Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1921-01-05
GOVERNOR DIXON'S
MESSAGE.


and covers many subjects, but it is
well worth not only reading, but
careful study. Taken as whole We
regard it as most excellent mes
sage, though we may not agree with
all that Is said in it. That qualifiea'
ton coming from this newspaper is
no doubt expected. When we ado
that we agree with most Of the state
ments and reasoning based on them
as set forth by Gov. Dixon in his
message to the legislature, that
statement coming from this news
paper is perhaps unexpected. The
message itself is rather remarkable
from the almost total absence of par
tisan bias that it displays. In fact
it is an appeal to good citizenship to
support the administration in solving
difficult problems that confront the
state, and which cannot be satisfac-
torily and permanently solved with
out the cooperation OF the people
of the state regardless of partisan
considerations. On that basis we
hope the governor will meet with a
ready response from the new legis-
lature and that both the governor
and the legislature will meet with
a like response from the public.
We were aware that the finances
of the state were in bad shape, and
such knowledge was pretty general
on the part of the citizens of the
state, but we confess that we were
not aware that they were as bad as
the governor tells us they are, and
his statements will come to good
many Of our readers with something
like a shock. We are told that the
state faces a deficit of something
like two million dollars. No doubt
that can be wiped out in some way.
Gov. Dixon suggests various forms
of new taxes, such as tax on the
gross production of coal, oil, metals,
and new and higher income and in
heritance taxes, automobile taxes,
etc. With perhaps the exception of
the inheritance tax and very few
others, all additional taxation is
merely an added burden to all citi-
zens, as we have frequently pointed
out in these columns. No matter
who pays these taxes in the first
place in the end they are shifted on
to the back of the whole body polite
and all will pay them in the last an
alysis, farmers, wage carriers, bust
ness men, professional men, all who
purchase goods or service. From
the figures set forth by Gov. Dixon 1t
looks as though there was no escape
from the proposition that the state
treasury must have more money in
the future to balance it's accounts.
We don't know how it is going to
get more money except by collecting
more from the pockets of the peo-
pie, all the people. Don't be fooled
with the idea that 1t will come out
Of the pockets of small class of
our citizens and all the rest will es-
cape. 1t won't, no matter who first
hands it to the tax collector. That
party will pass it on to whoever buys
goods or services from him if he
can, and he generally can. 1t will
become an addition to the cost of
production, carried to the consumer
as overhead cost of doing business.
Gov. Dixon devotes considerable |
amount Of space to suggestions for
new and additional taxes. Apparent
ly lids his theory that it is better to
raise more of the needed revenue for
the state by indirect" taxation and !
less by direct taxation. It would take
far more space than we have here to
discuss the new tax proposals of Gov.
Dixon. We will reserve these for
other issues, perhaps discussing them
one at a time. Some of them we
consider not only feasible. but wise.
Others we are more doubtful about.
There is one portion of the mes
sage of the governor to the legisla-
turc that must give the average citi-
zen something of shock, and that
relates to the investment of our per-
nanent school funds in farm loans.
A very large sum of our school
monies are SO invested. Gov. Dix
On says:
II would be reniss in my duty were
I not to call to your attention the
alarming condition that confronts us
IN the matter Of the wide spread
of interest payments on
he state investments in farm loans.
ION November 80. 1920. there was
invested of the common school per-
nancnt fund in
Farm loans ~~s-.-. @~-~~~AS4, Zo7 $1,000
school district bonds 49,. 1892, 1886
J. s. Libertybonds ,s~a~~ eS0,0o0.00