Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1918-05-31
TAXPAYERS LEAGUE
OF WHITMAN COUNTY
President Comegys Clearly Explains
Aims and Objects of Association
and Asks for support

Taxpayers associations are com
monty formed for the purpose of re-
ducing taxes, willy nilly; but the
Whitman County Taxpayers associa-
ton was conceived in much broad
er spirit and organized along more
comprehensive lines The declara-
ton Of purpose of the association is
in part as follows: I'VE
have voluntarily associated together
for the purpose of promoting effici-
ency and economy in the disburse-
ment of public moneys"
The officers and members of the
association feel that the organization
represents a real need in the civic
life of the county and that it holds
possibilities for great good in CO.
been placed in executive charge of the
county business. Whitman county
is a hundred million dollar corpora
ton; the taxpayers are the stock
holders of this corporation and the
association is an organization of the
stockholders, formed for the purpose
of promoting efficiency and economy
in the management of the corpora
ton business.
Reduced to concrete terms, the
Taxpayers association has urged, and
will continue to urge, that our county
and municipal business be conducted
with the same degree of intelligence.
efficiency and economy that charac-
terizes the successful management of
private business of like magnitude
and Importance. This is in keeping
with the spirit of the times, which
demands that public business be as
efficient as private business.
A few years ago the government of
our cities was the shame of the CEN
fury. Through the stress of neces-
sity of a great calamity, Galveston
led the way, and today the business
of hundreds of our cities is handled
by a small, compact commission of
three or five members, or by city
manager with full power and re-
sponsibility. In these cities thus gov
erned public business is as efficient
ly handled as private business.
Through the stress and necessity Of
war our federal government is now
leadiiHH s--ttihe " ayi, Goethals, Schwab
and Ryan have been given full power
and full responsibility and we all
know what that means results with
a big X.
Today the worst governed unit in
all the land is the county. The coun-
ty has not one head, but 10 or IL
heads, no one of which has any real
authority. Imagine what would hap
pen to private business with 10
heads, no one of which had authority.
The very essence of successful pri-
vate business is concentrated author
ity and concentrated responsibility,
and all experience from the Calves
ton disaster down to the present time
has gone to show that public business
is governed by the same essential
economic law that governs private
business. Where there is concentrate
ed authority and responsibility we
find good government; where there
is divided responsibility we find poor
government.
At the fall election tie voters will
pass upon the question of calling a
constitutional convention. Should
such convention be called its acts
will likely have far-reaching effects
upon our form of county government
and it behooves all good citizens now
to begin studying the questions in
volved in the reorganization of coun-
ty government along rational lines in
the light of recent experience AS an
educational medium the taxpayers
association has already shown us GER
tain fundamental weaknesses of our
present form of county government
and as time goes on it will no doubt
become an increasingly important
factor in stimulating thought and dis
cussion upon this vital topic.
AT this time when the great war is
demanding that 100 per cent of our
power and resources, financial and
otherwise, be consecrated to the one
end of upholding and providing for
our boys in France, we are gravely
wrong ii we divert any portion of
our resources. either money. labor or
material, to non-essential enterprises
that can be prosecuted just as we'll.
and more cheaply, after the war.
The only way for individuals of
like mind to effectively direct their
influence and accomplish their pur-