The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1914-07-10
FRIDAY JULY 10 1914

paign. The increase in taxes
during the past two years has
heen enormous and to convince
yourself of this fact you have
only to refer to your tax receipt.
This increase has been gener-
al all along the line and is not
confined to any particular class.
Not only have the state taxes
been much higher under the pres
ent administration but the cOun-
fv taxes have also increased To-
even a greater extent, and this
increase is mainly due To- legis-
lation passed at the last session
of the legislature which not only
increased the number of officials
but the salaries as we'll.
The people are demanding a
change and will scrutinixe the
platforms of the different parties
10 see what remedies are Offer
ed. They will not be satisfied
by mere promises and general
platitudes. They want to know
Just what each party will do, if
successful, to remedy these
evils.
The democrats offer relief by
abolishing needles offices and
boards and consolidating the
work of others so that extra help
may be dispensed with.
The republicans have nothing
to offer except the most vague
pormise that they will attempt
some reductions in the expenses
of state government, which, their
platform declares is the only por-
ton of the government over
which they can have control.
he republican declarations are
peculiarly unfortunate for that
party inasmuch as as they either
are not honest declarations OF
else they show an ignorance oil
governmental powers that is as
lonishing from a party so long
ia power. That platform says
"Taxes are chiefly local anC
wholly within the hands of To-
cal authorities. No politica
party can have any voice in Tho
matter except as to state taxes
and in a limited way, count,
taxes. AS to these taxes, which
constitute but small part of th'
pledges the most rigid economy
Aside from one or two gener.
al expressions which, especial.
ly in view of this most impor,
tant admission, do not mean any.
thing, this is the whole promise
that party makes toward provid
ing a remedy for an evil, which
the convention was forced TO adj
NIT is "a handicap to industr,
and a potent factor in depress
ing property values"
It is difficult to believe the con
vention was as ignorant as it
platform seems to indicate. Tn
admission of inability to solv
this problem, which the platform
itself calls 1.-THE paramount pro
lennin Idaho today" is certain
ly astounding. When, befOr
the present decadent days of tina
party, was ever the republican
party forced to admit its inabil
ity to solve even the creates
Of problems?
As we have seen, however, tn
party does admit such inability
And the establishment is all Tn
more because most of those VIII
constituted that convention kno'
that their statement that tn
state government cannot hav
control over the levying of take
in lesser tax districts is untrue
They know that the only powe
to pevy taxes that county commi
sloners, school districts, cities
towns and villigas and other su
divisions of the governmen
have, is the power given ther
by the legislature, and they ais
know that the legislature can lin
1t that power down to nothin
or 1t can open the limit up t
confscation.
We fancy that the real thin
IN the minds of the members O
that convention was the know
ledge that it has been republic
an legislatures that have open
ed the way for the practical con
hscation through tavation tina
the people are now grooming un
der, and they feared to tell tn
people the truth but preferre
to mislead them. It is a pecul
lar trait Of the republicans Z
lay the blame for all incompe
tent action upon the people, an
mat is Just what they tried to d
IN their platform, upon the ia
failure in this state.