Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-06-29
Taxpayers Side Of the School Question.

The great city of Detroit, Michigan proposed to ex-
pend over million dollars for school buildings.
Burdened taxpayers employed housing expert to
anime the situation and he reported that by the expend
ture of twenty five thousand dollars in modification of
existing buildings ample for present needs could be
obtained His report adopted put into execution and
proved eminenty satisfactory to all the ring of
grating builders who had planned to feather their
out of the vast expenditure
The situation there analogous to the one existing
in DEBORAH save in greater degree hundred thousand
dollars more to this small municipality than a
million did to Detroit and should give pause at this
critical juncture of repairing the financial
damage of the great This is time to indulge in
extravagant and colossal expenditure Common pru-
dence sense and justice to the taxpayers of De-
corah forbid it. The taxpayers have rights we'll the
building ring of tax eaters and their visionary hackers
who seek to toss ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY
FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS into the track of the
flood to be swept away some day with precious lives
Impossible you say, oh no, reflect Pueblo on Johns
town. the great Ohio floods The place for massive
building is on high ground, like Luther College, safe
from all possible danger and visible ornament to the
city And the time to build it is when we are
painfully recuperating from the stupendous burden of
the To be sand bagged into this expenditure by the
wirepullers of top heavy school syptem aided and
abeted bunch of building grafters would argue that
Decorah voters md mbeciles Is it hard enough
now with falling wages and tightening money for the
owner of humble home to pay taxes on it? Shall such
chains about their necks?
Such owners realize what a stupendous sum ONE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND
DOLLARS for city the size of DEBORAH and they will
bury this wildeyed proposition under bigger majority
than they did last time wise economy should be our
slogan for some years to come and reckless expend
ture on grand scale. Let meet the needs of the
moment did Detroit and wait for better times for vast
expenditure With this in mind get down to the details
OF the argument of the chief prepayment of the scheme to
mortgage DEBORAH for years to come
The following is taken from President w F. Bakers
article which appeared in the DEBORAH Republican of
June TO- 1t contains valuable points and it is per.
nent at this time to refer to well as to furnish the
general public with some conclusions drawn therefrom
The boards estimate of the per capita expense
IN the DEBORAH High School was $3.50 per month
or $3.50 per year. AS we had "a such students
enrolled last year the tuition received would be
over $500 The last Legislature amended a
law requiring the outside district to pay the ex-
pense of tuition up to S12 per month As a con-
sentative estimate the expense per capita for
high school students in the new building will be
5000 per month. The present enrolment from
the outside would produce revenue of $1,000
per annum.''
just why at this time the city of Decorah should be
called upon to build $4,000 school house is debatable