Emmons County record., 1915-03-11

mandefor the downing of ''stalwart-
ism"
Right near the close of the ses-
sion came q test vote that showed
more plainly than anything else
could have. done that the old issue is
dead and buried. The question of
abollshing the present tax commits
sion and placing in Its stead tax
commissioners brought out the fea-
ture mentioned. The final vote in
the house on the bill which had
passed the senate was two in favor
of the new plan, but the same failed
for the reason that majority Of
the membership was needed and just
exactly half of the members of the
lower house voted for the thing.
Thus it was lost. -
The tax-commission matter WIS
important enough in itself, but the
alignment when the vote was taken
was still more so. For instance,
during years past Messrs. T. Twich-
ell, of Cass. and A. C. Divet. of
Richland, have been pronounced
"progressives and members of the
wheel within wheel which unseat-
| ed the old stalwart organization.
with the help of the minority dem
ocrats. When the tax.commission
matter was at white heat Mr..
Twichel arose and fought the pres
en' commission with every ounce of
strength at his command. MIR.
Divet. with equal ardor. cham
pioned the cause of Messrs. Packard,
KoZitsky. ct. al, and went so far as
to declare that the governor was
making direct attempt to "Wil-
sonize' the house in an effort to put
the commission out Of business.
While the vote showed something
of the old stalwart-progressive
alignment. there was nevertheless a
great difference of opinion and ever
the dragging of the chief executive
into the fight failed to line them ur
on the old ground
And during all the session it was
impossible to see which might be
stalwarts and which might be pre-.
gressives. If anything, some of the
eary-dny progressives had banded
together and were simply "agin the
government" For instance, the
governor had favored number Of
things in message tn the legislature
1t appeared that this little handful
of men voted regularly and relig
iously against each and every one Of
such suggestions. But. the mem
bership as a whole jumped from on.
side to the other as the quest ion.
came before them, and. while il
many 'ho'tc'o, SUCH IIISl DIS DlVe
and Twichell were to be found OF
the same SIDE, occasionally the,
locked horns" as stated above.
1t is doubtful if state polite
were ever in better shape than a
present The republican party ha
its usual bunch Of "hushwhackers'
and will always have. The safe ant
sane leaders of the party. however
are pretty much in accord, and j
looks as though the next campaign
: will see the candldates judged pref
ty much on their merits and not b,
the brand they wear.
The Record believes in the theor
of the tax commission, but we hav
means of knowing that the presen
tax board is not and has not bee
for the best interests of anyone O
anything but themselves. We hav
: received letter after letter from tn
tax commission !audlng themselve
and asking US to pull" for then
We dare say that politics and poll
ical wire-pulllng has required muc
: more of their time than has the d,
ties of their positions. AS it W;
/: they had mighty narrow squea
: and the number of men who OF
n posed them showed pretty concl,
}, sively that they held their job
e main force.
Il We have any number of tie "bu
y letins' sent out by the tax cc,nmi
e sion to the newspapers of the sta
e at state expense which show en- the
y face to be nothing mt nolltiral a