THE VALENTINE DEMOCRAT
I. M RICE EDITOR
Thursday , May 10 , 1904.
Entered at th e Fostrofflce at Valentine. Cherry
county. Nebraaka , as Second-class matter.
TER318
Subscription 51.00 per year in advance ; 31.50
When not paid in advance , Single copies Gc.
Display advertlBlKg 1 inch single column 15e
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Local Notice * . Obituaries , Lodge' Resolution -
\nd Socials lor Kevenue 5c per line per issue.
Brands , 1X inches $4.00 per year in advance
additional space$3-00per inch peryearengraved
blocks extra ; $1.00 nacb.
Parties living outside Cherry county not per
Bonally known are requested to pay in advance
10 per cent additional to above rates if over C
months in arrears.
Notices ol losses of stock freelto brand adver
tisers.
Tlie Democratic County
Convention.
The Democratic county conven
tion for Cherry county was held
in this village last Saturday. Ow
ing to the absence of Chairman
Christensen and Secretary Kice ,
of the County Central Committee ,
Judge JCowiie called the meeting
to order. W. H. Towne was elected
Chairman and Hon. Frank Koth-
leutner was elected Secretary.
The following delegations were
selected :
To the state convention.
Frank Rothleutner , M. F. Clynes ,
Chas. W. Allen , A. N. Compton ,
TV. R. Towne , B. J. Hoffacker , Jr.
and A. M. Morrissey.
To the congressional convention.
Dan Barnes , Wm. Kennedy , I.
M. Rice , Alex Burr , Ed Volentine ,
A. M. Morrissey and Burgess
Hartigan.
To the senatorial convention.
J. W. Stettcr , A. H. Metzgar , Al
Remenschneider , J. "W. Groves ,
J. A. Sparks , L. M. Hancock and
W. E. Haley.
To the representative convention.
Frank Fischer , T. B. Irwin , J. H.
Quigley , Jas. Hudson , S. L. Ellis ,
Wm. Steadman and Mark Zarr.
It was decided to postpone the
nomination of candidates for coun
ty officers , and acordingly the fol
lowing committees were appointed
with power to make nominations
and file certificates of nomination.
The following were named a
committee to name a candidate for
county attorney : D. W. Hilsing-
er , F. H. Baumgartl , O.W.Hahn ,
Alex Bjnrr and Henry Stetter.
The following were named a
committee to nominate a county
commissioner : Ed Satterlee , I\
Rothleutner , Herbert Greene , Wm.
Butler and Ira Davis.
Martin Christensen was reelected
ed chairman , and I. M. Rice sec
retary of the County Central Com
mittee.
The following resolutions were
unanimously adopted :
We , the Democrats of Cherry
county , in convention assembled
make the following declaration of
principles :
We favor and endorse the prin
ciples of the Democratic party as
taught by Jefferson , Jackson and
Bryan.
We favor the nomination by the
St. Louis convention of men for
president and vice president who
are in sympathy with these princi
ples.We
We charge the beef trust ( which
has been fostered by the present
administration ) with the responsi
bility for the present ruinously
low prices for live beef , and , at
the same time exacting exhorbitant
price for dressed beef from the
consumer. And we charge the
present administration with the
responsibility for this condition ,
because of its refusal to enforce
the anti-trust laws of the United
States. Being unable to see the
difference in morals between the
thief who steals a calf from the
range and the trust baron , who by
forcing down the price of cattle
by unlawful combinations , steals
one-third the value of our herds ,
we , demand the enforcement of
criminal statutes against all crimi
nals and law breakers , be they
petty thieves or "captains of in
dustry. "
FOUND : A ladies new black 1
kid glove. Call at L. C. Sparks ' 1t 1
residence. t
]
called at this office
P. Sullivan i
today while in town from Merri- ii il
man. He returned last week . l
from a wint6rs visit in Goshen , \
\
Oregon , and is looking well and \
hearty. n
1 Feed grinder
At i Slighly Used , Wagon ,
2 Two = way Pumps ,
IIAt A Lot of Native Posts. fc <
IN
II Building Material | Hardware
We carry everything in the line of Building Material and Builder's Hardware ; such as
Lath , Siding , Shingles , Doors ,
Windows , ' Nails , Lime , Cement ,
which / we buy in car load lots. Call and let us figure with you on Build ing Material.
Wagons and Buggies
Always carried in stock. We quote a few of the different makes handled by us :
New Moline , Mitchell , Fuller & Johnson. Ban
ner , Milburn , Wide and Narrow Tired
Spring Wagons and Buggies.
When in need of a windmill call and examine -
amine the Eclipse. We have always on
hand a stock of Pumps , Pipe and Stock Tanks.
Impk
< Riding and Walking Cultivators. Riding Disk
a Cultivators , Disk g Knife listed corn Cultivators. 1
A
Sole agents for DEERE Implements and Hancock Disk Plows. Repairs for farm implements.
\
3
UDWIG LUMBER UO.
L. C. SPARKS , Mgr.
: & fl a s 5f r
AND NEBRASKA PEOPLE
, MUST FOOT THE BILL
Lincoln , Neb. , May 4. While
the members of the state board of
equalization and assessment are
fiddling along , playing for time ,
it might be interesting to revert ,
for a moment , to the new law un
der which the board is supposed to
determine railroad valuations this
year. It is the same law under
which the people of Nebraska are
now being taxed , and under which
the assessment of the average citi
zen is being doubled and trebled
as compared with the assessments
of former years.
This law was enacted by the leg
islature of 1903 , under the whip
and spur of perhaps the largest ,
most persistent and most expan
sive railroad lobby ever assembled
together in Nebraska , officered by
John N. Baldwin , Benjamin T.
White , Lee Spratlen , J. H. Ager
and other efficient promoters of
corporation legislation. The lobb.V
had one all-important purpose in
view to engineer through the leg
islature , with the assistance of "our
man Mickey , " a revenue measure
that would raise greatly increased
sums of money by taxation for the
repair of the state's dilapitated fi
nances , without requiring the rail
roads to contribute any consider
able portion of the increase.
To that end "house roll StW" was
drafted and pushed through the
legislature. It is a measure clev
erly designed to make good the de
ficit in the state treasury , due to
railroad tax-shirking and the ex
travagance of the railroad state
administration , by doubling the
burden of taxation placed on the
shoulders of the people. It is a
fine-tooth comb as applied to the
property of the individual citizen
and an open gate when applied to
railroad property. It taxes the
farmer and merchant and laboring-
man on everything he eats , wears ,
works with , produces , owns or ev-
ei hopes to own ; and leaves sub
ject to condign punishment the
county assessors who fail to en
force its rigid requirements to the
last fraction of the pound or flesh.
But as to the railroads : It leaves
the matter of their taxation alto
gether in the power of the state
board. And the state board is re
sponsible to no one , and can be
punished by no one but the rail
roads and the people.
WORKED FOR CASH VALUE.
When the measure was before
the legislature the fasion members ,
knowing they would be powerless
to defeat it , concentrated their efforts -
forts on an amendment that would'
require the state board to assess '
railroad property just as all other
.property is assessed at its cash (
value as determined by the price it l
will bring upon the open market ,
\yhich is shown by the daily quo- '
rations of its stocks and bonds. To t
this end was proposed an amend
ment , which bore the name of Mr.
Caldwell , a republican representa
tive from Clay county , he and Nel
son of Douglas being the only two
republican members of the house
| who refused to obey the demands
of their party bosses and the rail
road lobby and swallow the reve
nue bill , bloody raw.
The Caldwell amendment , in
substance and effect required the
state board to assess railroad prop
erty on the average maket value
of its stocks and bonds , on the
theory that stocks and bonds being
used as the basis for the determin
ing of freight rates , as well as for
the transfer of the property , was
a good -enough basis to use for the
determining of taxes. The result
of the adoption of the amendment
would have been a trebling of rail
road taxes in Nebraska , which
wouJd have placed railroad prop
erty on approximately the same
basis as other property.
Of course , the Caldwell amend
ment was defeated. The bill was
passed just as it came from the
hands of the railroad bosses. The'
provisions it makes for railroad
taxation are such that everything
depends upon the honesty and im
partiality of the state board. A
board unswervingly determined to
do justice as between the railroads
and the people could , even under .
(
this law. accomplish that result. J
Whereas , a board that is under the
thumb of the railroad bosses may
wilfully and defiantly disregard all
the demands of justice and assess
railroad property on the same in
equitable and partial basis as here
tofore.
In brief , the law requires a statement -
ment to be made to the board by
each railroad of all its property , ' I
including right-of-way , and main
tracks , sidetracks and spur tracks ,
depots and other buildings , number -
ber of ties to the mile , weight of
the rails , ballasting , rolling stock ,
tools and material and bridges.J
Then , in addition , each road shall
report the amount of its capital , I
stock and bonds , together with the
market value of the same , "which
values shall be taken into account
and be considered in arriving at
the true value of such railroad
property and its franchises. " How
"taken into account" and to what
extent , in what measure to be j
"considered" depends altogether
upon the conscience of the board. |
Then further , it is provided that a
statement of gross and net earn- J1
ings and dividends declared shall ; 1
be made "all of which "shall beM
taken into consideration in ascerI
tainingand ' fixing the value of such 1
.
road and the franchise thereof. "
;
These may be taken into consideration - i
ation , , " 5 cents worth or more or
less , as the board und the influences - a
ces to which it is responsive may f
determine. .c
WISH OF THE LOBBY. S
So it will be seen at a glance , I
that a mighty power , whether for J
good or evil , is lodged by this law
in the hands of the state board of i
equalization and assessment. It
was the wish of the railroad lobby
that it might be so. For the lobby
knew that , where a shameless in
quiry is to be wrought , it is easier
and safer and raises less commo
tion to have the deed done by a
board or commission , quietly and
unostentatiously , than to have it
done by the legislature itself. It
was better to provide by law that
the board might "consider" and
' 'take into account" these items of
value than to deny the board this
right. For if the right were bold
ly denied the taxpayers would
surely have to be reckoned with.
Whereas , if it were granted , all
the railroads need to do would be
to look to it that right kind of a
board was always elected , a board
that would be "safe and conserva
tive,3' and that could be trusted
never to exercise this , right , save
in such degree as the railroads
themselves might direct.
It is this that makes the Nebraska
state board of equalization and assessment -
sessment , now sitting to assess the
value of railroad property and
franchises within the state , an - object
ject of deep seated and wide spread
interest interest. The board is
composed of five members , all of
them state officers. At its head is
Governor Mickey , who will be his
party's nominee for governor again
.this fall. The other members are
State Treasurer Mortensen , who
will also be renominated , and Aud
itor Weston , Secretary of State
Marsh and Land Commissioner
Follmer. Each of the latter three
is now serving his second term ,
and will not be a candidate for re-
nomination. : ,
, Railroad men who are now in
Lincoln : jealously guardiug the state
board that it may guide its course ;
aright , profess to know already ,
just what the board will do. These j
men J laugh derisively at the popu-1
lar J demand that the railroad assess
ment ] be placed at a full one-fifth
of < the market value of the prop
erty < , just as farm land and prac
tically 1 all other property is assess
ed. < The law itself does not dis
criminate. < It provided 20 per
cent ( for railroad property , just as
for J other property. At present
other property is assessed at 20
per J cent and railroad property at
at about 6 per cent.
The railroad men say the railroad
assessment will be increased slight
ly , and that the increase will be
listed as an assessment of franchise.
Whether the increase will be 10
per cent of ttO per cent above the
present figures will be figured out
along the lines of the old , 1'amilar
railroad maxim of "all the traffic
will bear. " It will be just as little
as the railroad politicians , with their
fingers on the popular pulse , de
cide the people will submit to and
still elect the republican ticket this
fall.
If it goes the extreme limit of 40
( Continued on next page. ) - '
VALENTINE HOUSE
N
Valentine , Nebraska
RATES $1.00 to $1.25. C. D. JORDAN , Propr.
Opposite the Court House , 2-V blocks north of Depot.
Jas. E. Pepper W. H. McBrayer Canadian Club
All the standard brands of Whiskies , domestic and
imported Wines , Gordon's Dry Gin , and Cigars
of the choicest brands. Blue Ribbon Bottled Beer
a specialty. : : : : : : :
Oakland Hunters Rye Blue Grass Dewars Scotch Whiskey
JAMES B. HULL
HE OWL SALOON W.A.TAYLOR.
Cf Cf Cf Sole Agents for
HERALD PURE RYE WHISKEY
Ale and Porter , And FRED KRUG'S BEER
Choicest Wines and Cigars ,
VALENTINE X NEBRASKA
HENRY TAYLOR. GRANT BOYER.
TAYLOR & BOYER ,
Contractors and Builders , Carpentering.
All kinds of wood work done to order. Stock tanks made in all sizes
fork shop in Charbonneau's blacksmith shop.
VALENTINE NEBRASKA.
Livery , Feed and Sale Stable
! New Rigs Good Horses Careful Drivers
Spacious barn , conveniently located , for splendid accom
modations to the public who want to drive , or have hors
es to feed.
SHEPARD BROS.
( Successors to Tracewell & Bonser. )
Valentine - - Nebraska.
ace :
HEADQUARTERS FOR
WINES , LIQUORS AND CIGARS
OF THE CHOICEST BRANDS
Valentine - - Nebraska
ring Y our ext
We print Letter Heads , Note Heads , Bill Heads ,
Envelopes , Notes , Cards , Wedding Stationery , Sale
Bills , etc. , etc. , at prices that are right. All work
guaranteed to suit. Our stock stands inspection.
THE
Valentine , Nebraska
W. T. Bishop ,
IYFEI BLE
- The Wilber Barn
Your Patronage Solicited.
rum T | k f '
Tr r 3 B HE
No. I Standard Alleys.
A healthful , innocent sport.
OPEN i DAILY FROM I O'CLOCK TO 1 ! 0'OLOGK P , | HI ,