The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-08-24
HOME TOWN PRIDE
OR PATRIOTISM? (?

4
the war is over? The county COM
missioners have estimated that suff1-
Client repairs to the courthouse to
make the lower floor usable will cost
about $4,000. Rent for officials who
can not be housed on the lower floor
has been estimated at 5000 year for
each Official. total of about $500 for
a year. The insurance received by
the county was $4,000. II the war
ends in one year and we start building
our new courthouse, then we will
have little nest egg of about SIG, 800
to start with. If we start building
now at the end of year we will be
about $230,000 in debt and will have
spent $500 for rent Which shall ii
| be?
If we find it not practical to repair
the old courthouse, why not secure
the use of the Nixon opera house,
which is large enough to house most
Of the county Offices? Partitions would
| divide Ii into number of Offices and
the heating problem would also be
solved, as this building has its own
heating plant.
BUT-whatever we decide to do we
must remember that the President has
| requested that during the war no new
building be commenced unless abso-
/ lutely essential, and this means proper
housing for shipbuilders, government
employees and other war industry
workers. and the construction of
warehouses for munitions, clothing
and war supplies of various kinds.
| New buildings divert capital, ma
terial and labor from war purposes.
Capital is diverted from the Liberty
loan soon TO be raised and others
soon to follow. II the taxpayers think
the county is to be bonded and, as n
result, taxes to be increased, they
will feel that they must provide for
these new taxes. Consequently the
| tendency of all will be to subscribe
to smaller quantity of bonds than
they have already planned to take.
They know their income and any new
calls upon 1t must be met by cutting
down somewhere else. In view of the
fact that Nevada has just requested
1 reduction on her quota for the next
Liberty loan, how will it look to the
rest of the state IL Humboldt county
tries TO float a $250,000 bond issue at
this time? We will look really patri-
otic, won't we?
Materials may be obtainable IL we
are willing to pay the price. but do we
fully realize just what that price is?
Prominent men right here in Winnie
mucca have recently tried to get or
ders through for building materials
and have not only had them turned
down but were informed that there
are absolutely impossible to procure
IL we get the materials we are taking
them away from some place where
they would otherwise be contributing
10 the safety and comfort of the thou
| sands of boys-some from our own
county-who are fighting and working
TO protect us and our homes. Can we,
dare we, think Of ourselves and our
own desires only, when Others-even
our own sons-are sacrificing life
itself for a cause the existence OF
which we seem to be selfshly trying
to deny or ignore?
Under the proposed new draft law
soon to be passed by congress, and
the work or fight law already in effect
and which undoubtedly will apply to
all men from Is to IS. and with the
government today recruiting labor
throughout the United States and pro-
hibiting other industries from COM
peting with its efforts by offers of
larger wages, ETC., where are we going
to get the necessary LABOR to build
a new courthouse? Do we know
there is a war? Do we figure that its
far-reaching hands will pass us by or
are We just like a bunch of ostriches.
thinking that II we bury our heads in
the sand-ignore the fact that there
is a war-that il will not touch us? :?
Does our common sense tell us that
the government is going to place the
men experienced in building trades at
places where it is absolutely neces-
sary 10 provide shelter and proper
housing for the shipbuilders and other
war industry workers. and acres and
acres of storehouses for war material,
or is the government going to allow
these necessary structures 10 wait M
Ill We complete our new courthouse?
IL we build a new courthouse some
one or a number OF someone's will
have to foot the bill. Under ordinary
circumstances II may be perfectly
nrOner-nOliticS-tO make the rail-
roads pay the greater part of the ex-
penses OF running our county. but to-
day when we add TO the taxes of the
railroads we are burdening the gov
ernment with that extra expense, and
you and l and the other fellow are
the government and have to pay its
bills.
When the goyernment-which is
ourselves-is using every effort. try