The Farmington times., 1918-02-15
Democratic
Press News
Penuchle and Politics.

Penuchle and Politics.
Last week Mayor Henry w. kiel,
of st. Louis, cast aside the burdens OF
his Office long enough to gather about
him the leading republican politicians
and officeeholders of st. Louis and
stole away to Excelsior Springs where
they spent the week playing penuchle
and politics.
This country may be at war, and
her patriotic citizens may be bending
every energy to bring it to an early
and successful termination, but what
do the republican officeholders of st.
Louis care about the war if it inter-
feres with their favorite indoor pas
time-penuchle and politics.
At this conference the distribution
of offices was agreed upon and
"slate" was made up which will be
offered to the people Of that city, and
the directions, "take it," will be writ
ten in large letters upon the bottle.
No wonder st. Louis spends more
money and gets less to show for it
than any city in the country. And
yet the same bunch of penuchle-play-
ing politicians would undertake to cap
be a sorry day for Missouri if such
calamity should happen.
withhold Your Criticism.
The assessors Of Missouri have
finihed their work for last year and
the reports are now being filed with
the Tax Commission, and the vast ma
jority of cases they have literally COM
piled with the law. The Board of
Equalization will meet in a few days
and adjust any inequalities that may
exist, and then the legislature will be
called upon to revise and reduce the
rates of levy for state and local pur-
poses so that the revenue produced
will be just sufficient for the needs in
each instance and no more. To those
who can see in this effort to standard
ize and equaliZe assessments, nothing
but an attempt to saddle the burden
of taxes upon certain classes Of prop
erty, we would advise that you with
hold your criticism until after the
work of the equalization board and
the legislature has been completed and
see if the results are not more salts
factory than the present plan, which
is based upon no fixed standard and
results in inequalities and favoritism
of the most glaring kind.
Can Point With Pride.
Governor Gardner's administration
of the business affairs of this state is
meeting with the popular approval of
the citizenship of Missouri Those
who were the most skeptical in the
early days of his administration are
now the most loyal. Every action of
his has been characterized by sincere
desire to get results that will be
creditable to the great state and the
progressive citizenship who have made
him their chief executive. The demo-
cratic party can point to his achieve
ments with unusual pride, and can
welcome any criticism the opposition
may level against his management of
our affairs in the state in these trying
times when more common sense and
good judgment is required of our ub-
lie officials than at any time in our
history.
The Kansas City Star is rapidly los
ing the prestige that it once enjoyed
as a great newspaper and moulder of
public opinion on account of its unfor-
tunate and inexcusable attitude to-
ward the administration in the conduct
of the war. 1t is blindly following the
lead of it's disgruntled contributing
editor from Oyster Bay and in so do
ing stands dscredited with every loyal
American who sympathizes with and
is aiding the President and the war
department in the herculean task of
raising and equipping the greatest
fighting force the world has ever seen.