Year: 1869

"x0ur SKIN - satin, your nO9trlIb TeV,


Your eyes birds, or loving girls,


Aud from delicate fetlock to dainty head,


A throbbng vein.cord"gs around your eur's.


Oh Joy ,;a Sf my soul H., Il ySn ,,,a they sl"y


For there IL not in all the wide valley TO DAY,


Such dear little bridle-wise, thoroughbred mare.
The Railroad Tax.


There perhaps has never been more
smoother and gigantic swindle authorized
by Legislative enactment than the law
enacted at the last session of the Legisla.
ture Of Iowa, authorizing a majority Of
the voters of a township to levy tax not
exceeding five per cent upon the property
of the citizens of such township, in aid
of the building of any Railroad running
through such township. Let US review
the operation of the law thus: A Rail-
way Company is organized to build a road
from Sharpsville to Greenhorn City, run
ming through Flathead township. The
Company demands that the Flatheads shall
vote Eve per cent tax upon tlIeir proper
ty to be donated to the Company in aid of
the building Of said road through their
township. This the Flatheads do and pay
over the amount (say $780, ,OOO) into the
Treasury Of the county Of Simple, in
which the aforesaid township is located.
The law is now fully complied with on
the part of Flathead township. Now
comes the Company to comply with their
part of the law; which requires that said
$4,000 shall be expended on the line Of
the road running through Flathead town.
ship and no where else. The Company
drew the money from the treasury and
honestly expend it as the law requires,
when it is all expended, they say to the
citizens Of Flathead township: Gentle
men we have expended the money you
voted us, as you will perceive, in strict
compliance with the law, and it has only
enabled Us to grade the road from GuG-
geon hill to Give.out creek. You, gentle
man must vote five per cent again, or we
will have to abandon the work aud you
will lose what you have given. Well the
Flatheads vote again, this time the road
is perhaps graded, when another call for a
last tax is made to enable the Company to
Tie and Iron the road. Thus the people
of Flathead township have built the entire
road through their township, and have
given it to a few fellows living at Sharps-
vile. This is the law as it stands upon
the Statute Book. There is nothing in the
statute making it obligatory on the part
of the Company to built the road project
ed through q township after expendins
the tax voted by such township. but the
Nstatute only requires of the Company that
they shall expend such tax in the town.
ship voting it.


This law, that is smooth upon its face,
evidently had its origin in some mind long
trained in the mysteries of railroad
ring, particularly that part Of the ring
where the difficult subject of ,rays and
means is considered, and l would say to
every person, vote no tax upon your pro-
perty in aid of a railroad under the exist.
ing law m,til you haze security that the
rood piH be built. but would say to far.
mers, landowners and citizens of towns
and villages who would be benefited by
the building of q railroad in their vicinity,
give to the Company of such road, in
go,d faith, all the assistance that you can,
by subscribing your name to an instru-
ment partaking of tho following character
when called upon to do so. If citizen
of the town of Clayton, let it be particu-
larly thus:


CLAYTON COUNTY, Iowa, 1869.


The undersigned agrees to pay to the
Dubuque & Minnesota Railroad Company,
the sum Of - Dollars, when said Rail-
road Company shall have built Railroad
from the City of Dubuque, in Dubuque
county, Iowa, along the shore of the Mis-
sissippi River, to the town Of Clayton, in
the county of Clayton, Iowa, with loco
motives and cars running through on said
road. The building of said road as speci-
fed to be full and ample consideration
for this obligation.


This instrument when endorsed by the
Company can be used as pledge upon a
loan of money or as collateral to increase
q nSSs "oi sSuSC hCus A>7Wi WuCu Pto-
perty holder (who is to be benefited by
the building Of the road) is called upon to
execute an instrument Of this kind, he
should file in the instrument the full per
1 N.tage upon his property that may be
agreed upon by him and his neighbors,
and if the amount thus promised is liberal
the Company may be induced to 20 on
with the work, having first satisfied them
selves of their ability to complete it with
this assistance. If the amount is not
liberal, The Company may refuse to pro-
ceed on that rout, and seek some other,
where the offer is more liberal. In this
way railroad may be successfully assist
Cd to it, completion, no person wrouged,
and the danger Of demonstrations: tax
avoided. ELIPHALET PRICE.


When by the counting of the electoral
votes of the several States it would be-
come necessary for the Republican men,
bers Of Congress to admit by their count
ing the votes of Georgia that she was a
State in the Union, or in refusing to