The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-20
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Marshall County Democrats
Fight New Tax Law.
Judge Glass, Member of Commits
sion, Lives There.
BOTKIN AT HOME.
He Delivers an Address at Win
field.
Betting Propositions Are Begin
ming to Appear.

One of the most peculiar situations
developed in the present campaign is
the hot fight which was started by the
Democrats of Marshall county against
the new tax law.
| The Marshall county Democrats
were the last ones in the state which
should have opened up such fight.
for it happens that Judge w. S. Glass,
the Democratic member of the state
tax commission, is from MarsnalI
county, and Judge Glass Is strong
defender of the tax law, and knows
that the law has been applied honestly
| and effectively to conditions in TINS
state.
| Nevertheless the Marshall county
Democratic papers have been claiming
| that the new tax law is robbing the
farmers. and that the railways do not
pay their share of the tax other
| Democratic weeklies in that part OF
the state took up the fight, and printed
interviews with Democratic farmers
which went to show that the farmers
were paying more taxes this year tnan
| before. Just about the time that this
attack on the tax law, and on the Re
| publican party for passing such
4 noxious law, was at its height, Judge
| Glass returned from his recent trip to
| Canada, and then went up to his home
at Marysville. This week the Demo-
| cratic papers in that vicinity have APP
| parently forgotten about the iniquities
| of the tax law, and it is suspected that
Judge Glass has been explaining few
| things to them.
| One of the members of the state tax
commission said today: 1.-THE state
| tax commission is a nonpartisan body.
| The members of the commission are
prohibited from taking any part in
politics, and we dislike to see the tax
| alton and assessment question made
! political issue. The charge that the
! present assessment and taxation law
| has resulted in injustice to the farmers
/ is without foundation. 1t has probably
! raised the taxes of some farmers, but
| it has lowered the taxes of others. The
valuations on farm lands have in
creased, of course; but the valuations
on railroads have increased nearly as
II much 1t is a well known fact that
city property, in the past, has been
assessed at nearer it's actual value
than has farm property. Hence the
| increase in city property In probably
not quite as much as that in farm
property. This is fair and right, how
ever, because the theory of the tax law
is that all property shall be assessed
at it's actual value, and If there have
been inequalities in the past, it is the
duty of the assessors to rectify those
| errors. If the farmers have been pay
in less tax than they should under
the old system, they can not on that
account claim the right to have that
wrongful system continued. I do not
general increase in the taxes of the
| farmers
J. d. Botkin had one of the best po-
litical meetings of his campaign last
| Saturday night when he visited his
home town of Winfield. 1t is said to
have been the biggest political meeting
| held in Winfield since the days of Pop
ulism. The opera house was elaborate
" decorated for the occasion. When
| Nv IN
where he had spoken in the afternoon,
his voice was very hoarse, and 1t was
with difficulty that he could make him
| self heard at the opening of his speech.
The audience was enthusiastic, and as
Mr.. Botkin warmed up to his work, his
| voice cleared, and he delivered an elo-
quent speech. The Democrats claim
that Cowley county will go for Botkin
this year, though the county is normal
ly Republican.
Arthur L. Gilbert, state senator from
the First senatorial district, who is
now a candidate for clerk of the dis
trict court of Brown county, was in
Topeka Monday to get his record clear
ed uD.
Mr. Gilbert's political opponents are
attacking him in the present campaign
on the ground that he is not a resident
of Brown county. The session laws OF
1907 set forth that his residence was
says this was a clerical error, and thai
he has always claimed Brown county as
his home.
This claim was substantiated by ar
examination of the records in the Of
flee of the secretary of state. The GER
tificate of Mr.. Gilbert's nomination &c
the office of state senator stated thai
his residence was Powhattan, Brown
county. and the session laws of 100;
also gave Powhattan as Gilbert's resi-
| Hanna Secretary nf State Q r nan,
ton gave Mr.. Gilbert certificate tc
this effect.
Chairman ]. N. Dolley today sent &
telegram to the los chairmen of the Re.
publican county central committees o.
Kansas urging them to see to it tha
the election boards are properly organ
lied on election day. He says in hi
message:
Watch selection of election boards
Insist on selection of active. compel
ent and honest men. Important"
Mr.. Dolley said: I'VE do not antici
pate that there will be any effort t,
steal the election by the Democrats
but we want to have honest, efficien
men on the boards to count the votes
All we want is a square deal"
IF all of the meetings were like TIL
one which Mr.. Taft held in Topeka
Z think that it would pay the state cen
trail committee to make arrangement
: for Mr.. Taft to appear in Kansas of
ten" said Chairman Henderson Martil
| of the Democratic state central com
| mittee. The Topeka meeting was de
| void of anything that might be mistaken
| for enthusiasm and was as comUlete ;
failure as it could have possibly been
| Give US more of Taft and Kansas viii
! go Democratic by 1000 00.-Extract from
] the canned news sent out from Demo
cratic state headquarters, which is ap
pearing in the weekly Democratic pa
:, pers of Kansas.
Ii There has been an unfortunate ten
i dency on the part of the Democrats +
| carry their campaign statements f
such an extent that they are made L
> appear ridiculous, and this is an exam
pie of that tendency which will appea