Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-11-09
OUR PUBLIC FORUM.

BLOOMINGTON, WIS. Nov. 6, 1921.
Friend Sherman: I wish to write
you a few lines in communication of
your stand in regard to trimming
down county expenses. This is good
step in the right direction at a most
OppOrtune time, coming on the eve
of the meeting of the county board.
1t is to be hoped and expected that
that august body will 10 all within
its power to reduce salaries and pare
down appropriations ID compare with
the times. Officials should be just as
eager to accept lower salaries now as
they were to have increases made
from time to time in the past five
years "Be a Booster has been the
slogan now for some years, but have
observed that most of the boosting has
been done by those who pay mighty
little or no taxes. People who are
drawing salaries, especially seem to
care little if any how the other fell
low comes just so their pay is aised
annually What the man behind the
pillow needs is not SO much boosting
as a fair, square deal. | cite the
plOwman because that is where pro-
ductiOn begins) Witout production
no nation can stand long. One man
says THE Law of Wages is Produc-
ton" Surely a fine definition which
brings to mind the agitation in favor
of consolidated schools and letter ed
ucation for the rural communities
While / have always been for better
education. | don't think consolidated
schools are needed nearly so bad as
a different understanding of the
reason for an education. Children
should be taught in a school as we'll
as out to always expect to give one
hundred cents in value for every dol
lar received by them as salaries of
wages. in after life, whatever their
line of endeavor. We have a fine
school here in Mt. Hope, teaches a A.
year course in agriculture and yet |
haven't talked to one boy in the H. S.
who expects to make agriculture his
profession What's the reason? |
know but will leave the question with
you. Some farmers are leaving the
farms just on that account. Salaries
and soft snap jobs with short hours
are so alluring they can't keep their
boys on the farm. Land got so high
and is taxed accordingly, a farmer
has q mighty heavy burden to bear,
he has no comeback no one to pass
the buck to- If he can't pay his taxes
the land will be sold to pay them.
Education draws the most of our di-
rect taxes, that is, | mean, the one
largest item. What are we getting for
our money? Is the educated four
square? Where are the product Of
our state institutions? Which cost
the public so much to support? Those
in our legislature haven't accOmp-
Iished a thing to relieve the after the
war conditions. Most of them seem
too eager to play politics to have any
time to think of the interest of their
employers. Of course there are few
who do care and work for their con-
stituents. We have one senator from
our state who is in that class. | heard
him say in one of his public speeches
in Lancaster a ftw years ago. that
the last words OF the professor to the
class, of which he was one, when they
received their diploma was to remem-
Der their debt to the state, that the
state had given them the best edu-
cation possible and that the state had
a right to expect the best from them
in return. Surely wise admOnition
but how few keep the faith? That
thought should always be kept before
the student, not to expect something
for nothing but to give in service ac-
cording to the demands of his pos
ition
AS | said before | am glad you said
a word in favor of the curtailment of
the public's money. | realize that it
isn't nearly as popular with some to
go more careful as it to BE a Boos-
ter" with someone else's money" do
think that any business that cannot
make a go without so much boosting"
isn't needed 1t takes more than
Boosting to make two blades of
grass grow where one grew
before, and that is the business we
need more of at the present time.
will say in concluding that | don't
understood that | am knocking edu-
cation, far from it, education to pro-
duce more and better and cheaper of
live stock, crops and the product of
factories of all kinds. is needed
more and more But my idea is that
to many get the notion that an edu-
cation is for the benefit of the few to
exploit the masses of the more I'M
fortunate. who as taxpayers and pro-
ducers have contributed most large
ly for the support of our schools. Ed
ucation should be used as a benefit
for mankind, and no educated person
has q right to feel more privileged
than his more unfortunate brother,
nor to take undue advantage over his
fellow man. But to go fifty-fifty at
all times, in good times or bad times. |
We will watch closely the work of
the Co. Board in handling the finan-
cial end, as the crying need of the |
public is some relief from the ever
increasing higher taxes, and if they |
are truly representative, which they |
are supposed to be, we should get |
some results. Would like to hear
from humber OF the tax payers of |
the county in regard TO tseir views of |
the present situation.