Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-03-10
"WHAT We OWE THE 21i1ij TUHT wv
Paper by Member of the WauseOn WO mans Club Read
Before That Club Should be Read by Every Citizen
of WauseOn, and Used a Guide in
Citizenship.

the intelligence he possesses, and not
allow personalities, prejudices or sell
tishness to enter into any part of it.
And if the intelligent service is call
ed for from any, surely it is from
those who have had the benefit of a
liberal education, and especially
from those Of US, who are mothers,
upon whom the future depends.
Service is so large field, that we
will only be able to touch. upon a few
of the less conspicuous things. Not
many women will care to hold muni-
cipal offices, though if any are so
inclined, it might be an opportunity
for great service. There will, how
ever, be an opportunity at the Spring
primaries to help decide upon pro-
per candidates for SOME of these
offices, and it will be our first oppor-
tunity to really exercise the full
privilege of the franchise. We owe
it to our town, our homes, our chill
dren and to all that is best in our
selves, to exercise this privilege with
intelligence and dignity. When we
go to the polls next time we will not
have the same excuse for choosing
the better of one or two or three can
didates, but should see to it that we
have proper candidates for all offices.
Another service, is the payment Of
taxes. Everyone knows that the
pecuniary burdens we call taxes
must be borne, yet the ordinary tax
payer is willing to let his neighbor
carry the burden, His patriotism in
that respect is like that of Artemus
Ward, in the Civil War, a willingness
to have all his wife's relations draft
ed. If our pioneer mothers and
fathers had had no larger vision, no
more care for the future, no more Of
the spirit of sacrifice and adventure
than have some of US. we would still
be weaving our own clothing, using
steel cutlery and securing it three
times a. day with brick dust, driving
through our streets in mud to the
hub would be thankful for board
sidewalks, and many, many like
things instead of this beautiful little
town, which it is our duty and our
privilege to make more beautiful,
more prosperous, and more perfect
for efficient living. 1t should be our
iov to pay taxes to improve and keep
what has been given us, and that we
may give to our children even more
benefits and advantages than we en-
joy. We think nothing of paying
from $25 to $50 for a tire for our
automobile to race around over the
country for profit or pleasure and
sometimes Sabbath desecration with
no benefits, yet $40 to $40 year adj
ditional tax for the benefit of the
community at large, will almost
start riot. | can understand why
taxation might be considered an un-
welcome burden when the money is
wasted as SO much has been by our
government, in the last few years,
but local tax for our own imme-
diate benefit, where the money is
spent right at home with economy
and care, by our own friends and
aeighbors, for our own selfish bene-
fit. for >water, for health, for educa-
ton, for life in it's highest and best
form, should always be a welcome
service; 'and there can be no con-
structive work in town or corpora
tion of any kind, without tax. Nearly
all places go down in history because
of the kind of people they give TO
the world, because Of their interest
in education, religious training and
in true Americanism. The real
greatness of any city depends upon
the future it is building for its peo-
pie.
There are endless ways of serving
the town in the details which we
usually feel that we are too busy to
give our time to do.
If it were not for fact that we be-
long to various inactive committees,
for reasons prefer these committees
to remain inactive, we might
suggest many valuable small SER
vices to the town and community. For
instance, our health committee might
bring enough influence to bear upon
our county health officers to see that
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