Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1916-10-28
"Mav 18th, 1916

"E. l.. BROWN"
MAY 18th, 1916.
F. L. Brown, Reno, Nevada.
Dear Sir: Your letter of the 9th
inst. is before me. 1t is no doubt a
very interesting communication, but
lack Of intimate knowledge Of
local conditions and the perplexities
and cross-currents of Nevada politics,
render some of the passages rather
obscure.
L had read in the press dispatches
somewhat concerning the Pittman
Bill. and my curiosity and interest
were excited. as it occurred to me Ga:
It did to some others), that if Nevada
succeeded in getting this princely gif,
from the federal government, other
western states, including Oregon
would be encouraged to seek similar
%iavors, in the interest of the develop.
ment Of the public school system.
Your letter would seem to indicate
that some Of the people Of Nevada
we're either too timid, or too I'M
worldly, to accept and assume the
burden of administering and enjoy
ing the proposed donation. From
newspaper accounts I got the impress
sion that the purpose of the bill wa
to grant approximately 100000 acres
OF the public land to the state of Ne
vada, for public school and univer
sity purposes, leaving it to the state
to enact such general and additional!
legislation as might be expedient or
necessary to safeguard the grant and
protect the people and schools OF the
state in its complete enjoyment. |
gather from your letter that a few Of
your compatriots conceived the idea
that the people of Nevada could not
be trusted to protect the gift, or give
the people OF the state a fair and
equal chance of enjoying the same:
and felt and voiced a strong convic-
ton that congress ought to recognize
the helpless and incompetent cOndi-
ton thus portrayed, and protect the
good people of Nevada from them
selves. If those who oppose the bill
are unable to convince congress that
the inherent profigacy and wastetul-
ness of the people OF Nevada, makes
e raCaccorr f0- c0t,orasS tn assume
the role of S%pendthri:t Guardian, i,
might occur to congress that it wOuln
be better o to make the donation
at all. Furthermore. ii such a gram
were made for the support and dc
velopment of the university and the
public schools Of the state. generally
the result probably would be, in the
near future. to render unnecessary the
levying Of any taxes for school or
University purposes, o: else, the re
drction Of such taxes to- the mini
mum.
There is a certain school oi cor
oniists who insist that 70 relieve a
people OF ~tdNatlOH, is como tCaliS
unsound; that by tightening the pub
lie burdens, there is lett to them a
larger proportion of their inc me and
earnings, available to be spent in pri-
yate pursuits, and which is very like
ly to invite to habits of luxury and
over-indulgence.
THE people Of this state are not So
unworldly. II there was some way
of switching the grant to the public
school system of this state, we would
not waste valuable time i'll looking
a gift horse in the mouth nor let the
opportunity of letting the donation
slip by while We were discussing the
question of whether Or not the people
of the state were competent enough
Or honest enough to be trusted with
its administration. We would take
the grant first, and do the soul
searching afterwards.
Your reference to Senator Pitt
man and either prominent citizens OF
the state, interests me only to the
extent that | am interested in all OF
the active, virile characters who are
factors in the upbuilding of the west.
4 do not even know what his politics