Year: 1874

who pay the taxes and who are in favor of honest
economical government have had no organization
through which they could secure it. Millions OF
dollars have been spent stolen by county officers
in this State in defiance of law and of the Will OF
the people. Public debts have increased until now
the aggregate of county bonds outstanding is about
$30,000,000.


But the people have authorized the contraction
of these debts" / interposed.


YES, in many instances" was the reply, :" but
their consent in most has been obtained through
misrepresentation. The counties which are most
heavily burdened are those 10 which the large cities
and towns are situated. Almost every important
town in the State thinks that it is bound at no dis
tant day to become great commercial center, and
that all that sneeded to bring trade and business to
its doors is two, three or dozen railroads. SO
they have been in the habit of voting county bonds
to anybody who would promise to build a railroad.
Take Buchanan County, for instance, in which st.
Joseph is situated. That county has outstanding
between S2O00,000 and S3.0O0,OO0 worth of bonds
given to railroads. The construction of
these roads has, of course, been OF great
benefit to st. Joseph, but the farmers of that
county who raise no more wheat or corn or hogs
than they did before the roads were built and who
get scarcely more for their crops find the taxes that
are levied to pay the interest these bonds very



from one-half to three-fourths what was asked for
them few years ago, simply because the farmers
are barely able with crops, to support
their families and pay the taxes; and when the
crops fall they have this year and last, they run
behind in spite of the most ngid economy. Now,
don't say that the farmers would not have voted
some of the bonds, but they never would have
allowed the issue of many. The city, you see, has
thousands of voters who are not Taxpayers, but
they are managed by the politicians and vote us into
bankruptcy"


was unable to understand how the people of the
State taken collectively expected to get rid of this
burdensOme taxation-in other words, how they
could get rid of their debts without paying them.


perhaps we cannot" said an educated farmer.
who participated in the conversation; "but we can
stop the issue Of any more of these county bonds If
we can get the right kind of men into Office But If
the old political thieves remain in power nobody
can tell where this thing will stop. Do you know
what happened in Clinton County, where formerly
residedf 1t was proposed to build railroad through
the county, and the Company asked the people for
S25OOOO worth of bonds. At a special election the
people voted not to give the bonds; they thought
that the debt of the county was already great
il should be- and that an increase of taxation would
amount in many cases to confscatiOn. But the
County Judge and the clerk, notwithstanding this
vote, did sign the bonds and deliver them to the
Company who sold them in New-YOrk, and the peo
pie knew nothing about it until an attempt was
made to levy tax to pay the interest. 1t was be-
ieved that the railroad company bribed the county
officers to issue the bonds One of the largest tax
payers in the county resisted the tax and sued for
an injunction to prevent its collection. The case
went to the Supreme Court of the State, and that
tribunal decided that the bonds now being in the
hands of innocent holders must be paid and that the
tax was legal, although there no doubt that the
county officers exceeded their authority when they
contracted the debt.


Now that may be good law, as presume it is, but
il is not good common sense. If commission my
hired to sell my horse, the purchaser can hold
me to any bargain he may make; but If, after have
advertised to the world not only that l have not
authorized him to sell the horse bat that have
forbidden him to do so, he takes the horse to st.
Louis sells him, and gives the money away, the law
restores the horse to me wherever and whenever l
can find him. But the logic of that decision would
not only allow the innocent purchaser to retain the
horse but require me to furnish the oats to keep
him in good order. The county officers of Clinton
and the railroad company conspred to steal the
county's bonds, and sold them in New-York, after
the county had given notice TO all the world by
special election that one has authority to issue
such bonds, and now the law comes in and places
the rights of the New-York capitalists who bought
those bonds before those of the people"


But all the county debts are not far railroads,
by any means,' said another. In a great many
counties the officers have contracted debts for local
purposes without any authority. When they have
used up all of the public money they issue warrants
aud these they pay out great deal more freely
than they do money. At the end of the year there
i for hn IN do hut IN for
their payment either by direct taxation or by the
issue of bonds; and so another addition is made to
the county debt and new burdens put upon the
people All through this State you will find county
buildings and other public improvements that have
cost two three times much they should, just
on this account"


Just then we were passing Warrensburg, and
gentleman pointed ont to me an unfinished building
within sight of the railroad which he said was to
be a State Normal School building. 1t ought not to
have cost more than $4,000 when completed, but l
was Informed that more than S125,O00 had already
been spent on it. This extravaganza and corruption
is common both in the county and State adininistra
tiOns, and it is in the hope of getting the bad men
out and putting honest ones in their places that SO
many of the best men in both parties have Joined in
the Peoples movement


The partial failure Of the crops in this State this
year will tend to strengthen the Peoples party 1
have heard it said that the Grangers of Missouri
hold the Democratic party responsible for the drouth
the grasshoppers, and the chinch-bugs. This, of
course, is exaggeration but it is true that when
the people of this any other State are prosperous
and money is easy with them, they are prone to be
apathetic in regard to politics. Or if aroused and in
duced to go to the polls they not likely to see
the necessity Of making immediate change in the
Administration. This is true in National as in
State politics. In talking with ex Senator Trnmhnl