Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-05-22
Railroad Taxes i'm 1906.
Railroad Taxes in 1907.

GOVefnOr CRAWFORD anu Cne TelOTIn
state officials after reading the follow
ing figures showing the amount Of
taxes the railroads paid under the
Kittredge machine rule in 1906, and
the amount paid the first year under
Governor Crawford's administration.
The following amounts represent
the entire railroad state tax:
Railroad tax 1907. 1850. 4S6 OF
Railroad tax 1907.... ...... 1893, 1852 At
Increase 1907 over 1906. !. 1921, 1923 SIS
The amount of 1,713.55 tells you
what it cost the tax payers OF the
state to keep Kittredge and his ma
chine crowd in power, and it should
demonstrate clearly what it means to
return the Kittredge crowd to office
again.
OF the total tax paid by the rail-
roads in 1907 the following amounts
| we're paid.
For twine plant .$27 ,O68
For deficiency ............... 21,654
Total s4s, ,722
The balance, $l73,OOl, ,55. went to
the various counties OF the state.
The increase in rail5oad ter in Law
renee county was over $4,000 and in
Minnehaha over $4,000, in Brown
county over $1,000, showing how
nicely the machine bosses protected
their masters in the boss ridden coun-
ties in the state.
This is remarkable exhibit and
one that every tax payer should re-
member when he selects men June 9th
to run the state for the next two
years.
It should also be remembered that
the railroads are backing Mr.. Kit
tredge and his various followers on
his state ticket in hope Of defeating
the reform ticket and thus place men
in power who could conveniently find
cause to reduce the railroad taxes and
compel the farmers and business men
to make up the difference.
Railroad officials dislike, more than
any other class, to be compelled to
pay just and fair rate of taxes and
for that reason they used free passes
and patronage to control legislation
and defeat all men who aimed to in
terfere with their right to rob the
farmers. A railroad corporation is no
better than a farmer who helps to
support them, and they could not
have escaped paying just share of
taxes only through hired political bos-
ses and a corruption fund which many
an honest man found out to his sor-
row In seeking an election to the leg
islature.
In the present contest for control
of the state no one will doubt for a
moment where the railroads stand
and who they are supporting.
It remains to be found out whether
the people will be true to themselves
or whether they will surrender their
rights to corporation crowd who feel
as old Commodore Vanderbilt felt
when he said: "The people be dam
med, when asked regarding the rights
Of the people in one of his railroad
deals.
The LEADER asks no unjust legisla-
tion towards the railroads but it asks
that they be compelled to pay taxes
on fair valuation of property just as
the farmers are compelled to do, and
the time is not far distant, we hope,
when the railroads will attend to
their own business and not meddle
with the people in pursuit OF their
own affairs, but the railroads are not
going to surrender this year. They
are working as only corporations can
work to defeat the will of the people
by keeping Kittredge in the senate
where they need him and by electing
state ticket and legislature COM
posed of men who will stand by them
in the future and eventually undo
the reform legislation won soglorious-
ly by Gov. Crawford and his friends.
The people must rule.
Kittredge is forcing his friends in
to a local 0rnrrilla warfa ra that, will