The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-11-28
REDUCING THE TAXES.

Reducing the taxes is going TO De
a very popular subject for discussion
for about thirty or sixty days, and
The Republican has been storing en-
ergy to get in on it. We take it that
when you find a man who isn't inter-
ested in it, you have found the one
who doesn't own anything: but if
you will refer back to see who has
been signing and pushing petitions
for appropriations of public money
you will discover that he is not the
only one who has been active in max
ing arrangements for expenditures.
So long as we, the people, run
the government, taking turns at the
bat, it will be our duty to study
conditions, and principles of govern
ment, and apply them or take the
risk of running to ruin. At taxpay-
ing time we are wont to arouse
from our apathy and declare in no
uncertain terms that something is
wrong, and that we will go to the
polls next fall and turn the rascals
out" But with the change of sea-
sons the determination cools, the
heat of campaign brings on other or
imaginary issues, and the deliberate
study of what ough to be done to
adapt our conditions to our resource
es and general circumstances, is over
looked. Then, too, we are some1
times reminded that those that cry
loudest about taxes are frequently
found to be those who have lived be-
You'd their means in dozen ways, or
they are those who value money
above everything pertaining to hui
man welfare and live too close. The
family that go on all the excursions,
attend the shows, take trips back
east,'' and put on the appearance of
wealth and general affluence, then
buy everything in sight for Christ
mas, and go up to the tax collector
the first of January denouncing ev-
erything from governor to constable,
are in need of information followed
by discipline. But it is not the edi-
tors duty to furnish it to people per-
sonally, and he doesn't care whether
they receive it or not; when they ask
over and over for a solution of the
problem, he may give his observa-
tons and smile at the disturbance
it makes, for a, lot of people are apt
to think they are personally attack
ed
People are much given to criticiz
ing them" meaning the officers of
the administration, for what they do
and fail to do, when such admins
tration is doing about what the ay-
erage commonwealth want done and
what they by vote and petition and
otherwise order done. The applica-
ton of this statement runs down
through many channels of govern
ment. The school teachers and the
''higher-ups' in pedagogy get togeth-
er in convention and theorize and de-
clare that our fair new state should
start right in certain matters, and
they recommend a lot of things that
cost money and lots of money. The
campaign of education in that direc-
ton is pushed along and the new
system or the new commission or the
new books or all of them, are adop-
ted and the cost of it or them appears
in the new tax bill Just now the
people are receiving a bill for Sis
son, and whatever he is doing. Sis
son is the new commissioner of edu-
cation appointed to fill place Gre
ated by the legislature last winter
He has been running over the state
and addressing boards and conven-
tons and institutes and hearing the
teachers and others applaud, he has
been off to Boston and the other
places Ito get in touch" with all the
proper things in education, and whe-
Their he is doing any good or lust
having tip-top time, Sisson appears
as part of the sum total of your
tax notice. You look with some de-
gree of pride upon the schools and
remember that money As lavished
upon them to be sure the pupils
have every chance on earth, but af-
ter all, the results will be and are
disappointing, for it depends upon
the efforts of the pupil whether any
good comes of our lavish equipment
better teachers, institutes and sum-
mor schools.
1t has been determined by some
body that we shall have a pure food
department in this state, and much
educational work has been done, to
get people to see that much that is,
is not sanitary, and that disease is
not so much mystery as ignorant
and careless acts on our part in
spreading disease and poisons in per-