The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-07
HITS Them HARD.
Express Company License Tax
Bill Passed in House.
Debate a Reminder of the Old
POpulist Days.
MERCER BILL KILLED.
MERCER BILL KILLED.
Effort to Force Provision for
Sinking Funds Baked.
One Of the Plans Suggested by
Former Auditor Nation.

Davis of Kiowa was called to the
speakers chair in the house in com
mittee of the whole Monday afternoon
and he had a busy time while the
house quarreled over three bills relat-
ing to taxation. Davis makes an ideal
presiding officer. He insists on per
feet order while members have the
floor in debate and his enforcement of
parliamentary rules was as rigid as it
was fair
The most important measure passed
by the house at the Monday afternoon
session was the bill by Wallace of Ness
county imposing a license tax of per
cent on the gross earnings of express
companies in this state. In it's original
form the bill included telephone and
telegraph companies, but these wera
struck out of the measure by amend
ment.
The debate on this bill was a revival
of the spirit of the old days when the
wind blew through PETERS whiskers
and chilled Jerry's sockless feet. Wal
lace called on suffering mankind to
witness that the express companies
had boldly confiscated the old copy
righted plan of Capt. Kidd to take tho
public's money. He referred to their
charges as highway robbery"
That old war horse, Brown of King
man, took chips in the game and raised
his voice against the trusts. Hyer of
been held up by an express company.
Other members joined in the debate
and would not listen to any suggestion
from some of the more conservative
members that the state railroad board
had recently secured q reduction in ex-
press rates in the state.
The Kansas house went on. record
as being hep" to the express com
panies and their methods. The rail-
roads, Standard Oil and the Harvester
trust and the Pullman Car company
concern, and the telegraph and tele-
phone companies. these were poor and
needy business enterprises struggling
to make both ends meet in comparison
with the express companies. The 120
per cent dividends paid by these lord
ly concerns were too much for the
charity of the Kansas house and the
members did not let the occasion slip
to express their views in regard to ex-
press charges
The three per cent tax mentioned
in the bill in its original form was
raised to six in order that the state
might really get the three per cent of
the gross receipts, as the latter term
had been held to mean gross after
the railroads had dipped in for fifty
per cent of the whole, argued the
mathematicians of the house. And as
1t was spoken so it was done The
telephone and telegraph companies,
which had been mentioned in the orig
inal bill as subject to a two per cent
license tax. were taken out of the tax
list. 1t was not thought proper that
these two concerns with their pitiful
ten and twenty and thirty per cent
of profit should appear in company
with the lordly 120 per cent corpora
tions.
The Mahurin bill providing for a
penalty for giving rebates for prompt
payment of taxes was also recon-
mended for passage. 1t is claimed that
this bill will result in a saving to the
alone of $4,000 per year
The Armstrong bill relating to as.
sessments for high school purposes
raised a mpest-in-a-teapot debate
and finally the bill was recommended
for passage subject to amendment
and debate. The measure provides
that the board CT trustees of a county
shall not levy to exceed three-fourths
of one mill on the assessed valuation
of the county for county high school,
purposes Wettack of Montgomery
fought the bill to a finish. He got il
amended sc as not to include counties
of more than 80 million dollars assess
ed valuation.
The bill by Mercer. of Chase county
relating to the laxness of county and
city officials in making tax levies tx
pay off their bonded Indebtedness wal
also debated at length in committe,
of the whole and the enactfng CLAUSE
stricken out. 1t was a measure of con
siderable Importance to a great many
counties in the state. The hill is a.
follows: THAT any county commission
er county clerk city clerk or othei
public officer whatever whose duty i
is to make levies under existing stat
utes for the payment of bonds or in
terest upon any municipal obligation