The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-10-05


Belgian children?
BUY LIBERTY BONDS -
PEOPLES MONEY
FOR PROPAGANDA
Two or three weeks ago, In COM
Tribune made about the state tax
commission, we wrote that that body
was an incubus, and so far no men,
Der of the state press has challenged
the remark.
But a few days ago we received a
letter from one ]. E. Downing of
Tallahassee. Mr.. Downing is secre-
tary of the tax commission. He is,
we suppose "a nice young man. who
has IAN attack of swellhead because
he is connected with the great state
tax commission. However, he will
get over that. He lectrred US in a
mildly sarcastic manner for presum-
ing to have an opinion detrimental to
the commission. and sent US some re-
ports and copies of letters. He also
sent US two copies of a circular,
which circular is nothing more nor
less than an attempt to justify the
existence of the commission and an
appeal to the people to keep it's men,
bers in Office.
I. OF course, the members of the
commission have a right to ask the
people to keep them drawing their
unearned salaries, but when they send
out printing they, should pay for it
themselves.
We sent Mr.. Downing q letter, of
which the following is a part:
Ocala, Fla, Oct. /, 1918.
Mr.. j. E. Downing, Secretary Tax
Commission:
Dear Sir: Yours received and con-
tents noted.
Please inform us if the enclosed
piece of printing, evidently issued
with the purpose Of keeping the tax
commissioners in their positions, was
paid for by the commissioners them
selves or by the state.
Are you employed to look after
state work. or to defend the commits
sion against newspaper criticism?
Respectfully, Editor Star.
Down to date. Mr.. Downing has not
answered the letter.
We learn, however, from perfect
ly reliable source that the members
of the tax commission did not pay for
their propaganda. There were ten
thousand Of the circulars printed, and
the state Of Florida paid for not only
the printing but the postage to send
them out to the people.
What is this but . rank graft?
School Amendment Printing
Superintendent Crimson has receiv-
ed another consignment of those ex-
pensive cards, which are being stuck
up all over the state in an attempt to
fool the people into voting more taxes
on themselves. Mr.. Brinson, as you
may remember, says the various
county school boards appropriated
ten dollars apiece to pay for this
printing. We asked Mr.. Brinson
what authority the school boards had
for making such an appropriation,
and he said they had both the legal
and moral right There cannot pos
sibly be any legal right for any of
fetal, or set of officials, to take the
public money to influence public opin-
ion; and the lack of moral right is
too obvious for argument. What
would Mr.. Crimson say if the county
commissioners had circulars printed
asking the people to increase thei1
salaries, and then had the cost Of the
printing charged to the county.
| We received this, morning from Mr.
Sheppard, superintendent of Volusis
county, a copy of a circular arguing
in favor of the amendment. We arr
certain that several hundred, prob
ably several thousand, of these cir
tculars were sent out. We hope Mr.
i Sheppard paid for these circular.
himself. If they were paid for ou1
of the public funds, he violated hi.
oath of Office.
/ If the people would elect a compe
| tent and honest legislature, and th,
said legislature would do its duty, i
could cut off enough graft and misap
preparation. of public money to boil
i improve the schools and lessen tn,
taxes.
Il BUY LIBERTY BONDS
Il We are not particularly proud O
! our editorial paragraphs, so when ",
!, found, in reading the paper over las
evening, that our Industrious bu
|. rather inexperienced young assistan
. had put dispatch from Londol
. right in the middle of the scintilla
! tons. or aggloomerations.s whicheve
you choose to call them, we felt sur
!, that our readers hadn't entirely vast
!. led their time in reading the colyum.
! BUY LIBERTY BONDS -
i Spanish influenza seems to be ram
! pant in our state university q
! Gainesville. Every available nurse i
: the town was busy and on Tuesday
physician wired Ocala for help. Il
answer to this call there was meet
} ing of the directors of our hospita
he ri