The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1905-11-10
A PLEA FOR
STATE ECONOMY
SCHEMES TO
DEFRAUD THE PEOPLE
EXTRAVAGANCE AND
INCREASED TAXATION

Jasper News: 1t would appear to a
person Of ordinary intelligence that
one dollar would be just as good as
another, supposing that the purchas
ing power were the same.
But, such is not the case at all times,
nor with all people
Many persons have particular fond =
ness, peculiar hankering after, and an
unutterable yearning for the govern
ment dollar. They are ready and will
ling to forsake all other kinds Of dol
lars for the sake of possessing the gov
eminent dollar,
And, strange to say, the peculiari-
ties OF the government dollar are what
should make it repulsive instead Of at
| tractive,
Its chief peculiarly consists in the
fact that it is the dollar which is wrung
from people by taxation for unjust,
unwise and unnecessary purposes. 1t
is composed, too, not only of silver or
gold, but also of the widows mite the
orphans little savings the earnings Of
the cripple, and the hard labor Of the
poor.
1t is but few weeks ago that law
yer of national reputation gave up
practice said to be worth fifty thousand
dollars year to accept an office which
doesn't pay as many hundreds.
Government dollars seem to possess
a strange, but powerful influence.
And every time the legislature Of
Florida meets, more and more of these
government dollars are coined and put
in circulation, Coined by cxtrayagant
legislation. Legislation providing for
increased expenses, and increased cX-
penses means increased taxation.
Years ago when thePcpublicau7 had
possession Of ourState government the
enormous taxes were all attributed to
Republican rascalty. Our cry then
was, turn the rascals out" Gust
give honest Democrats chance and
Wen show you a government Of the
people, for the people and by the pco-
pie, in which no more taxes shall be
levied than are necessary for the eN-
penses Of the government economi-
cally administered. ="
Since that time our State has doubled
in population and quadrupled in
wealth, but the burden of taxation is |
greater than ever.
Honest Democrats are running |
things, too.
Just little while ago the State of !
Florida received the payment of her
Indian War claims from the national |
government sum large enough to .
have wiped out our entire State debt |
and left a surplus in the treasury, but
il wasn't done. That large sum is now
numbered with the things that used to
be and the taxpayers are still paying
interest on large bonded indebted
ness.
Extravaganza runs riot at every ses-
sion of the Legislature, and the people
pay the bills.
1t is high time to put a stop to il.
But few years ago it was seriously
proposed that inc people OF Florida
should throw away their State capitol
and pay half million OF dollars to
build one some where else, solely for
The benefit Of few individuals. The
people sat down on that project-and
they sat down hard
Now, similar schemes are again on
foot IN pxtnrt ,,onav fro,v tLo t.,ro,
'rs, from which the large mass Of them
will never receive benefits to the value
IF one penny.
The thing for the people to do is to
eject every scheme or proposed pro-
ect which has to be supported by tax
ltion except the necessary expenses of
he government economically admins
cred.
We will have more to say about these d
chemes in the future. I