The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-03-19
CONTRIBUTION BOX
Note: All Communications must be
signed. Names are withheld from
publication if requested.-Ed.

Editor: The writer would thanl
you for space to reply to the article
in last Sundays Statesman headed
"Dr. Bryan Will Protect Fund" Thi'
article as written would indicate tina
| the distinguished gentleman had dec
cided to annex the management O,
the state auditors office with that O.
| the commissioner of education, and
desire this space for the purpose oil
| informing the taxpayers of Idaho, and
also DR.. Bryan, that do not need
| his services in running this office
and will not until January 6, 1919. !
intend to apportion the money &C
cording to law, and the desire of the
last legislature, as expressed in
Gently by the attorney general of the
state. In fact the several articles
which have appeared recently in the
Statesman, which have attempted to
show that the state board of educa-
ton was going to take heroic meas
ures to save the Morrill, fund, and al
so the soldiers home federal aid fund,
although this latter fund is entirely
outside of their jurisdiction. were
simply articles inspired by the board
of education, or the heads of the
educational institutions, for the pur-
pose of misleading the public as to
the merits of the case. The last leg
islature for the first time in the
history of Idaho, very wisely and
almost unanimously, decided to limit
the expenditures of all state fnstitu-
lions, instead of the old way of CIV
ing these various institutions certain
amounts of money, and then allowing
them to spend their interest money,
and their local receipts on top of that.
This decision met with great oppOsi-
ton from the educational lobby, which
for years has infested the state cap
itol every time the legislature meets.
This condition is not alone in Idaho,
but in every other state in the Union,
and causes the taxpayers hundreds of
thousands of dollars of unnecessary
appropriations every two years, and
should be stopped. The last IegisIa-
ture, in writing House Bill No. 316,
decided that all local receipts should
be placed to the credit of the institu-
ton, thereby reducing the legislative
appropriation by that amount Aft
sr House Bill No. 316 left the execu
i've offices, the educational lobby was
enabled to insert the following false
statement in the bill:
Except federal aid received from
he government of the United States, |
which, under the law, granting said /
lid, must be retained by the institu-
ion receiving the same"
This is a joker of the worst type,
md was inserted by someone for the |
purpose of allowing the officials at |
he university at Moscow to handle |
learly three hundreds thousand dol /
ars every two years, for which the
tate of Idaho is responsible for its |
proper expenditure, but never knows (
where it goes. This joker is false /
or the reason that the federal statute
eads that the state board of regents
# the university, or it's successors in
'ffice, which, in the state of Idaho is
he state board of education, shall
lame the university treasurer, and
IS the Idaho statutes provide that all
ills contracted must be approved by
he state board of examiners, and
shall be signed by the state
.uditor and paid by the state treas
lrer, there is naturally conflict
Iere between the federal law and the
tate law. This can be overcome,
Iowever, by the state board of educa-
ion electing John W. Eagleson, state
reasurer, to act as university treas
rer; then all claims would be paid
ccording to the Idaho law. This has
cen done in number of other states,
Though, am frank to acknowledge,
he group at Washington, D. c., con-
rolled by this hallowed atmosphere
7hich surrounds all educational
odies, are not in favor of state Of
Gals knowing where the federal
loney goes. 1t is time the taxpayers
{ Idaho were informed of the real |