The Adair County news., 1907-10-23

ors as may be designated by Jaw.
Said institution shall be known as the
House of Reform The Democratic
general assembly of 1898, when I was
speaker of the house Of representa-
tives, passed this law providing for
the establishment of the House Of
Reform. The Republican general as
sembly of 1862 had nothing to do
with it. It is evident, therefore, that
his statement which l have quoted is
not only in conflict with the truth, but
with the constitution and laws of the
commonwealth.
WiIIfu Misrepresentation.
1 shall refer to another deliberate
and willful Misrepresentation of his
in which he states that l had held the
Republican administration responsible
for the entire 100000 of bonded in
debtedness which we found against
the state in February, 1900. did
nothing of the kind, for in my open
ing speech, and others, have stated
that when the Republican administra-
ton borrowed 100000 they thereby
doubled the bonded debt of the
state" which, of course, to any SEN
sible man means that there was al
ready a borded debt of 100000 when
the Republicans doubled it.
Governor Bradley read my opening
speech, as his speech shows, and said
that l expressed it in that way. He
charges that we have been collecting
more taxes from the railroads than
he did while he was governor. That
is true, and we are glad that he has
called attention to it. He says that
under his administration the franchise
valuation placed on the railroads for
taxation was an average of $11, 1929
$4,000, while under the Democratic adj
ministration the average has been
s22,921,47S. No one has complained
that we have made the railroads pay
exorbitant taxes, for they have pros
pered more than ever before under
Democratic administration, but we
have compelled them to pay upon
fair valuation of their property. From
his figures it appears that we have
doubled the valuation upon them
since his administration. The tax at
so cents on this difference would be
$4,000, which multiplied by gives
$463,680 more collected in taxes from
this one source in the eight years Of
our administration than would have
been collected under the valuation of
the Republican administration. That
increase alone is enough to pay for
One-third of the cost of our new cap
itol. This is one of the things which
goes to explain how the Democrats
with less tax rate than the Republi
cans, have been able to do so much
for the upbuilding of the state institu-
lions. The records show that in 1899,
the last year of Republican admiAistra-
ton, there were only seven railroads
assessed in the state for taxation,
while in 1906, under Democratic adj
ministration, there were nineteen rail-
roads assessed for taxation. There
road business in the state under Dem.
ocratic administration, and some few
lines built, but not enough to make up
the wide difference between and 10.
The Democratic general assembly of
1898 passed the McChord railroad rate
bill, measure Of vast interest to our
people, but Governor Bradley vetoed
that measure and delayed it's passage
until 1900, when 1 became governor
and signed it. Under that law our
people have been saved thousands and
tens of thousands of dollars from ex-
tortionate charges and discrimina-
tons by the railroad companies. 1t is
not surprising, therefore, that the
Republican governor who vetoed that
measure could find only seven railroad