Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-21
TIE cAsE OH ME-. KING.

Of The Bee: / see you have placed our
Senator King IN your list OF senate re-
pudiationists." We are not surprised up
here that he should have gone back on the
platform, for he told us after election that
he was not bound by its pledges ana that
he had given you his signature with a
string attached to IT, especially as to ter
minal taxation. Is this true? or did he
fool you the same as he fooled US?
REPUBLICAN.
The case Of Mr.. King may warrant
detailed examination, although moth
ing in It in any way justifies him for
repudiating the platform pledge which
he signed. When the blanks we're
sent out last fall to the republican
! legislative candidates among the first
to respond was Mr.. King, with the ac-
companying note:
OsCEOLA, Neb, oct 2, 1sO6.-To the
Editor OF The Bee: l herewith return the
platform synopsis signed at your request.
Your plan is all right. f. L. KING.
A few days later Mr.. King evidently
suffered qualms of conscience and,
calling over the telephone, asked that
his signed pledge be returned to him
without giving 1t publicity. The doc
ument was promptly sent back along
with this letter:
! OMAHA, oct. s, 19O6.-Hon E. L. King,
OsceOla, Neb.: AS you requested, I return
to you herewith the platform synopsis bear
ing your signature. I think II you will
| look into the matter mentioned over the
| phone more carefully you will find that
/ you made no mistake in subscribing to its
various propositions. II you will read the
/ platform carefully you will find that it ex-
pressly states that the proposed taxation
Of railway terminals for city and village
/ purposes is not to interfere with the taxes
now levied on railroad property in county
and school district.
| / think II you will investigate you will
find that the railroads are paying prac-
tically no city taxes whatever in the state
Of Nebraska and that the alleged distribu-
ton is but a pretence to avoid contributing
to the support of city government notwith-
standing the fact that they reap all the
| benefits VICTOR ROSEWATER,
Editor.
| When the platform synopsis signed
by the large majority of republican
candidates in all the various Nebraska
districts appeared in The Bee the peo-
pie in Mr.. Kings district began to ask
why his signature was not also at
tached. They could not see why he
should be appealing to them to vote
for him as the republican nominee un-
less he were standing squarely on the
republican platform. The result was
the receipt shortly after of the follow
ing communication:
OsCEOLA, Neb, Oct. 26, 19O6-To the
Editor Of The Bee: 1 return herewith the
platform synopsis, which 1 received from
you sometime ago. In sending this in for
publication do so on your promise that
the proposed law relative to terminal tax
alton OF railroads shall in no way operate
to reduce the taxes below the point al
which they are at present in the smaller
cities and towns After thinking the matter
over carefully l have decided to allow the
use Of my name to this synopsis, with the
foregoing express understanding. have
the honor to remain, e. L. KING.
The returns of the election in the
Eighteenth senatorial district show
that Mr.. King was elected by a bare
majority of the votes cast. Had there
been no third candidate he woulC
probably have been beaten anyway
and had he not come out boldly on the
platform pledges he would in all like
lihOod have been beaten as it was.
is safe to say, therefore. that he wa
elected only because the republican,
of his district were assured that h,
would help redeem every one of tn,
promises the party had made.
J The strange part of the case of Mr.
: King is that in explaining his attitude
! on the terminal tax bill on the floor o
, the senate he put his opposition to
prive any city or village of railroa,
taxes now enjoyed, but on a pretende,
r discovery that it was unconstitutiona
and that, despite it's express declara
1 ton to the contrary, it would interior
with the present distribution OF as
sessed values for state, county an
school district taxes. AS If the rail
roads would go to trouble and expens
to defeat a law which they knev
would be declared unconstitutional.
To the question whether The Be
was fooled by Mr.. King as were hi
constituents, we have only this to sa
= that The Bee was not greatly foole
because 1t placed little reliance upo
an eleventh-hour pledge given in fea
of losing needed votes, -
THE FILIpINns APPROXIMATELY