The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-01-09
WEEKLY REVIEW OF
STATE news With
OUR COMMENT
Continued from Page One
STATE LINE AN EXPENSE.

n Il LINE AIN GAF6NSE,
In an able editorial on the tax
question the Lewiston Tribune calls
attention to a condition to which we
have referred on innumerable occas-
ions, and that is the governmental
establishment we are maintaining.
The Lewiston paper noints out that
Idaho with a population of $4,000
people-no more than a fair sized
city-maintains a state government
comparable with those of California,
Oregon and Washington. The
Tribune says: the state government
of Idaho is, in various respects, as
fully manned and as expensive as
that of Oregon or Washington, and
for it to increase commensurately
with the demands of the times it is
going to lay charge upon $4,000
people now residing within the state
out of proportion to the rights and
capacities of the situation" The
Tribune argues that i'll view of the ac-
tivity of the federal government
state lines have become a hinderance,
embarrassment and useless expense to
the people. 1t states the simple
truth when it says that north Idaho
could receive its laws as we'll from
Olympia as Boise; southeastern Id
aho as well from Salt Lake; and
southwestern Idaho as we'll from
Salem
There is little likelihood that Idaho
as state will be done away with
and it is useless to speculate upon the
probable effect of such a transition
upon the taxpayer. The establish
ment which we have equipped and are
now maintaining is out of all proper
ton to our population and taxable
property. There is no question about
that. 1t IS so iii the state, in the
counties, in the cities and in the
school districts. We are attempting
too much with the means at hand.
There is as little likelihood that our
governmental activity will be stayed
as there is that Idaho will be dismem-
bered. The tendencies of the time
is toward more government. The
tendency is in evidence in Washing
ton. under a disciple of Thomas
Jefferson, who held that that gov
eminent is best which governs least.
1t extends to all the states and to
all the units OF every state. Here in
Idaho we are probably getting it to
much larger extent than in many
other states. The people have reach
ed that stage in thought where they
are unwilling or incapable of doing
anything for themselves that can pos
sibly be handed over to some unit or
other of the government Take our
schools as an illustration. By some
sort of persuasion or other theory
has been foisted upon the people that
poorly appointed and worse equip
ped school room is a better place to
teach housekeeping than i'll the home
itself-that an old maid school teach
er knows more about home building
than does the mother of a family.
We employ public servants to do
everything that we can possibly
trust them with. The result is high
taxes. No servant will do anything
as we'll or as economically as will the
man himself. This is a truism in
business. Why NOT apply it in a
measure to the government? We
say why not AS it will not be done
there is as little use in specializing
along this line as there is along the
line of the dismemberment of the
state.
THE GROWTH IN THE STATE
A. F. Parker of Grangevile has
been digging into the past and has