The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-10-29
THE TEN-MILL AMENDMENT

Editor Star: The controversy be-
TWEEN you and Supt. Crimson has been
interesting reading to me. In pass
ing judgment as to which is right and
for the good of the taxpaying public,
my verdict is in your favor and my
reason for this decision is as follows:
We are living in and under abnorm-
al conditions, the world war is on US,
our u. S. government is calling on al
the people to loan it every dollar we
can for liberty bonds and war savings
stamps. This is right. Also to give
every extra dollar we can raise for the
Red Cross and the Y M. c.. A. This is
also right. Our government further
levies a direct tax on every private
citizen who writes letter of one
cent, on every postal card one cent,
on every parcels post package where
the postage amounts to twenty-six
cents and over two cents, on every
express package three cents, on every
railroad ticket eight per cent and
over, on every legal document, prom
Ifssory note, ETC., from two cents to
one dollar per thousand and on and
on according to the expressed value
of the paper. On every annual income
of two thousand dollars and over from
business, farm or profession, two per
cent and if the present pending bill
before Congress passes, the income
tax will be six per cent from the
president down to the private citizen
This is all right; we must win this
war. If our soldiers offer their lives
and endure the hardships of war, it is
| the least thing we can do to give of
our money every way demanded By
our government to give comfort, food
and raiment to those who are making
the sacrifice for us. On the first day
| of November next Friday our state
government demands from her citi-
zens in taxes over three million dol
lars to meet the expense of the state
and to pay hotel inspectors, pure food
inspectors, fertilizer inspectors, rural
school inspectors, convict inspectors,
bank inspectors, state auditors and
other officers of different titles and
commissions.
In addition to this the counties
| must have in taxes at least three
times as much as the state to pay Of
ficers and muddle up the roads.
In addition to this the cities and
towns must have a large chunk to pay
officers and make the water flow IN
| dry places and sometimes make the
light shine in darkness. In addition to
this the state demands license tax
on automobiles and other professions
to keep men looking nice and play
like they were building good roads
Now last but not least our school
officers are advertising by pamphlet
and in the state press to induce voters
to vote an additional constitutional
tax of three mills on the people for
county schools while we now have a
constitutional right to levy and COL
lect for the counties seven mill tax,
a district tax of three mills for
schools and the state levies one
mill tax for schools and in addition ta
that where district issues bonds to
build school houses and make othe,
needed improvement tax of five
mills may be added. What more do
we want? We know the property of
this county is not assessed at any,
thing near full cash value. Friend
Crimson tells US of the scarcity of
teachers and vacant school houses
and tries to make the impression that
a ten-mill constitutional tax would
fill the school houses with teachers.
In this l think he is mistaken, as
many of the teachers have gone to
do war work at an advanced salary.
So have many field hands and men IN
all industrial pursuits of life. They
have gone to do war work at advanc-
ed wages. The increase of taxes will
not bring them back, but when this
war shall end and the clerical posi-
tons, the shipbuilding plants, the
munition plants and the work at can
tonments will not further need hun
dreds and thousands of the people
now employed, they will return home
without much money and will seek
employment in the fields, in the in
dustrial pursuits and in the school
room. Then the vacant school houses
will have teachers at fifty to seventy
five dollars per month to teach no
higher than the eighth grade and to
work and eat and play only six hours
per day from s a. m. to p. m.
/ | think friend Brinson has set his
plow too deep. Better set his back
tband SD as not to hang his pillow under
a root. The war is on, we are under
abnormal conditions. We don't know
what another year will bring upon u.s.
Vote against the constitutional ten
mill tax.
Vote for statewide prohibition and
vote to kill all the. cattle ticks is the
advise of your humble servant.
/