The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-10-03
sUBscRIPTIoN RATES
THE TEN-MILL AMENDMENT

Editor Star: No. sir, my question
of yesterday afternoon was neither
Inconsistent nor in bad taste. It was
in good time and in perfectly good
taste. Your answer has rather
peevish ring.
You persistently hold up the ten
mills as if it were hanging right over
the taxpayers head and in yester-
days paper when it suits your pur-
pose you say "you ought to know you
can't gettit this year." That is true..
The levy is made for this year and
the school board cannot change it un-
til next year and then in all proba-
bility the war vii be over and things
be beginning to resume normal condi-
tions. The present unsettled condi-
tions are temporary but the. amend
ment if adopted will be permanent,
Let the voter remember that the.
adoption of the amendment does not
make the levy. No one can, do this
except the school board and it. is per-
fectly proper and good public policy
that the board that is responsible to
the public for maintaining and ope-
rating a system of public education
should have the. power to levy taxes
sufficient to meet the needs Of the
public as presented by the people.
No, | am not "bawling" for lack
of funds but the people of the various
parts of the county who have been
putting up with the most Indifferent
accommodations for years upon years
and the board doing the very best
that could be done with the means at
command, are "bawling" and have a
right to "bawl."
Very respectfully yours,
j. H. Brinson.
There may be difference of opin-
ion between Mr.. Crimson and other
people about this question. For one
thing, when the Star proposed to try
to raise the money for the drilling
equipment, Mr.. Brinson gave. it his
unqualified approval. The Star has
made the attempt not in any criticism
of the school board, nor with any ref
erence to the ten-mill amendment. It
is doing it simply to help in much
needed branch of instruction. Mr.,
Brinson has, in our opinion, himself
shown peevishness as well as. bad
taste in trying to use this matter as
an argument for his pet amendment.
Mr.. Crimson speaks of the, people
putting up with Indifferent accommo,
dations and "bawling." He has chang
ed his tune. Less than two years age
he was Dragging on Marion county
schoolhouses-we heard him Dragging
on them the other day, too. How many
of you people of Marion county arr
"bawling" about your indifferent
school houses? How many of you arr
bawling for more taxes? Don't al
speak at once.
We promised last ]. week that VIZ
would take Mr.. Brinson's argument
for the ten-mill amendment to pieces
and show you what made it tick, bu
on examination we find it has no ticl
to it. 1t is not built like watch, bu
like a clock. and, when he spins it, j
huns "more, more, more.
You will remember that Mr.. Brin
son told you that the ten-mill amend
ment "would not increase the salar!
of the superintendent" etc. Well, i
this amendment is passed it will in
crease his salary quite considerably
He told us that Marion county j
paying less, than $4,000 per year il
school taxes. The. law says, that ,
county paying over $4,000 shall pa,
its superintendent about $500 yea
more than one paying less. If MI
Crimson doesn't believe US he can g
into the county judges Office and MI
Smith will show him the law, An
another three mills in proportion viii
increase your school taxes from les
than $4,000 to nearly $4,000. Tn
same rule will apply to almost ever.
county superintendent in the state.
To do Mr.. Crimson justice, we d,
not think he is mercenary in thi
matter. We think he more than earn
his salary, and we would not objec
to its being increased. But if he i