Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1914-06-12
ABLE ADDRESS
ON TAXATION

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Address on taxation, delivered be-
before the State Grange at Nampa, Ida
no, January 20, 1914, by N. Jenness, of
Nampa. The address in too lengthy
for one article, and would suggest that
our readers save this and when the en-
tire address is printed paste it in a
scrap book. The address follows:
Continued from last week.
den? Because we wanted fine court
house, roads, bridges and all the con-
veniences that any county has. l re-
member that the people of the west
side were much incensed few years
ago because Nampa voted against three
bridges all in the general vicinity and
which would have cost this city $4,000
and benefited us little if any. am
free to admit that if three bridges in
the vicinity of Nampa would have
brought us little trade and been a
convenience to number of people we
should have wanted the west side peo-
pie to burden them selves for our ben
eft. You remember we finally voted
for the three bridges, ashamed that we
had even thought of economy, which
was almost disgrace in those days.
Let us economize all we can in our
county affairs and ultimately work out
OF our situation and in the meantime
not blame the governor, President
Wilson or the mikado of Japan for
what we have done in Canyon county.
Lastly we come to the state tax of
$2.87 1-2 out OF $39. 40 or one-thirteenth
OF the whole. From all you have read
in the papers you would suppose that
the state tax is the big burden when
in fact it is SO small that you would
scarcely miss it were it taken off alto
gether. This is not said in defense Of
the state tax. No matter how small it
is it should be still smaller II it can be
made so without impairment of the
public service and think it can. In
the state as in the counties and cities
we have been a little too swift in our
ambition to keep pace with old and
wealthy states. We have wanted all
kinds Of public institutions, roads and
bridges to equal those to be found any
where,
We are now in q situation which re-
minds me of the German whose wife
was desperately i'll. He took her to a
hospital and the next morning called to
learn of her condition and was told by
the attendant, 'she shows improve
ment." The next morning he called
again and was informed "she shows i'm
provement." This continued for a
week when he was much shocked by
the attendant saying: "Your wife is
dead" He repaired to the home of a
German friend to relate his woes.
The friend was all sympathy and said:
81 thought your wife was getting along
fine, what caused her death?" "Show-
ing SO much improvement" was the
mournful answer.
Who levied this state tax of one-thir-
teenth of all your taxes? Practically
the legislature as that body made all
the appropriations and the state Off
cials merely figured out the amount
required of each county and notified
the county officials. The legislature e,
bear in mind, is presumed to directly
represent the people and would make
no appropriations unless required by
law or in response to general de.
mand. The last legislature not only
appropriated the vast sums over which
there is such general complaint, but or
the part of many membere there wa.
strenuous effort to make many more
appropriations. In fact have here &
list of 81 bills, all of which were more
or less ably championed, which did no
pass, aggregating more than u, ,44O, OO'
in appropriations or proposed bond is
sues. Had these bills all passed i
would have made an average tax in
crease Of $24.OO for every family in tn,
taxes it would have meant an averag,
of $500 for every family, and let m,
add, there was scarcely single one O
these bills that did not call to the cap
ital a large delegation Of "prominen
citizens" from that particular localit,
to be benefited by the bill under con
sideration at the time. You know
these delegations are only lobbyist
when they appear for corporation
What becomes of this dollar out o
thirteen that you pay the state? l
goes to the support OF AZ state institu
tions and departments Of governmen
which for their support required ap
preparations aggregating 81, 310,258 4
vast sum, and while little economics
can be effected here and there, yo,
can put it down as a certainty that th'
total will never be materially affected
unless some Of these institutions ant