The Red Cloud chief., 1914-10-15
MARVELLOUS GROWTH OF PUBLIC
AND oUAsLPU5LIc ACTIVITIES
EXPENSES GROWING
Modern Civilization Demands Govern.
ment Action In Numerous Ways
U%nthousht Of by Pioneer.

teh vi AZ III StdItItN
OF money. Society was less complex
than now. Each family was~in great
measure sufficient unto itself and
needed very little either from neigh.
bors or government.
The husbandman was at once his
own carpenter, blacksmith, shoemaker.
butcher. The goodwlfe was baker,
tailor, weaver. miil.ner. drcssmakCr,
cook, physician, nurse. The children
served In every cafaCi,y as they grew
IN years and skill.
Each family then cared for its W
lame, halt, deaf, blind. imbecilo and
insane. Each home was its " hos.
pital. And TO a great extent the
crimes against persons and property
were dealt with by he ~neighborhood
without the aid of government as we
now understand 1t. Police powers
then did not threaten TO invade the
innermost sanctuaries of home.
Protest against the burden Of taxa
ton Is as constant as the operation OF
gravitation. Nothing Is sure, except
death and taxes" Is as old as civiliza.
ton; and mankind protests against
the n with as little hope of escaping
1t as from the other.
Accordingly, In every political cam.
paign one may confidently expect the
outs" to charge the "ins" with ex.
travagance In expenditures OF public
money. because they hope to take adj
vantage OF the endless protest against
the burdens Of taxation. And 1t is not
at all startling that the republican
campaign managers are almost frantic
In their efforts to fasten upon Gov
ernor Morehead the charge of extrava-
gance. !
In our article last week we pointed
out a large number Of items included
In he eight million dollars %appropriat-
ed by the Legislature of 1913 and ap-
proved by Governor observation-disclosures
that foot up nearly two and one.half
million dollars-and asked II he could
rave vetoed any one of these items
without Gripping the states service.
To date no n has replied.
Pioneer days in Nebraska differ
materially from those of Ohio. Michi-
gan. Indiana and Illinois. The rail.
roads to a very great extent preceded
the settlers here. There were no for
ests to clear away. The settlers, com.
ing In great measure from the states
named, either direct or by the way of
Iowa. brought with them the ideas of
government which obtained In. these
cider states. The result is that Ne
braska has made wonderful strides
since her admission to statehood, not
only in population and wealth, but also
In education and government activi-
ties.
Governor Morehead has repeatedly
nnfnfaH ~, thnS ~ -,
lars raised in Nebraska by taxation,
state and local, 500 of It is spent in
the cause of education. Small wonder
that Nebraska has the smallest per-
centage OF i~lliterates in our nation.
Even Of the eight millions Of apprOpri-
atoms in 1913 for state purposes, S4,-
Gal ,9G0-practically one-half-was for
the support and improvement of edu.
c~ational Institutions, including the
state university, four state normal
schools, schools for the blind, deaf.
feeble-minded, and Industrial schools.
Do the people of Nebraska believe it
unwise to spend money literally in
such a cause?
The complexity of civilized life has
resulted in an increasing number Of
specialists. The pioneer farmers &C.
cupation is gone. He Is no longer car
penter. butcher, blacksmith and shoe
maker In one; his wife is nc longer
spinner, weave tailor, dressmaker.
milliner, physician and nurse: but
both he and she are now Obliged to be
operators, or at least overseers, of
complicated machinery, the like of
which our forefathers never even
dreamed. With this complexity of life
has grown necessarily more numerous
needs for government activity--and
greater government activity means
greater expenditures.
. Let us see what we are willing to
dispense with: Shall we fear we?)
disband the national guard and save
the S77. $50 appropriated for the adju-
tant generals Office?
Do we really need state supervision
OF insurance companies? II not, we
can a v S24,OSO each two years.
shall we cut down expenses by abol-
ishing the labor commissioners Office
md its $10,6S0 appropriations?
Can we get along without the game
and ilsh commission and save $44,7S0
each biennium?
What useful service is rendered by
the hotel commission that warrants
fAf'H'A'A1 P'%p''F vi 4 thAh lMO NtNIS .
Is it class legislation to pay $4,000
q year tor "a state veterinarian, ana
$4,000 a year for the Office expenses
of the live stock sanitary board. Sin
Guiding indemnity fer g~iaudered
horses?
Is 1t worth s57,750 per biennium for
q board OF commissioners to supervise
all the state charitable and penal in.
stitutions?
Are the people benefited $37,400 a
year by b state banking board?
Does the state board of irrigation
earn Its $27,SSO in two years of ser
vice?
Is 1t well to pay $12, $50 every two
years for the services and expenses of
the state prison board and board of
charities and correction?
Is the history of Nebraska SO vitality |
necessary that we should pay $40, 299
per annum to support a secretary, his
torian, librarian, curator, stenographer
and janitor?
Do we need a $33. 900 bNreau NJ