The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-08-08

THE PITH OF THE
ARGUMENT.

ARGUMENT.
The Cottonwood Chronicle of
July 10Th, in an article intended
to influence voters to support
county division, made statements
and drew differences to the effect
that the division of Idaho county
into two or more counties would
not only not increase the taxes of
the people in the counties formed
over present expenses, but would
tend to reduce the taxes on all;
and it went on to cite the rec
ord of Lewis county to prove it;
telling how that county after be-
ing cut off from Nez Perez, had
paid off $500 Of debt taken over
from old Nez Perez county, had
expended $4,000 for TRANSCRIPT
ing the records and other mat
tiers; and reduced its levy from
20 mills to 1913 mills, and on
March 81, 1912, had $14,196.57
in the treasury.
The Globe in refuting the pre-
pOsterous claim made by the
Chronicle that two or more coun-
ties can be run as economically
as can one, used the figures on
Lewis county taken from the
Chronicle, accepting them as cor
rect and stripped down to the
huff" to show the true economy
under which that county was run,
as that was the point to which
the article argued, and the Idaho
county figures we've treated on
that plan. If there was any mis-
take made in the use of the fig
ures it was due to the peculiar
manner in which the Chronicle
had presented its case, arguing
along one line and presenting fig
ures taking in more scope than
it's arguments did. But whether
the figures mentioned were used
differently by the Chronicle and
the Globe, Intentionally or other
wise, cuts very little figure with
the main point of contention
the one which seriously affects
every taxpayer in Idaho county
and that is: 'sWill the division
of Idaho county into two or more
counties increase the taxes of the
individual taxpayer?" The
Chronicle and other divisionists
undertook to convince the people
Of the county that the taxes
would not be increased by such
division, and if there is anything
in the argument of the Chronicle
at all, it even undertook to es-
tablish the absurd claim that the
taxes would actually be reduced
in all of the subdivisions.
1t is far from the intention of
the Globe to in anywise belittle
or speak lightly of the accom-
plishments of our neighbor coun-
ty, Lewis, since it started to keep
house for itself it has made re-
marketable strides, as we said in
former article. and is one of
the best counties in the state.
However, as the divisionists have
taken its record to prove that an
impossible condition of affairs
would result in Idaho county its
name and acts will have to be
used. The Globe contends that
the showing made in Lewis coun.
ty is remarkably good, better by
far than could be made in Idaho
county should it be divided into
the two or three counties as pro.
posed by the divisionists. 1t fur.
ther claims that the facts regard.
ing Lewis county have been twist
ed to mislead the taxpayers in
this county, and lead them into
voting for county division to
their own detriment, for the self
ish purpose of boosting Cotton
wood, at the expense Of the afore
said taxpayers. This is evidenc-
ed by the grossly misleading man
ner in which the Chronicle used
the reduction of taxes in Lewis
county last year which drop
ped from 20 mills to 10.8 mills,