The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-07-01

is that the people of Tennessee are
dishonest. For it would be an act
of dishonesty to undertake to main
tain such system without paying
for it,
Then, If the taxpayers of Tonnes
see do not indorse all these things,
what next? Can they have them
corrected if by neglect they allow the
politicians to prevail and continue
the same policies.
| There is but one way of redress
and that is thru the ballot box.
4 The taxpayers of Tennessee, like
the school interests and others who
are in the fight, should organize into
a solid and determined mass and go
to the primaries next year to elect
men and women pledged to do their
solemn duty.
And this duty should be to make q
budget of expenditures and tax as
sessment ample for the requirement
Of such expenditures.
In order to do this the candidate
should not have a single local bill to
| trade with. He should go to the Leg
islature with nothing to ask of his
colleagues, but bound hand and foot
to carry out the wishes of the taxpay-
ers' organization, and that is to cut
tho ovpapditurac 70 tba ci1a ~ tho
revenues and stop piling up this in
fernal State debt.
Now, what will it take to do this?
In our opinion this would be the
platform:
Deed the three State normal
schools back to the counties which
promoted them, and establish a sin
gle system of teacher training in
Tennessee, without duplication in
any of the school branches.
Compel the University of Tonnes
see to be satisfied with conservative
appropriation, and let that be con-
fined principally to the Division of
Extension, Department of Agricul-
ture.
Junk the polytechnic school as far
as the State is concerned.
If there is fight over the schools
it should be in the interest of the |
school children of the State who Can
not read and write-for the ele- |
mentary schools, if you please. AS
Mr.. Loveland said at the chautauqua,
we do not need State system of col
leges and universities, but the edu-
cation of the masses in the rudi-
mentaryy aaaad elementary essentials
of mental training. When we have
that the problems of civilization will
be solved.
Repeal of the act creating tax
for the State and county fairs. This
is a totally unwarranted burden up
on the taxpayer.
Another thought before we finish.
Every favorite son proposition and
every decoy used to swerve the voter
from his duty and every effort made
to defeat honest legislation should be
ignored. AS suggested. the lines are
being cast, and it benooves the tax
payers to be on their guard.
Get into the fight, men and wom-
en-; and get in to win. That is the
only way to decide the question. Let
the challenge be given and the lines
drawn, and above all things go in
fu&i force to the polls. Then If de-
feat comes, pay your tax and take
your medicine like men and women.
Remember if you don't make this
fight, you forfeit your legal right to
challenge the present system of tax
alton.
Now, gentlemen, with the triple
alliance moving heaven and earth to
save themselves 1--WE refer to the po-
litical organization fostering the
fairs and the topheavy school system
in Tennessee.) With this alliance
trying to save the patronage and
velvet" that they have been getting
out of these things, the organization
and the undertaking will not be an
easy matter; the battle will be the
hardest ever fought in tennessee.
The most subtle treachery and con-
niving will be brought to bear to
switch men from the right track. It
will be man against man and man /;
against devil. But the people can, ii
they will, win in this great work. 1t
must be done in eyery-State and 1t
must by all that's just and holy, be
done in the Congress of America.
Else all that has been held as sacred
in the free institutions of the country ,
must be destroyed. Ii
If the bona fide taxpayers and
voters in Tennessee can win in such
! campaign, there is another task
that is before them. That task is the I
making of a new constitution for {
Tennessee incorporating the prin-