t3bc Conservative * ii
complishcd , posterity can bo trusted to
commend the wisdom , foresight and pa
triotism of the statesmen who founded
the system of railroad land grants.
W. W. BALDWIN' .
Burlington , Iowa , December 21 , 1899.
C0llecfci ° " ° f
I > KLIN UENT .
TAXB8. tnXGS UP011 P ° r >
Eonal property in
Nebraska Oity and Otoo county is in
excusably dilatory. There is no reason
for such extravagant inertia. It makes
the prompt payer of taxes pay a penalty
each succeeding year for the delinquent.
To illustrate : The total personal tax
levied in Otoe county for the year 1897
amounted to fifty thousand eight hun
dred and seventeen dollars and twenty-
six cents. And out of this beggarly sum ,
which shows squalid poverty in a county
which is famously rich in live stock ,
and many other kinds of personal
property , there has been collected from
incorporations nineteen thousand seven
ty-seven dollars and twenty-five cents.
This leaves a remainder of thirty-one
thousand seven hundred and forty dollars
lars and one cent. Of this last named
amount on January 1 , 1899 , twenty per
cent was unpaid. That is to say indi
viduals were in debt to the county on
personal taxes for five thousand nine
hundred and thirty-nine dollars and
sixty-one cents.
By that date January 1,1899 , under
the provisions and requirements of the
law the treasurer of Otoe county should
have filed with either the county clerk
or county commissioners his oath de
claring this lost sum uucollectable and
giving the reasons why it was un-
colleotable.
Did he do so ? 1897 was the only
recent year fully completed then or now.
The duty of the county commissioners
is clearly , under their oaths of office , to
meet on the day
Kutlmateh. . _
of January , 1900 ,
and prepare the lowest possible esti
mates for the running expenses of Otoe
county for the year ending December
81,1900. This is a good time to study
economy and to begin its practice in
local government.
The regular tax levy will then be
made six months later. It can bo made
much lower than
The Levy. , . , „
that of a year ago.
It ought to be and it must be lower.
The levy for 1897 was one hundred
and sixteen thousand five hundred and
ninety-seven dollars.
The levy for 1898 was one hundred
and twenty-eight thousand.six hundred
and seventy-five dollars and ten cents.
Here is an increase of over twelve
thousand dollars which certainly was
not expended for good bridges.
The levy for 1899 was a further in
crease of about forty-five hundred dollars
lars over 1898 and aggregated one
hundred and thirty-three thousand two
hundred and fifty-nine dollars and
eighty-two cents.
With the claim , openly made , that
there is a larger amount of delinquent
taxes being collected than ever before ;
this is very unsatisfactory. Expenses are
swifter in increasing than those collec
tions are in accumulating.
It is time for a citizens' movement to
reduce taxation , to encourage economy
and to insist upon a strictly business
administration of county affairs.
Compel the county treasurer to collect
each year personal taxes or file a sworn
statement of the reason of his failure to
do so. Because Otoe county is prosper
ous and rich is no reason for extrava
gance and waste. THE CONSERVATIVE
may be forced to particularize in the
matter of items and methods of waste
in a future issue.
IIASKD ON POPULATION.
The subjoined letter is given to the
public and the continued discussion of :
"Why should 4,500 voters elect a con
gressman in South Carolina when it
takes 85,000 voters to elect a congressman
in Nebraska ? " is recommended.
The fact that representation is based
upon population is very generally
known. The constitutional citation of
Mr. Ohisolm , however , will serve to re
fresh the minds of many readers of
THE CONSERVATIVE and to continue the
agitation relative to the inequality of
the representation in congress of South
Carolina and Nebraska.
The former state bases its represen
tation upon a "population" which the
state itself , by various repressive and
antagonistic statutes , declares unworthy
of the ballot and unsafe to be trusted
with the right to vote. South Carolina
has studiously , diligently , successfully
invented obstacles and erected them as
breastworks before election booths , over
which the negro cannot climb. The
negro is a large part of "the popula
tion" and no part of the citizenship of
South Carolina. THE CONSERVATIVE
thinks that if the negro in South Carolina
lina is not intelligent enough to "vote"
he is not intelligent enough to be
"counted" for the purpose of getting
representation in congress. And while ,
as Mr. Chisolm remarks , it may be
"safe to say that each congressman
from South Carolina has as large a
'population' behind him as one from Ne
braska has ; " it is also safe to say that
the South Carolina congressman has not
behind him as many educated people , as
many equals with himself , in abilities
and acquirements as has the congress
man from Nebraska. If that "colored
population" of South Carolina thinks
enough , knows enough and is good
enough to be enumerated as a sound
basis for representation it is competent
to vote. But if it is not competent to
vote , it ought not to be a basis of repre
sentation there , any more than Indian
tribes are such a basis in the Northwester
or mules and cattle and swine a basis in
Nebraska. Good common sense objects
to the present results and conditions
which have been brought about under
the system provided for in section two ,
article XIV of the constitution of the
United States.
I-ottor From Alabama.
BIRMINGHAM , Ala. , Dec. 28 , 1899.
EDITOR THE CONSERVATIVE :
In your issue of November 80 , you
ask "Why should South Carolina get a
congressman for each 4,500 votes , Ne
braska having only one for each 35,000
votes ? " If you will ref r to Sec. 2 ,
Art. XVI Const. U. S. you will find
representation in congress , in the states ,
is based on population and not on votes.
I think it safe to say that each congress
man from South Carolina has as large a
population behind him as Nebraska has.
Any one familiar with elections in most
of the Southern states will know that
the election of a congressman is de
termined in the ( D ) party primaries and
that the subsequent election is a mere
ratification of that fact. How much
safety there may be in such methods
interests the congressional constituents
and not the country at large except per
haps incidentally. I thought I would
reply to the question asked by you for I
am sure there is a popular error behind
it. Respectfully ,
ROBERT CHISOLM.
The Omaha World-Herald shows that
there has been liquidation during the
year 1899 of about three millions of dollars
lars of indebtedness in Douglas county
which was secured by mortgages upon
real estate. And yet its distinguished
former editor who did not evince any
fervor in favoring its present editor for
United States senator declares that
there has been no real prosperity any
where since poor little sixteen-to-one
was smitten down by a plutocratic
sandbag.
The Jacksonian clubs which howl for
Bryanarchy and eulogize the unlimited
coinage of silver at sixteen-to-one are to
be paralleled in religion by organizations
of Bob Ingersoll agnostics who will style
themselves the John Wesley Bun-
queteers.
A HINT.
There's the "White House , " brave Dewey ,
would that suit you better
Than to bo to these "Indian givers" a debtor ?
Will lend it for four years , most likely for
eight-
Twelve or sixteen would not bo a number too
greatI
We know you are modest and honest and true
High place and great honor can never spoil
you ,
The republic is safe if you stand at its head
Come then to its rescue , or soon 'twill bo dead I
ELIZABETH E. EVANS.
If " :