Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-14
TINES REPUBLICAN, MARsHAILToWN FEBRUARY 1917


In one instance as in the other
What are the facts about taxes In
Iowa? With the exception of Polk coun :
" and possibly one or two others not
a county lowered its levies when the
state executive council practically
doubled the assessable valuation or
property Adequate notice was sent to
the local taxing boards but the county
levies, the school levies, and the town
ship levies were the same after the new
valuation as before And when the tax
payer came up on April to meet a
double tax rate. and protested, most OF
the local taxing bodies were unfair
enough to lay the blame on the execu-
tive council for raising the assessable
value Of the lands
These tax levies have not been re-
duced since. They are as high now
the state over as they were before
the values were Increased. The
township levies OF Iowa are sub
stantially az high as they were. And
vet It was not so long ago that It was
disclosed for one of the western coun-
ties that every township fund had a
surplus Of frorns$1 900 up of money for
which no use could be found.
Take a single Illustration OF the
heedlessness with which even mem Y
bers Of the legislature will talk
about the burden of taxation. 1t Is
proposed to sell the custodial farm
that was bought two years ago. The
sale Is spoken of as a means of cut
ting down taxation and saving expense.
Now what is the purpose of the custod-
ial farm? 1t is to give employment to
the $4,000 men and boys. with few
women and girls, who are annually de-
tanned in idleness in our county jails.
1t is to let them earn their own living
instead OF living on the industry of the
community.
With the custodial farm there will
be less demand for the county and city
Jail. there will be fewer to be fed at
public expense. fewer jail inmates will
be coming back a second or third time.
This Is not matter of estimate, it has
been proven in the experience Of neigh
boring states. But the custodial farm
being supported out of the state levy
instead of out of the county levy, is
constantly referred to as source of
needless expense. burden upon the
taxpayer and the like, while the enor.
nous cost Of the county in caring Tor
the same work In more expensive
way is wholly ignored.
In the very nature of Things
small come to do in larger way as
the state grows and our community in
terests become more, important what
we have been doing In, smaller and
scattered way IN the past That will
mean that our state leyies ought to
grow and our local Ievies decline. And
mat process will mark a progress in
economy Of administration, lust as 1t
does in development of any private
business, Now why should this per-
fectiy natural process and economical
process be met every two years by the
determined hostility OF the men who
are sent to represent the interests of
the taxpayers OF the state? WHY should
they of al men bark hack to ignorant
prejudice - INST doing in a large way
wat can no, be done either econGmi-
caliS or effectively in small way?
We dc not believe there is a man
in Iowa who does not, know that the
state highway commission has been
An economy for Iowa. and not an
expense With ali the prejudice
that has been aroused nobody has
the courage to propose to go wholly
back to the scattered management
or ninety-eight individual counties.
What better proof conld anybody have
of the feeling OF the people than the
assurance those are prompt To give.
who are trying to demoralize the COM
mtsston,and its work. that the state en-.
sineer they propose will do jus; as
much as the commission has done?
Would they say that IL the commission
had not proved its value"
The waste of Iowa money is not IN
what the state is doing ri all a!.ho
there are places in he state manage
ment thai need tightening. 1t is in the
scattered effort of counties and town
ships to do something which the COM
munity as a whole should take charge
of. In the mere matter of the enforce
ment of law the scattered efforts of
county authorities are enormously
wasteful when compared with state
organization properly supported.
This is not matter OF speculation.
it is matter of proved fact in the eX-
perience of states that have profted
as much as possible by the example of
our big business enterprises. Nobody
ever saw Il railroad surveyed by
townships or counties. or financed or
built by townships or counties. To
merely suggest the matter is 10 give a
picture of a bankrupt railroad before
the rails were laid. II railroad is not
planned that way nor any other big
enterprise, why should we who have
seen so many big things promoted. con-
tinue to delude ourselves about the
public business?
The emphasis is in the wrong place
In this perennial debate about extraya-
gance in Iowa. II this legislature
would adopt budget system, provide
businesslike way of financing public
improvements, and take over for the
state the larger enterprises OF state
concern. Iowa could be doing twice
what is now being done, and have q
third lower tax levies.
But so long as we go ahead deliber-
ately shutting our eyes to the wastefuI-
ness OF so much local subdivision of
responsibility with so many indepeHd-
emit taxing bodies with SO little system
In planning and making our public i'm
provements. with such habitual suspi-
cion OF everything done In a large way.
WITH so many Independent commits
sions, and with no plans for financing
large undertakings, we shall have con
stantly higher tax leyies and be falling
further and further behind in state en-
terprises