The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-26
Chairman Martin Issues Anoth-
er Anti-Tax Law Circular.
He Entities 1t "a Slap In the
Face"
REPLIES TO DOLLEY.
Says Railroads Will Pay Half a
Million Less.
Statement by Commissioners
Concerning the Assessment.

The Democratic state central COM
mittee is continuing its warfare on the
new state tax law.
Today the Democrats issued as a
campaign circular hundred thousand
copies of a circular which reads as fol-
lows;e
"A SLAP IN THE FACE.
~. N. Dolley is chairman of the Re-
publican state central committee OF
Kansas. He was member of the last
legislature and helpedMr. Stubs pass the
tax Law This tax law has shifted the
burden of the taxes in Kansas from
the banks and the railroads to the
farms The farmers in Kansas are
stirred from Coolidge to Kansas City
MIR DolIey as chairman of the Repub-
lican state central committee has taken
notice of their complaint and in the
Kansas City Journal of Saturday. Octo-
Der "a, among other things, he says:
90 AS to the workings of the new law
1t has simply caused readjustmen$ OF
values on Kansas property and distrlb-
uted the burdens of taxation equitably.
If a person rs paying more taxes under
1t than he did under the old law it is
because he escaped his share of the
public burden under the old law; II ne
is paying less now than he did then 1t
is because he paid more than his share
under the old law. II his taxes are
increased under the new law his pro-
perty was either under-assessed or es-
capped entirely under the old law
Under the new law the railroads pay
$500, 900 less taxes this year in Kansas
than they did last year. The banks
pay about $500 less. The farmers pay
this $75O.OOO. According to Mr.. Dolley's
statement, the railroads and the banks
have been paying more than their share
of the taxes and the farmers have been
paying less than their share.
- Il
think the Republicans win change the
tax law If they win? The Democrats
are under promise to change it if they
win. How are you going to vote?
chairman Democratic State Central
Committee"
Mr.. Martin goes on to say that rail-
roads will pay 100000 less taxes this
year than last and that banks will pay
$3.50 900 less. This must be Mr.. Martins
own personal estimate. for the railroads
themselves do not yet know what their
taxes will be this year. The four big
railroads-Santa F'e, Rock Island, I'm
ION Pacific and Missouri Pacific, claim
that their taxes will be higher than last
year. The estimate is based on the
counties in which the tax has already
been figured.
A statement signed by Judge w. S.
Glass. Democrat, and S. T. Howe and
s. c. drummer, Republicans, members
of the state tax commission, has been
issued. They say:
Under the new plan of assessment
there resulted unavoidably and of ne
-cessity REIMBURSEMENT of assessed val
ues in the state, and the astonishing
thing Is, that the increases and de-
creases among the several classes of
property have been so small.
ANY person who is not a designing
rIaaTn4 nil
vestigation. to admit that the social
ed new tax law Is operating with more
Justice to taxpayers than has ever be-
fore been done in Kansas.
THE railroad assessment in Kansas
Is greater proportionately than any 9TH
er state. Let him who is seeking the
truth compare the railroad assessment
in Kansas with the assessment of like
property in Missouri, Michigan, Ohio,
Illinois, Iowa or with any other state
and he VIII at once be convinced of the
truth of this statement. The value
placed upon the Kansas railroad pro-
perty for assessment purposes in 1908 is
remarkably confirmed by the highest
authority in the land, the federal CEN
sus bureau, which bureau with a train
ed corps of experts spent months in
arriving at the railroad values of the
whole country and assigned to Kansas
OF the whole an amount almost exact
" similar to the Kansas assessment
Of that property in 1908.
Those who seek to make political
capital because of fancied grievances
and without investigating all phases of
the question, will not meet with favor
and VIII surely be discredited and es-
pecially will this be so when all such
criticism tends to embarrass the tax
reform which has been so long demand
ed and which the state has only Just
started upon.
SAMUEL T. HOWE
IS. c. DRUMMER.
..-. ..-. wv. c. GLASS"
Edwin s. Waterbury of Emporia
has called meeting of the candidates
on his independent ticket which he