law creating
| a State Society of Labor and Industry
An elaborate report from the Officers oil
| It for the years 1901 and 1902 has Jusl
been issued. 1t will be found a volume
of great interest and profit. The laboi
| commissioner makes some recommended
| lions, to which | call your attention.
The last legislature authorized the eN
| pendture, under the auspices OF TN
| Woman't Social Science Federation, o
| 81 200 I'm the purchase of books and pic
lures for the Girls Industrial school a
| Beloit. II was a wise expenditure, ana
now recommend the appropriation OF {
similar sum for the Boys Industrial
school at Tope5a.
Gas and Oil.
The marvellous development of the ga
| and oil resources of the state impose
duty upon this legislature which no TOT
| mer legislature has had to meet. Mon
| opoly threatens to rob our people of tn
| chief benefits of this great endowmen
| and appropriate the profits to itself. How