The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1921-07-29
What About the Legislature ?

any kind of a fight, but if the pc,
litical organizations in Tennessee are
determined to continue raiding the
State treasury in the name of higher
education and State fairs, or politi-
cal plumber in any other guise, then
let it come, and welcome.
We do know one thing, and that
is the State cannot continue plung-
ing in debt without disturbing OF
impairing the State credit.
The counties have already on their
own initiative made attempt to re-
duce taxes. l don't know what Mr..
Louthan is going to do, but this
thing of raising the appropriations
every two years at the rate of nearly
fifty per cent increase and lowering
the taxes twenty-five per cent will
undoubtedly carry us ON to financial
ruin.
There is something wrong about
this, and the fact that the newspa-
pers of the State are as dumb as an
oyster is ominous.
Why in the name of heaven news
papers can ease themselves with a
discourse on higher criticism or the
theme of relatively and ignore the
most vital of all material things is
beyond us. We cannot believe the
press of the State is either bribed or
timid.
You know and l know and every
body knows that the people of the
State, especially the farmers, are up
in arms over the heavy tax increases.
You and and everyone should know
that the State should not spend more
money than it can raise thru taxes
or other sources of revenue.
But with twenty or twenty-five
per cent reduction in taxes and an
increase in appropriations, widening
the difference between the annual
expenditures and the annual reve-
nues to ratio something like half
enough money to meet these expendi-
lures, something must happen, and
that something will be ruinous to
State finances.
Now, we have heretofore sought to
point out where a lot of this heavy
increase is going, but what are the
taxpayers going to do about it. There
are too many normal schools and
world of duplication in each of them.
The University of Tennessee had it's
venue from State taxes
raised from four hundred thou
sand annually to over million dol
lars every year. The State fairs are
to get out of these railroading legis-
lative processes several hundred
thousand dollars every year. All this
is being done when the farmers are
being pressed to the wall to meet ex-
penses.
Why can't the taxpayers open
their eyes and see these things. Why
not start a campaign next year to
revolutionize State government and
restore State credit.
1t is up to you, Mr.. Voter and Tax
payer, to do this, and the only way
under heaven it can be done is to
send men to the Legislature that will
NJ rrxy out fhaca poIioioc
Just imagine, if you will, what
sort of condition your Congress has
got us in. The appropriations for
the year are $4,000, 900, 900. This
may be overdrawn by the depart
ments to a sum approximating six
billions of dollars. There is a deficit
of four billions. So the internal rev.
enue next year must be $10,000,0 00,-
900. Add this to the State taxes |
and how many farm mortgages will
be the result?
There is no joke about all this
Here is our platform heretofore pub
lished for the State government of !
Tennessee:
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 grades.
Compel the University of Tennes-
see to be satisfied with conservative
and let that be con-
fined principally to the Division of
Department of Agricul
ture.
Dismantle 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. There |
is no CRYING need for a state system |