The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-16
DAVE LEAHY WRITES.
Deplores High Tax Cry as Inimical to
Kansas Prosperity.

Dave Leahy, secretary to the gov
ernor, makes a statement in connection
with the political fight now engaging
the attention of the state, that is posi-
lively unique. Dave takes the. stand
that the agitation of the Wagstaff sup
jury to the state. And he backs up
his statement with a brilliant. argu-
ment as follows:
"Dumont Smith wrote that letter for
1-r. Wagstaff. His ear marks are all
over it. He and Senator Curtis have
cost this state fully five million dollars
in the last seven months.
You ask me how. Well let me tell
you. In August last they opened this
attack IN the governor, Senator Curtis
in a speech at Eskridge and Dumont
under the mask of Memo in the press.
They adopted the slogan of higher tax
ation-one of the oldest fakes in poll
tics-as a means of diverting public at
tention from false representatives m
congress, and centering it on the
Square Dealers in hopes that they
would take the defensive and thus keep
them away from the preachment of
progressive Republicanism.
when they did this Kansas had the
fairest and most inviting face in her
history turned towards homeseekers
and investors all over the country. we
scarcecrow of higher taxation was set
US in the development of the vast re-
-urces of the state but when this
searecrow of higher taxatiin was set
up by Mr.. Curtis and Mr.. Smith they
were frightened away and passed us by
en- route to the Panhandle of Texas
and the sunbaked plains of New Mex
leo. A we'll known real estate man has
told me that it has lost Kansas at least
five million dollars in wealth, and
many thousands of people who would
have located here otherwise. You know
that c9nif91 ALWAYS tinid and
cowardly and is especially afraid of the
tax gatherer.
1T was a great crime against the
state and 1 am not surprised that live
and hustling real estate men and town
builders are kicking. You and l would
kick too if we had put in a years work
advertising the state and then have all
our efforts nullified by a couple of
politicians who had no other object in
striking at the interests of their state
than a petty political advantage.
Il know of one man worth $500, 600
who intended making Kansas his home
but who was frightened away by this
cry of excessive taxation. In vain
told him what it's purpose was but he
preferred to believe what Senator Cur
tbs said in a written statement over his
own name to what I said. In this we
have a good lesson that the influence
we clothe our public men with is Otter
turned against our interest"
But you Sa1Q NOurSe1 some Time
ago. put in stand patter, that your
taxes were so per cent greater"
True enough, but 1 also said that
per cent of the increase was for state
taxes while 95 per cent was for loca
improvements that we needed an(
that we voluntarily voted for on a di
rect proposition. But you didn't hea
me kicking, did you? I am one maj
who thinks that we get more for tn,
taxes we pay than for any other in
vestment we make. This year, for in
stance, state taxes will be about 2
per cent lower than they were las
year. In other words a man having
one thousand dollars worth of proper
~ will be called upon to pay only on
dollar for the expenses of state gov
eminent. Now then what do we ge
for that one dollar? 1 can send m
sons and daughters to the State uni
versity college or the State Norma
school without penny of cost-all a
free as the water we drink or the al
we breathe; if 1 had an unfortunat
child that was either deaf dumb
blind, weak minded. epileptic or insan
I could send him or her to a state in
stitution without a penny of expense
II an evil person in any communit
was dangerous or incorrigible or Grim
inal I could have the state step in an
have him removed to the penitentiar
or the reformatory. The state 70
this paltry little old dollar does thi
and more. 1t puts a man among tn
farm ers to cure the cholera in his hog
and the tick and fever in his cattle. ]
posts a man at the scales of the groc