The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-02-12
LEGISLATIVE scoRM FOR
SMALL SAVING.

SMALL SAVINGS
~ Somebody has figureed out
what becomes OF every 800 of
lakes paid by the people Of Ida
no. That is, not exactly what
becomes of every 800 paid in,
but how many cents of it goes to
this use, how many cents TO that
and how many cents to the other.
OF course, seeing that there are
so .frightfully many departments
provided for by past legislatures
bent rather upon providing soft
jobs for political workers, the
number of cents required for any
one department is usually very
small. For instance, it is said
that all the salaries of all of the
state officials amounts to only
100 cents out Of every 800.
Accordingly, the idea seems to
prevail in the legislature that
unless the entire amount of the
500 paid, and by this we mean
every 800 paid in taxes, there
is no use otry to save any of
it. "Why that costs only 10
cents" says one learned solon,
and "this costs only CENTS"
says another, while a third chimes
in with his depreciation Of the
smallness of every reduction so
far advocated, and so on down
the line of the whole member
ship.
Even the most casual visitor to
the halls of legislation has prob
ably heard such method Of OBJ
jecting to reductions, the total Of
which, however, would amount
to several hundred cents.
1t is clearly impossible to save
the taxpayers the whole of the
500. So what shall we dos
Shall we save none of it? And
because we cannot save the
whole of the amount now requir-
ed, shall we increase the amount
so that instead of the 500 now
required, 1925 or $3.50 shall be
required?
Persons listening to the scorn
expressed in the legislative halls
because of the proposed saving Of
a few cents here, a few more
and still more yonder, can read
lily see that the poor taxpayer is
to have no relief at the hands of
the legislature, but that on the
contrary, his burden is to be in
creased by a few cents today.
more cents tomorrow, and a few
more cents each additional day
during the session, under the
false and deluding idea that a
few cents more or less will not
increase the burden nor lessen
it, until he can bear it no longer
How easy it is 70 rthe spend
thrift to believe he is not squan-
dering his inheritance merely be-
cause he spends but a part of it
today, another part tomorrow and
so on until the whole is spentl
The legislature is the thought
less spendthrift Of the state. It
is squandering the peoples
money because each item seems
so small, rather than converting
itself into the wise person of
foresight who reduces each ex-
penditure even if only a few pen
MES at a time, until the whole
reduction amounts TO dollars in
stead the cents which are so
scorned by legislative mmebers.
What man ever accumulated a
competence except through the
saving of those pennies the leg
islatOrs scorn? What fool ever
parted from his money except
through the expenditure Of only
small portions of it at time?
Instead of fine scorn, sarcasm
and contempt for the small saw
ings, the legislature would show
great wisdom by paying atten-
ton and by giving consideration
to every proposal for reduction
in the tax bill, to which a major
ity of them stand specifically
pledged.
-rna.u..r --..a. -..--