The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-04-29
THE PLAIN FACTS

N~'NN@S'H N4Syy N~O'y mp Al HOs-A HC
Referendum Committee of the Demo-
cratic State Committee, through W. R.
Hollister, who is acting as director of
the movement, in conjunction with
Chairman Iancey and Secretary Fish
err of the State Committee, today au-
thorized the following statement:
The proposed referendum upon GER
tain enactments of the last legislative
session is not designed for the mere
purpose of saving the "jobs" of any
Democratic officials, contrary to the
repeated and persistent misstatements
of advocates of these bills, who do
not appear to be willing to enter upon
public discussion of these measures
in detail. Neither does it originate
with officials affected, directly or in
directly, by the legislation, but is the
result Of weeks of consideration, first,
by special committee of Democratic
Senators and members of the Legisla-
ture, and next by two general confer
ences in which representatives of
state and county organizations, mem
bers of the legislature and active DEM
ocratic leaders took part. The deci-
I sion to invoke the referendum upon
the bills YVES reached after mature de-
liberation covering period of several
weeks. There is nothing hasty, moth
ing inconsiderate about it.
1t is proposed that this referendum
shall be the first step on the part of
the Democratic party of Missouri in
campaign to restore a state govern
ment that is regardful of the states
constitution, as well as to re-establish
economical administration, and to pre-
vent in future inordinate increases of
taxation, with inequitable raises in
property assessments, altogether be-
yond the needs Of the state.
Detailed discussion of these bills is
invited by the proponents of the refer
endum, with close analysis of their &C.
tual provisions, and careful inquiry in
to the taxation. and assessment ques-
ton, which are inseparably involved in
the referendum program, rather than
shallow congratulations and somewhat
misleading statements offered by
some Republican officials, who favor
this program of centralized govern
ment, with extravagant expenditures,
such as those characterizing the adj
dresses of the Governor and Lieuten-
ant Governor at Kansas City last
week.
1t has been charged and not success
fully contradicted that the new assess
ments have been made primarily for
the object Of securing revenue where
with to sustain the new plan of state
government, with immense increases
in cost, rather than equalization and
proportionate reduction in tax levies
and economy in administration. 1t
has been shown that the cost Of the
bureaus affected by the consolidation
scheme during the last two years was
about $l,400,000 and that the activi-
ties of the same bureaus, when en-
bodied in the new plan, if it should be-
come effective, will cost approximately
Sc, 400, 900 for the next two years. We
propose to fight any plan to make eff
fective such million dollar increases
not only for the next biennial period,
but for all those to follow. We have
charged that the new assessments will
cost the people an average of fifty per
cent more in state taxes alone, and
that they have been adopted with
view to supporting wasteful admins
tration, with intolerable Capitalization
of authority in the executive. And
these changes have not been refuted,
but have been passed over lightly by
fiippant responses that do not meet the