Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-23

made somewhat famous by the pasage
OF the Molesburg bill that was in
tended to cement the alliance between
the c. B. & O., railroad and a GER
tain master of the railroads up here i'm
ST. Paul, known as Jim Hill.
Local Taxes Increased.
Your board of supervisors levied
taxes in 1907 of $406,946. That is
about sS7,00OO0 more than was levied
in 1902. Now I don't know you did,
that l didn't elect your board of su-L
pervisors. l didn't provide for yours.
expenses. / have no doubt that this
expense was properly made. have
no information whatever with regardf
to why you increased your local eN-r
penses $S7,000.00 between 1902 and
1907. I have no doubt that your citi-
zens can fully explain that increase
but don't charge it up to me. Now
your state taxes for the year were
S23, 402.8S. That is s2.700.00 more than
in 1902 Now, therefore, the proper
county had to pay of the increased
taxes of the state since 1902 amounted
to s2,700. Thus the men and women
of Wapello county are contributing
$1,000 toward these added functions of
the state of Iowa, that have SO im-
perfectly described That does not
seem to be heavy burden upon you,3
does it?
Eight Cent Burden.
How many people are there in Wap-
clio count? GA voice, "35000.") 3D.
900 people in Wapello county and they
pay $1,000 on account of these increas-
ed expenses and that you will observe
is not quite s cents a piece. s cents
from each of you men and women con-
stitutes this mighty burden of which
we have heard so much and if there
is person here who feels this can
tell him how he can get even. The
last legislature reduced the passenger
fare on the railways from 3 cents to 3
cents and if there is any man here
who has really suffered on account Of
that s cents paid, let him just get on
to railway and ride miles and he
will fully reimburse himself An then
| If he will get on again and come back
as good citizen ought to do, he will
be 8 cents ahead and will have laid
the foundation of an independent for
| tune. We sometimes magnify things,
| you know Ft
WapeLIo's Increase.
But there is another thing with re-
gard to our finances that I want you
| to remember. When I became governor
and up to last year, the railway COM
! panys taxes were $1,500,00 and last
year $2,200,000, an increase of $500, 900
| in one year. Now if Wapello county
is an average county in Iowa In rail-
way mileage, and know that she is
more than an average county, then her
share Of the increase in railway taxes
of last year is more than $1,000 and
she can take the whole increase in
state expenses out Of the payment by
the railway company and still have
| $4,000 left.
That is not all There Is another
little thing that illustrates the pro-
gressive administration of this state.
| When l came in as governor | discoy-
cred that the banks in Des Moines had
been receiving for years the state de-
| posits and had not been pc,-'ng any
interest on them You know It is the,
law and has been for a great many
years that the deposits must be made
4 in the banks at Des Meines. Stillsit
seemed to me there was no reason
why the banks should not pay in ter.
est on the state deposits just as they
| paid interest upon every other do
posit which they had and so recon-
mended to the general assembly the
amendment to the law that would re-
quire the state treasurer to take inter
est from banks in Des Moines. Well,
then began one of the most interest,"
| ing campaigns that I have ever had
| anything to do with.
Well, the bill became a law. I still
have nv political hide and by the
grace of the republicans of this state
expect to keep it for some time to
come.
Since that time the banks in Des
MONIES have paid into the state treas
ury 100000 and more of interest upon
said deposits.
Think Well of Your State.
| Now I have given these things to
you in candor not so much because
they affect my candicady for the Uni
/ ted States senate but because / want
you to think well of your state. 1t
has always enjoyed high place in the
constellation of stars and the light
from it's form it seems to me has al-
ways been little f1rrner and shone a
| little steadier than any other in the
| field and want you to think well OF
your commonwealth and therefore I
give you this outline of our financial
history during the last few years.
i Now / come to another subject. Now
/ come to the subject which has so
disturbed my friends, which SO dis
turbed my former friend and associate
of 20 years, Senator Deliver The
great struggle of the last quarter OF
the century has been the regulation,
the restriction and control Of our cor
porations. The great question, the
vital problem of the years to coma
will be the control, the restriction, the
i regulation Of our corporations. !
don't pretend to be a pioneer in the
! great world Of tracking and marking
the various kinds of growth and the
i power Of associated wealth combined
/ with genius in the form of the corpor-
alton.
Lsuds Larrabee.
i Governor Cummins lauded William
Larrabee and Governor LaFollette for
what they had done for the peoples
cause. He spoke of the corporations.
especially of the railroads, declaring
that the capitalization of the country's
roads was $16,OOO,O0O,0O while the ac-
tual value of the roads was only 3d.
000O00,000 and still the railroad mag
mates demand interest on their water
ed stock, all at the expense of the peo-
pie. The governor said he was not
hostile to the railroads and that they
are just as necessary as the sunshine
but do desire that they have only
); what is just and right and that the
} people be protected which they were
4 not when some rode for 3 cents a
mile, others at ~ cents, still others
at 2 cents and great many for moth
ing