nnrrruj rurttW CUTTd CJ X fll ITFIT
X5f Nebraska Independent
PACE 2
Us?;
I, ,.,,,,.,. ,.f tl.o fact that lit.- money they solicit or have accepted m
1;,inte,l rv. The people of every Mate sh-uld doiiuiml that much
independence' fr ,,,ir universities. If a private nn.vn-H.ty iH sub
sidized will, dM.onrst wraith thonr who wish to srml thr.r children
I H.irh an institution of learning should hr frrr to do ho, but Iho
Mate universities should .ml hr subsidized. If universities arc
subsidized parmU will im-I Know to what univor.s.l .es thry ran safely
Hll, ,heir , tul.lr. u. If !hr chancellor of a slate university, like
..I,,;,.,,,,,,, f a campaign committee, ran hr .rnnittrd to accept
,.,;,,.,! ,orv ihr plr rannot ron.ph.in if frrr thought and free
pinii-Ii arr shackled in our public institutions of higher learning. On
II thcr hand, if hv law the jx'oplr forbid thr arrrptanrr of any
,, .v from individuals ihry will make thr acceptance of tainted
money impossible and ran justly demand that state education lie
fee from obligations lo any individual, clhpie or class.
NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME
Those who U-ttrr govrrninrnt and therefore happier days
for Nebraska mint not forget that the reform forees arc fighting
for relief from a corporation and railway tyranny that has become
intolerable anil almost maddening.
The reform forces are demanding a fairer system of taxation,
lower freight and passenger rates, nut i pass legislation and the en
forcement of the present nnti pa.-s law, the enforcement of the maxi
mum freight rate law and the destruction of the elevator trust and of
the cod, IuiuIht and other criminal combines. They are demanding
thr primary system and the absolutely essential initiative and refer
endum, the election of senators by direct vote of the people in n
word Mich laws as will restore to the jeoph the sovereignty which
has be ti filched from them by thr allied powers of special privilege
and discrimination.
Iy the election of thr reform regents thr people will go on
record as opening control of education by the money power. I5y
the election of Judge. Hastings they will take the first step toward
making the supreme court of Nebraska a court free from corporation
bias.
Thr people should resolve that now is the accepted time to
open the battle all along thr line. Delay is dangerous. A few years
of indifference on the part of thr people will make it, impossible for
(hem to rid the state of that insidious and nefarious power which
lias shackled justice and enthroned wrong.
FORAKER A8 A RAILWAY CHAMPION
Senator Foraker, who holds a brief for the railways, declares
that he will l pleased to discuss government rato regulation with
nil comers. Replying to a shipper 'who complained because his
business had lieen ruined by rebates Senator Foraker had the hardi
hood to say that primarily railway freight rates are determined
by eomstition. Did he mean that the ordinary rates are fixed by
pt.mjstitioii or did he refer to the rebated rates granted to favored
fhipjH-rs!
No one ran question Senator Forakcr's nerve. If unlimited
presumption makes a statesman then Senator Foraker is a master
if statecraft. When the old railway arguments are so dead that
they will not Ik? revived by a respectable disputant, this unterrified
statesman reproduces them with the accuracy of a phonograph that
has Ikku at the mercy of a railway lobbyist.
The policy of American railway officials is to charge all that
traffic will liear. Occasionally there is a brief rate war when eomjet
i) ion Wonics an element in rate-making, but such contests do not
last long. They are speedily patched up by an agreement Is'tween the
tratfie officials and all the roads thereafter charge precisely the same
n;tes. The only departures from the published taritTs are such
rates as are granted to favored shippers, who receive rebates. Com
petition rarely determines what the ordinary rates shall lie, but
lempctition frequently determines what the size of the rebate shall
Ik. A trust will advertise thr fact that it has a large tonnage of
freight to nhip and then the various railways that can handle the
business compete with each other to deride which ran offer the
largest rebate to the trust. In the case of ordinary shippers the
only competition is that which icsult from the efforts of one railway
tt outdo another in efficiency of service.
Senator Foraker has alo resuscitated the argument that the
making of freight rites is a n u me which remit v vears of studv
for ils proper nn hrstinding mid licit, therefore, no government
commission can le entrusted with thf rite- unking j.er. Two or
three year airo the reply to this nsrnu-et was th t the government
Vollld Im wide to vir' the U-M t'drnt if if ,,K.; !.. f, .,,;. l, ((
rate-making federal commission, 1 tt t along rune President S'i.knev
of the Great Western road and testified Wore a ,,),,.,.,
m-ntlv na a ftii flirt oflieinl. 1 to thomdif. flint tin. ,,iV. .... t
o hcia s to surround rate-makim? with an utmost H r,. ,,r ..,...
tr l "ONI TV j,,
worthy of dervishes and conjurers. President XI, Uev I. '.'
.1.1 . 1 1.1-11 ! J
ently me inoct imiepemieni oi an our railway pr -el-n's ami
made such statesmen us Foraker of Ohio look ril i-ii!
STRENGTH OF THE RAILWAY LOBBY
"Jn the JNebrasha legislature i count not win . -ui ag;uit tk
railroads," said W. F. Tliunimol at the insurance ! ;iring it,
York. Then Mr. Thiininiel exidained that the iiiMir.iii.' I.Jii ...
l B
. 1. tltlll . .
trying to deleat tlie odious revenue urn wnicii nas at last hp,
Hiouse the indignation of Kebraska taxpayers. Mr. Tiniiiuiwl n
plained to his inquisitors that the bill provided for a law that would
lower the taxation of railway property while increasing UmtiuatM
on all other prom-rty. The people of Nebraska were ti, ihi i,
truth by honest and patriotic fellow citizens when this l.ill wimm.
duced into the legislature at the dictation of the railway, but m
.i .i i l r. .1. .1...... i.''.
uontiy the peojue were HKeptieai, ior iney re-eieeicu an nu in t msira
tion pldged not to revoke the law.
Honest men told this plain truth two years ago and now it it
be ing told by insurance lobbyists. I5ut the people did nut wnltd
wait until "thieves fell out to believe the truth. Hie npiTatmn uf
the law has at lenirlh convinced them that the bill w.n inlmiM
r,t. sunl at o iilu'ow Pf.niirii'riiev. Mve than that, it w:u m
lir nn; il nillfc tl . .. j . ....... ,
act of revenge. It will hi recalled that prior to die jiasage of tlie
bill there had ltern much agitation to secure just taxation of nikij
i.ronortv nnd various laws wen sucersted. This s,, nngeri-d the
railway attorneys that thev decided not only to defeat nil l"I rcva-
line bills, but to foist upon the people a law that would add ".vt
tionate taxation to extortionate railway tariffs. Tlay wvU in
their purpose and now as they loll back in their leather rlmirx lli'-e
same railway attorneys shake with laughter while they iv -mnt the
clever trick thry played upon the people.
To show that the bill operates in such n manner aJ M hwrhi
ution on railway property nnd to raise it, on till other pc orty 11 is
only necessary to call attention to the fact that the raihuy n-'1
ment was raised not quite $1,000,000 this year while .ill ..tin r prop
erty was raised $0,000,000. It can be supposrd thai uihI. i- e.-rtain
circumstances the increase of about. $10,000,000 initdit ni.nV il I1
sible to fix a lower levy, which, however, might dceiva-e railway tax
ation while increasing the taxation of all other property.
This can be illustrated by figures. Suppose. r f v.nnpl". tlnj
all railway property in the state were valued at sjiiniHioii.in " and
nil other property at $700,000,000 and 'that the le v v.i rc thv nulls.
Then railway propiuly would pay $."i(),000 and all "'l.cr pfp'rij
$350,000. Now supjxise that the valuation of ni! ; .r. .f.-rtv
were raised $1,000,01)0 and all other .roperty $:."", '!"! 'J11'
the levy were lowered by a slight fraction to four and iiiim'v!'
hundredths mills. Then" the railways would pay only !? I'.W''
all other property would pay $350,i)5", so that while r ;- '
way property would he decreased taxes on all other pr.'pe.iy
be increased. The difference in ibis case, of course, would '"
but if the railways are ievin!tt..l to ret:i!ti their tna'-t rv .if N'i-I.im-
i
politics it is conceivable that railway valuations may
while the valuations of all other property are im-tvi
nnd Iwiunds.
The first blow against railway ezarism can be -tin
the election to the supreme lsaieh of a man who iJ ui:h
lion bias and whose dec isions would not be dictate.! h;
attorneys in tar-rhanihe r sessions'.
1. redlM1'!
.1. ll
PHARISAICAL FINANCIERS
Moderate language is almost impossible when :
1 rayon iiupmh me of tin insiirence oilicials who !-
Yrk U'f-ii-e the investigating commission. IVrhap- '
effrontery was reached when President Met 'all el f1
life Insurance eimpaiiv, following the example t
Pharisee who went up into lie- temple to pray, dee'
I c bud coltriblled the tl.i"ev of his eo0p Ul ' ' '
It is h.rl ! Iliee, and ytf it is rcortcd with i"'
truth, that v hi a he !u de thi- -faieiue'.it a iiuud" r
court room apphiudt d,
Whenever .Mil f t'.li M.-.i ti oaiieiefS, (Mir "li-tl-'"-bc'tk
wris.k.fs miiI i rM.r.t i..it iir.n i'i-s an- noli-- I
and other infoev th. f..!d their ehuks td.et 'h i
thank (b'd t!. .t. it ui! , ,ir-, th. v were u -t f " ' '
enHntimtfm tw sp. t -
v J Wrt,r w4rHtuMlow,. H baa m4
ot MllukN. TUIa
flat 1..,li.tl'" A-1 tl Si..'