The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-18
GLASS IN REPLY.
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duty to one class of taxpayers which
he does not owe to all classes? The
Scully estate owns hundreds of farms
m Kansas. the value of which is not
the result of the skill and brains of
the Scully family. Mr.. Stubs owns
farms in Kansas which do not owe
their value to the skill and brains of
Mr.. Stubbs In each of these instances,
which might be cited, the values of
the land are the result and product of
the presence of population. If Mr..
Stubs does not know and understand
| this economic truth it is time for him
to take a day off and master Cd the
subject of taxation. Would Mr.. Stubs
shift the burden of tax which is now
borne by the land owner to other
shoulders. from the land which is taxed
only at about ~ per cent of its selling
value. to other classes of property? If
so. then let him say upon whose Shout
ders this added burden should be
lifted off of land must be added to the
remaining property. Mr.. Stubs, if he
means what he says. will seek to
place added taxes on the humble home
of the artisan, on the StOrerOom and
warehouse of the merchant. on the mill
of the manufacturer, on the outfit of
the farm tenant. on the personal pro-
perty of the toiling thousands in Kan
sas who are without landed estate and
on the savings of the poor who have
their fortunes TO make. All THESE must
come under the yoke and bear the in
creased burdens incident to Mr.. Stubs
proposed relief of the land owners.
Can't NuIIify the Law
He asserts that the tax machinery
is being changed to work out different
plans than those on which the COM
mission is now acting Indeed, Upon
feed?' that he can change the consti-
tuition and the laws? Section l, arti-
Gle II, of the constitution provides that.
The legislature shall provide for a
uniform and equal rate of assessment
and taxation In pursuance to that
provision, the legislature has created
the machinery under and by means of
which all assessments must be made.
With a cool disregard of law, which is,
to say the least startling, this man
Stubs a few days ago announced that
he will not collect legacy and success
sion taxes from small estates. If he
were able to carry out thi; threat he
would become nullifier. His threat
is but the idle vaporing of cunning
but i'll Informed politician.
''Mr Stubs has thrown off all pre-
tense to that sincerity and candor
which the scheming politician ordinar-
lily Stimulates and with effrontery APP
peals to the farmers of Kansas for
their support, upon the coarse and
base plane of class interest. I mis-
judge the farmers of the state IL they
can be deceived by him.
fThe Kansas farmer wants justice,
but wants no favors. Mr.. Stubs has
a lively interest in the farmer for the
good he expects the farmer to do him.
He was enrolled in the army which
embraced all the black hordes of
greed, as in 1896, when a majority of
the farmers of the state were march
ing under the banner of Bryan and
reform.
Rights of All Glasses Equal.
'I want, in conclusion. to tell Mr..
Stubbs that for thirty years L have
marched in the ranks and touched ell
bows with the men of Kansas who
place the rights of man higher than
the rights of property. He served his
own purposes when he failed to send
my name to the senate for confirma-
ton for the reason that til rights of
the farmer would have bee-- regarded
as sacredly as the rights of the miner
or the rights of the stock raiser or the
rights of the merchant or the rights
of the manufacturer or tn rights of
the common carrier; yes, as sacred as
the rights of any other man or class
of men, but not one whit more so. He
don't want men connected with his adj
ministration, but he wants servants
whose highest object is to further his
ambitious schemes
Leland Takes a Hand.
Cy Leland has also taken a hand IN
the controversy. Mr.. Leland opposed
Stubbs in the campaign now nearly
three years ago, but since that time
he has joined the Stubs camp. He
agrees with the governor that the dis
charge of Judge Glass was all right
Mr.. Leland said that under the new
tax law, which took effect in 1908. that
the bridge which crosses the Missouri
at st. Joseph, Mo, paid about $4,000
a year less under the new law than 1T
did under the old law. The local au-
thorities assessed the bridge at $780,
900 in 1908. The tax commission re-
duced it to 100000. They did the
same thing in 1909. Senator Brewster
had been representing the county be-
fore this tax commission on the assess
ment or valuation of the bridge.
81 talked with the governor in 1910
and told him the circumstances said
Mr. Leland. 81 gave him the state
about $4,000 less under the new law
than under the old one. showed him
that the bridge valuation under the
new law had been raised three times
from what it was under the old law;
that the railroad valuations in the
county had been raised three times
from what they were under the old
law, but that the land had been raised
seven times. The result Of the figures
was that the bridge paid under the
new law $4,000 less each year, and the
railroads paid $4,000 less and the
other taxable property paid $4,000
more under the new law than under
the old law