The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-26
Addresses 1t to Mulvane, Al.
baugh and Fitzpatrick.
REVISION OF TAXES.
Advises Them That Legislature
Makes the Appropriations.
Charges That LeadersRepresent
Trusts and MOnOpOlies.

question, asserting that II is the legis-
! lature that makes the appropriations
| and that his department is entrusted
only with the task of seeing that they
are judiciousIy expended He charges
that the men named are the representa-
tives of the corporations, trusts and old
machine crowds. The governors let
| ter follows:
Governor Stubbs' Letter.
"Messrs David Mulvane, Morton Al
baugh, Samuel Fitzpatrick and Asso-
ciates:
my Dear Constituents: 1 have noted
with much interest your great move
ment for a Revision of Taxes Down
ward commencing with the open at
tack last summer of Senator Charles
Curtis, who succeeded ex-senator Long
| as -chief of your forces.
and followed up by your persistent and
almost pathetic efforts to find a can
didate for governor to oppose me, first.
| in Ex-Governor Stanley, second IN
| Judge LobdeH third in ex-Congress-
man Bowersock, fourth in ]. NJ. Nation.
fifth in Ewing Herbert, and sixth n
the young man who heard the call OF
your forces in the Kansas Day club
meeting and became your leader and
standard bearer.
II desire to congratulate you and the
great financial and business interests
| which you have SO ably represented IN
Kansas for coming out in the open and
real popular issue.
"It seems almost too good to be true
to see the high-priced attorneys and
political managers of the Standard Oil
Co. and Harvester trust, together with
an army of railroad attorneys, post
masters and corporation political f1xers
give up their valuable time and spend
their money for the good of the state.
During three or four terms OF the leg
islature 1 have seen the members of
the late senate lodge and the corpora
| tion lobbyists who are leading their
great movement fight to the last ditch
to keep railroad freight and passenger
| rates as high IS possible In Kansas.
and to prevent any legislation being
enacted that would make it possible
| for the state to control the big Har-
vester trust. the Standard Oil and 9TH
er monopolies which are operating
within our borders.
Il have seen these same attorneys
and lobbyists use every strategy ami
maneuver and trick known to profess
sional politics to defeat. delay or annul
by poisonous amendments. our primary
election law. anti-pass law, board OF
control law and every other good
wholesome measure that was calcu-
lated to make Kansas free from the
domination Of machine politics and its
associate evils.
This preliminary statement brings
me to the principal question involved
in this situation. This great popular
movement of you gentlemen and your
| Revising Taxes Downward without
you control the incoming legislature.
The sole power to make appropriations
is vested in the state legislature. Not
one dollar can be expended for any
purpose whatever until the legislature
has appropriated the money and au-
thorized its expenditure.
State Tax Commission.
1.-The state tax commission makes the
tax levy for the sole purpose of raising
enough monev to pay the expenses au-
thorized by the legislature. The laws
of our state make it the specific duty
Of the state auditor to make an official
estimate, stating specifically the needs
of each institution and department ot
the state for each ensuing two years
so that the legislature may have full
Information as to the actual needs OF
the state.
''It is the duty of the governor to see
that every dollar appropriated by the
legislature is wisely. judiciously and
economically expended for the purpose
for which it was appropriated.
IF the taxes were excessive it would
be simply and solely because the legis-
lature appropriated too much money.
1t is plainly to be seen and I know
from past experience that you, Messrs.
Mulvane, Fitzpatrick. Albaugh and
your associates. and the interests
which you represent, we'll know that
the real issue for Revision of Taxes
Downward can not be successful with
out you control the majority of tho
next legislature
Just why you make no reference to
this, the vital and most important part
of your program, 1 am not advised
Complains of Methods.
Now if you representatives of the
railroads and trusts actually have a
working majority of our next legisIa-
ture who are in sympathy with the
Cannon and Aldrich methods, which
you gentlemen also represent, might
they not be tempted to amend the rail-
road laws. the antitrust laws. the
antipass law, and the primary election
law, which takes from your old ma
chine dynasty the caucus and con-
vention system where your political
power was supreme, and many other
good laws which you have fought
with such energy. determination and
skill during the past few years. Would
the people of Kansas have any reas-
enable hope for legislature. which
you and your associates would select.
of securing legislation that would pre-
vent the federal courts from interfer-
ing with laws enacted by our legisla-
ture of an entirely domestic character
in which the federal government has
no rightful interest under the consti-
tution2
would such legislature be likely
to establish a public utilities commits
sion, to replace our present railroad
vested with ample power
to control in an up-to-date way not
only the railroads but all the state
wide corporations to the end that they
shall be servants and not masters Of
fI7a wao0n1o1